Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-11-05
SCIENCE AND
THE LAUNDRY
SHOWS MUCH solLEo FABRICS
ARE BADLY WORN IN BEING
LAUNDERED.
Letting Wash Hang Too Long on Line
Also Deteriorates Garments.

Hlo0 GthNN avs 9e''
Science has invaded the laundry
After solving the puzzling problems oI
MAN. calorics of prOteid and carlo
hydrate We should get when we buy
IL cents worth of fish, the microscope
and the test tube have determined
how often a stih collar should stand
starching before ii cracks at the
edges.
The recent Investigations into the
fine points OF washing and the mys'
tfrious reasons for the rapid deteri-
GRAFTON of some kinds OF wash goods
were made by the Mellon Institute
of Industrial Research, which is con-
nected with the University OF Pitts
burgh.
Few people have any clear idea OF
how long shirt or a collar or a
tablecloth ought TO wear, and how
often ii ought to stand being iaunder-
ed. With garments used for personal
wear 1t is a little more difficult to
make comparisons, because some PEG
pie give their clothes harder usage
than others, but napkin or table
cloth gets about the same amount OF
wear in any household
The investigators took the expert
ence of a certain large hotel as Typ
ical. They estimate that the nap
kins and tablecloths in this hotel
have been Numbered 22S times in the
two years since they were first pur.
chased, and they are still in perfectly
good condition for further use.
The investigators find that there
arc three essential factors in the long
life of any piece of wash goods. 1t
must he Of good quality TO begin
with, il must be properly treated. and
ii must be properly washed. The fac.
tor of quality has to be seen TO when
the purchase is made The matter of
proper treatment is deserving of more
attention than it usually gets.
1t is fact not generally realized
in the average household that the life
Of any article or garment which is
washed regularly depends not only
on the number OF times 1t goes to the
laundry but also on how badly soiled
il is. II clothes and linen are badly
spotted and stained they do not last
az long, because they must be washed
longer and more vigorously.
That exposure to the air in drying
tends to weaken cloths and farbrics
was shown by a series Of tests which
indicate that clothes should not be left
on the line any longer than is abso-
lutely necessary. This is especially
the case in cities and suburbs where
there is considerable smoke in the
air.
The substances contained in smoke
are known TO have an injurious eff.
feet on fabrics. This explains why
curtains usually begin to wear out on
the line marked by the open sash OF
the window. Managers of large hotels
have long realized this fact. and they
have their curtains washed before
they actually begin to look soiled, in
order to remove the substances depos-
tied by the smoky air
1t il said that II this practice were
generally followed in private house
hai1p In Itfa nf tl.n nV al
would be considerably heightened
That the washing of fabrics too FIRE.
auently may not be a wise practice
WAS shown by another series of tests,
which indicate that every washing. no
matter how careful and gentle, weak,
ems a cloth somewhat.
Elaborate investigations were also
made into the various washing ma
tcrials. II was found that a combina.
ion of soap and washing soda Is the
best for use in laundry work This
combination weakcns the cloth less
than either soap and water or soda
and water used alone
The investigators also concluded
that one Of the most important parts
OF the washing process IL what shey
call "selcctive treatment" This
means that each garment should be
given jus, the individual treatment il
requires, according TO The delicacy OF
the fabric and the degree to which it
...t. g..
power laundry or in the tub 1T home.