Oxford Democrat., 1920-06-01
Give Clothing Good Care.
METHODS OF PRESERVING LIFE OF ALL
KINDS OF APPAREL.

Men a. well as women can help reduce
the high cost OF clothing. A little care
on the part of the wearer will do much
to preserve clothing already on hand,
and thus eliminate the necessity OF
spending large sums frequently to replen-
isb the wardrobe.
Immediate attention to rips, sewing
on loossued buttons and hooks, rework-
ing worn buttonholes, and preventive
darning are recommended as means of
prolouging the life Of garment. The
latter repair measure consists OF rein
forcing a worn place with rows of fine
stitches or by laying q piece Of cloth
under it and darning II down with ravel-
ings of the material. The heels and toes
of stockings and socks especially may be
treated this way before hole is entirely
worn through. Shortening sleeves or
trousers little to do away with worn
edge, or putting new cuffs and collar OF
new trimming on dress may often add
months to the life of garment.
To keep clothing looking ''as good as
new" as we'll as actually preserving and
lepgthening its life, It is necessary to
keep 1t clean. Brushing with q stiff
brush for wooden clothing and with q
softer brush for velvet or silk, is neces-
sary to remove dust, and spots and stains
should be carefully treated with cleaning
preparations as soon as possible. Iu
most cases this can be done at home, but
IL 10 more economical to have professional
cleaners handle very delicate garments.
Farmers Bulletin S61 gives detailed in
formation on the removal of stains from
different kinds of textiles.
PRESSING PRESERVES GARMENTS
Preserving the shape of garment
lengthens its service. Almost anyone
can learn to press clothing neatly. Wool
en- clothing should be covered with q
thoroughly dampened cloth and pressed
with moderately hot iron until nearly
dry. II the cloth becomes absolutely
dry, shine is likely to appear on the gar
ment. Silk garments should be pressed
very carefully; In fact, sometimes bang
ing q silk dress over tub of steaming
water will remove wrinkles without
actual ironing. Washable white silk
garments should be washed and rinsed
in lukewsrm water, wrapped in towel,
and pressed with warm, not hot, iron.
Handled in this way they will not turn
yellow for long time. Thorough air
ing of clothes after wearing, out of doors
il possible, will do much toward keeping
them fresh and thus make them last
longer.
Shoes, more than many other articles
of clothing, need to be thoroughly aired
after wearing, to prevent perspiration
from rotting the lining. Keeping shoes
on shoe trees or stuffed with paper when
not in use preserves their original shape,
and Is especially necessary II the shoes
have become wet. Intense heat is likely
to crack leather; therefore wet shoes
should never be dried under the stove or
on register or radiator. They should
be dried slowly and II possible rubbed
from time to time to soften the leather.
The best plan is to keep the shoes from
getting wet by wearing overshoes.
CLEANING HATS AND GLOVES
A hat that is worn day after day needs
special care to keep it looking neat.
Careful brushing or, in the case Of straw
hats, wiping with cloth dipped in de-
natured alcohol will remove dust and
freshen it. A new band on a mans bat
may postpone the necessity of buying q
new hat for months. Trimmings on
women's hats that become loosened by
wind or wear should be sewed into place
as follows: Thread long needle with
coarse thread or silk of an inconsp picuous
color. Draw the needle from the wrong
side through the hat beside the loosened
trimming, leaving or 8 inches Of thread
on the wrong side; pass the needle up
aud down around the trimming and back
to the wrong side of the hat; pull the
thread through, tie the two ends securely
and cut them quarter of an inch be-
yond the knot.
One method OF cleaning kid gloves is
to rub the soiled parts with corn meal,
moistened with enough gasoline 10 keep
the meal from scratching the gloves, then
dry thoroughly in the air. Washable
gloves should always be washed on the
hands to preserve their shape. 1t pays
to mend small rips in gloves as soon as
be rip appears.