Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1921-04-07

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GOD equipment in the laundry room
AZ Is as important as right methods
in laundry work. Both decrease the
- - labor, shorten the time and assist
~N~| in producing better results. Equip
IOZNS01 ment need not be expensive but it
N%N W. should be chosen and placed from
~l III the point Of view of service and
for the, comfort of the worker
The working surface of nearly
all laundry equipment is usually set too low, and
the woman operating it is so out of balance that
she IS soon fatigued Little of the washing process
IS done in the bottom of the tub and the work.
ing height is about halfway up the side. For the
average worker the top rim of the tub should be
81 inches from the floor; in all cases the tubs
should be placed so that the worker does not
stoop from the shoulders but bends at the hips.
A portable Washtub may be easily raised or low
cred to the right height If the top of the wash
board is too high, it may be lowered by cutting
off part Of the legs. The ironing table or board
should be low enough so that force from the
shoulder can be easily applied; 81 inches is a
good average height. Where no special room is
provided for the laundry and there are no set
tubs, portable bench of the correct height and
size is convenient.
wooden tub is difficult to keep in good cond-
ton. If kept dry it is likely to shrink and fall
apart; if kept moist enough to prevent shrinking
it is likely to become watersoaked and Shiny and
may have disagreeable odor. A portable gall
vanizedron tub is fairly light durable and easy to
keep clean, but may corrode fiber tub is still
lighter, is easily kept clean, and is durable if left
dry, but is more expensive than an iron tub ANY
portable tub may have a hole bored in it and
plug inserted that water may be drained from
it without lifting the tub. Hot and cold water
can be pped to a portable tub as we'll as to a
more expensive stationary one.
For set tubs, wood. which is now LITTLE rSed has
the same qualities for portable ones. Soap
stone and similar materials cheaper than
porcelain, but because of their dark color it Is
more difficult to be sure that they are clean.
Porcelain or enameledron tubs are heavily glazed
and do not rust or absorb grease. Both white
and yellow porcelain tubs are on the market the
latter are cheaper but the color may make it hard
to tell when the clothes white. A home laun-
dry is most often equipped with two tubs, but
when there is no washing machine third tub
saves much handling of the clothes.
Washboards reduce the work of cleaning a gar
ment but are somewhat hard the clothes. A
glass board, although more easily broken, Is pref
cradle to a metal one, because the corrugations
are rounded and the friction on the clothes Is
less. When the surface of dashboard is broken
it should not be used. Washboards should always
be put away dry, that they do not warp.
Wringers save labor, make the clothes much
dryer and less destructive to fabrics than hand
Wringing. To prevent buttons from being torn off
by wrnger, fold them into the garment and
hold it fiat. reversible wringer is much more
useful than a one-way wrnger if two or
tubs are used. To keep wringer In good condi-
ton it should be oiled with good machine Oil and
the pressure screws should be oosened when it is
| not in use. When the pressure Is put on again.
both screws should be turned at once; then the
| pressure is likely to be even. The rollers
| of a wringer may be cleaned with cloth moist
ened with two or three drops of kerosene; but
since kerosene dssolves rubber, the rollers should
| be washed with soap and water as soon as the
| discOloratiOn disappears.
| tin boiler costs less than any other but is
not particularly durable. 1t must be well dried
| after using. tin boiler with a copper bottom
is more durable conveys heat better, and Is worth
| the additional cost. A boiler made entirely of
copper is expensive, but is the most durable of ALL
Some elaborate laundry equipments have station
airy boilers, which save much lifting.
Some helpful washing devices on the mar
ket One is perforated funnel, made to place in
a wash boiler which works on the same principle
as a coffee percoatOr spraying the clothes and in
creasng the circulation of the water The funnel
| On-a-sck washer creates a partial vacuum and
| makes it possible to wash clothes at time
| and also to wash very soiled clothing without i'm
mersing the hands scrubbing.
Washing machines, whether operated by hand
or by motor, are efficient because they do more
work in a given time and do much Of 1t without
direct and constant supervision While wooden
| tub machines cheaper than those with metal
tubs they are likely to dry and then leak If kept
in heated room; 1t is better to store them in a
cellar a barn, or a shed, a porch. Leaving
wet sponge in the machine helps to provide
moisture. Metal tubs must be protected against
rust, and the working parts Of all machines must
be kept properly oiled.
While there are two hundred more washing
machines the market they may all be grouped
under five heads:
O) Machines of the "dolly" type have a device
like a short-egged stool that revoves in tub
usually of wood and cleans the clothes by draw
ing them through the soapy water first one way
and then the other. In some cases there are cor
rugated boards around the side Of the tub. There
Is special danger Of tearing the clothes If too many
| are put in at one time.