New-York tribune., 1912-02-12
Sundry Mitigations of
the Labors OF Day
Commonly Call
ed Blue"
sv Martha Mcculloeh Williams.

a..
g5s,y appreciable saving of strength means
LI,sndally a saving OF money. since labor
:, ,he world commodity. paid for either IN
-. or IN kind. Washday has been recog-
Tod time out of mind as so much a house
nold bugbear it has come 10 be named
.hne Monday" Therefore, it is worth
,.b,,s 10 run over sundry mitisatlons Of its
,.hors which do not include costly ma
cbinery or specially expert knowledge.
with set tubs and fully water supply,
-, things thoroughly with cold water. let
4, rr,n away, then make the usual suds.
yon will make It very much quicker and
easter BY shaving up your supply of soap
and dissolving It over the fire in Il little
yFstsr with tho addition OF a teaspoonful Of
horax-to each cake. Cook TO a thick Jclly.
,a,rins 10 make sure the soap is dissolved.
Tbis ielly rubbed on the dirty spots will
make s,Ids Of itself. For prints ana colored
things a handful whisked through the
,e,er makes suds almost instantaneously.
Let things soak half an hour, then rub,
wiring out and drop in the rinse water.
non't wiring them out OF the rinse water;
drajn them. instead, pressing them down
hard enough 10 squeeze out much of the
water. Lacking set tubs, you can still
drain your clothes by laying them sopping
Wet upon a frame filled with galvanized
wire net. laid over a tub. 1t is possible 10
take away suds and rinse watcr-Gny
water. indeed-by help of rubber hose.
Fssten length OF 1t so the end will reach
outte.fo the bottom of the tub, then lead
he other end down and outward To where
tas<gater can be discharged. The tube will
saphohsit away. but takes some time. With
q grass plot handy the suds will regcncrate
II especially II the hose cGd Is moved
about so all parts of the surface are equally
wet
Blue the drained clothes we'll, but not
over well; wiring them dry. then hang out,
shaking as smooth as possible, specially
such things as sheets, pillow cases, bath
towels and so on. Hang linen table cloths
sIwsys across the warp--that is, the length
wise Of them. Warp threads are doubly as
strong as woof, and thus better able 20
r,and strain. Take down sheets and so on
vhen barely damp, fold them, smooth them
rpon a clean fiat surface, then pile them
one on another under moderate weight in
an airy place. Don't iron them-it is a
waste o. effort. Do not iron stockings or
underwear. especially woollen underwear
Heavy woolen shirts keep shape better il
dried upon coat hangers which have been
covered thickly with clean cloth 50 they
shall not rust, a substitute for such hang
ers are quarter-sections of wooden barrel
hoop, rounded at the ends, with big screw
hook made fast in the middle. dozen
such can be made for cost of less than 20
cents-indeed, simply for the price Of the
hooks.
strsining starch is so troublesome: make
starch that requires no straining This is
tas way. Put on sufficient clean water in
wisepan. and let 1t come to hard boil.
Meantime mix UP your starch in cold water
TO the consistency of thick cream, taking
care there are no Jumps. When the water
boils remove it from the fire and instantly
stir into It the mixed starch. Keep stirring
till it looks clear-the heat OF the water will
cook It without making a lump. very
little lard, a quarter tesspoonful 10 the
gallon of cooked starch. makes things iron
little smoother. But with or without 1t,
starch made thus does not stick to the iron.
Il Is worth while though, TO rub the iron
lightly over a parafined cloth, to prevent
any Possibility of shutting
There is a superstition that fine damask
shows no better II ironed without drying.
superstition that deserves to be exploded.
Hang your linen very smooth and take II
down, folding it as smooth as possible,
ufhop {e T,fr 7 az IL fOIdaS
snd covered thickly an hour or so, then
iron dry. This you can do with infinitely
less wear 10 the fabric than IL you ironed
II sopping wet. AS TO the saving of muscle
no words are needed. If things are allowed
to get bone dry. then sprinkled down, they
never come quite so smooth as II folded
damp. But bone drying in midsummer sun
is worth while now and again. IN that II
sHeetens and whitens as no artificial
agency. possibly can.
That doesn't interest me. keep a
firtlf woman said when I told her some
part Of what is here set down. ! only
smiled; / knew she did keep a girl, but
generally kept her coming and going. And
now | understood-all the better when the
woman added '1 wouldn't try any of your
easy ways-the girl don't have enough 10
90 as it isiust the two Of us-and we have
10 pay such frightfUl wages I want the
worth Of them" I hope this woman is
unique. that most mistresses are as
eager TO give the girl help as TO save
themselves trouble. II they are not, they
should be. Exaetion OF this sort will al
ways mako the servant question a burn
ing one. Servants arc, after all, exceeding