Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1920-12-14
Right Laundry Methods.
FOB HOME LAUNDERING
THOROUGH RINsINa NECESSARY.


THOROUGH RINsING NECESSARY.
To most women the hardest and most
dreaded task of the weekly household
calendar IL laundering the clothes, yet
clean clothes are as necessary to the
health and comfort OF the family %
clean food. Even when mechanical help
is available, the washing takes time, mp
sets the household, and can not easily
be postponed once Il 10 started. The
reward for the hard work 10 the line OF
clean, snowy white clothes drying In
the sun. This satisfaction 10 denied the
woman whose weekly washing is gray
and streaked.
Farmers Bulletin 1899, "Home Laun-
dering," issued by the United States
Department OF Agriculture, gives the
following advice on laundering white
clothes:
SOAKING SAVES RUBBING
Soaking clothes over night or even for
a shorter time loosens dirt, saves time,
and lessons wear. Clothes may be soak
ed by covering them with cold or luke
warm water, or by wetting, soaping,
rolling, and putting them into small
amount of water. The latter method
takes moro time, but Is more effective II
there are no stains. Soaking for short
time 10 lukewarm water Is a. effective
az longer soaking In cold water. Wash
ing soda, ammonia, borax, or other
chemicals are sometimes added to the
water If the clothing is very dirty.
1t is safe practice to dissolve one
pound Of washing soda In quart of
water and mix one tablespoon of this
solution in gallon of soapy water. II
the soda is mixed directly into the water
used for soaking there is danger that It
may not be entirely dissolved and may
eat holes In the clothes. The necessary
amount of ammonia depends on its
strength; about three tablespoons to the
gallon is perhaps . safe allowance either
for the dilute 'household" ammonia
bought at the grocery stores or for the
concentrated ammonia bought at the
drug store and diluted at home to about
eight times Its original volume. From
one to one and one half teaspoons of
borax to gallon of water lie the amount
commonly suggested for soaking in soft,
soapy water II the water Is hard soak
ing of any kind is unsatisfactory because
of the scum that settles on the clothes.
Soap will help to prevent scum from
forming.
After the clothes are soaked they
should be put into fresh wash water "a
hot as the hands can bear, with soap
enough to produce lasting suds, and
then the sospy water should be forced
through the fabric. Whenever the wa,
ter becomes dirty 1t should be replaced
by fresh suds. 1.-THE clothes are washed
by hand, it is better to turn them dur
ing the process and wash from both
sides. Special attention should be given
to hens and other parts that are much
machine the very soiled parts may need
to be rubbed with soap as the garments
are put into the machine.
The rubbing on q washboard should
be gentle. The aim is to force water
through the fabric. Therefore soiled
places should not be rubbed when they
are more or less dry, but should be kept
wet by frequent dipping, after each rub,
If possible.
TOO LONG BOILING FELLOWS CLOTHES
Boiling helps in cleaning soiled clothes
and In sterilizing them, but they need
TO be we'll washed first. With good out
door drying facilities boiling may be
omitted. Clothes that are to be boiled
should be wrung from the wash water,
shaken, rubbed with soap, especially In
soiled places, and put into the boiler
with cold water, or cold water to which
soap solution, or soap chips have been
added. In all cases plenty of water
should be used, and each boilerful start
ed with fresh cold water. The water
should be gradually heated and the
clothes pressed down and stirred with
stick, which may be used to lift them
into the rinslng water. Most clothes
need only about five minutes of actual
boiling; too long boiling tends to yellow
the cloth.
After boiling, or washing and boiling,
clothes should be thoroughly rinssd In
hot, clear water. This Ia more impor
tsnt than is generally realized. II not
thoroughly rinsed, the clothes may be-
come grayish, or the soap left In them
may act on the bluing to form rust
spots, or the soap and the starch, II the
latter Ia not pure, may yellow them.
Moreover, traces of soap or washing
soda may weaken the fiber of the mate
rial when heated In ironing.
If bluing Is used 1t should be we'll dis
solved In the last rinse water.