The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-08-10
On Washing Dishes

70, you Marion Harland listen! l shall tell you how I wash dishes l be- lieve in doing my work well, but with the least possible trouble, which, after all, should be the aim of every house. keeper. I do not mind washing dishes. much prefer other tasks about the home. but I wash dishes cheerfully. When l married my husband was so glad to learn l did not leave my dishes unwashed for hours Anything but a sink full of unwashed dishes. One day he said to me, am so glad you like to wash dishes.' Now I do not hanker for the job, but it is much easier and more sanitary 10 wash dishes directly til they have hardened and are sticky and have drawn flies makes more work. I always have an abundance of hot wa ter scads of towels, and a nice bar of white soap. No brown laundry soap for minel l carry my dishes on tray from the dining room to the kitchen table, arranging them on the tray so that they will not fall off. Likely as not, l have pink and blue dishes in the same stack. The one regularity I keep is to have the tines of forks, blades of knives and bowls of spoons pointing one way. have two pans, the first over half full of good warm water and the soap. use no gloves. The water is soft, and soft soapy water will not hurt any ones hands. For wash cloths l use squares of old goods, bags. worn out garments, or anything that is clean and usable. And I never wash or boil one. I use one for every two or three days, then into the fire it goes. I don't waste any time by washing wash rags. should prefer embroidery or to read, or learn how to pronounce some new words. or just go out on the porch and breathe fresh air. Now for the wash
 ing: l wash glasses first; rinse with hot water, dry and put away. Then the rest, regardless of shape, size, or color, go into the pan, two or three pieces at a time. With the least necessary mo tion l clean them l do not rub upon dishes that are clean. l do not have to shake and shake by cloth between every two dishes 1 have seen this done. place all these in my second pam pour hot water over and dry. For wiping towels l use -four sacks and l never hem them. The hems are hard and my fringe is soft. l have quantities of them
 do not allow them to get very soiled | hang them in the sun to dry and throw them into tub to accumulate for wash day. Tea towels that are washed every day become yellow and often have bad odor. On wash day 1 use light running washing machine, which is the only sensible way for a woman to wash. Select it yourself This is one thing hubby cannot do for me.
 wash the towels through two waters, adding a little ammonia, rinse, and hang ln the sun a long row of white cloths. leave them out for hours sometimes all night. 1 simply fold them and put them in drawer near the sink. My cooking utensils are nearly all alumi- mum and wash easily. For pots and pans that stick l use scrub brush made of reeds, not of metal. To keep 1t san itary l dry it in the sun; sometimes soak 1t in borax water. My dish water is never very dirty. When 1t reaches a certain stage l turn it out and get a fresh painful. Sometimes l dip my cloth or mop in the pan at the end of the dish washing and rub up my linoleum little oil is good for linoeum, then why not use a little butter or bit Of bacon fat? But say, Marion, haven't you seen ulSi tiidt spu NVtiNh ''P vour mop in? JENNA D."
 Dish Water should never have had the bad name that will cling to 1t for all time. A woman told me once that washing dishes never chapped her hands. "I just leave them for a moment in the water when the dishes are all done," she said. Then the grease in 1t acts like cold cream upon my skin.' wonder (silently) how much of her patented cold cream adhered to the last batch of dishes. Our vivacious constitu- ent is right, through and through, as to the job most women detest. Person. ally, I consider it less arduous and gen. orally less objectionable than sweeping and dusting. Plenty of hot water, faith ful rinsing, and clean towels in apun- dance quick wiping as each article comes from the hot water--no drain ing. and long handled mop-trans- form the drudgery of dish washing into something like a fine art l prefer the the mop to cloth, and gloves with truncated finger tips to bare hands Only the fingers touch the water when the mop is used.