Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-10-03
Saving Labor in Laundry
Most Efficient Methods Which May Be Employed
in the Household and the Way Best Results
Are Obtained-Lessons From France.

dried on a windy day. bedspreads
will not need ironing. Fold the edges
together and pin them on the line
with the wrong side out. This not
only prevents the spread from wear
ing across the middle. but gives it
fresher appearance than when ironed.
Ironing a Pleasure.
Ironing. like all other so-called
household bugbears. can be made al
most like fun il you learn to do 1t
right. First, the success Of this work
depends to great extent upon work
ing with clean irons. Another secret
OF good ironing is to have your iron
just hot enough and the clothes just
damp enough. This knowledge comes
through experience.
Do not stand to iron. 1t is foolish.
Have a high stool that brings you
exactly at the right height for your
ironing board. An old piano stool Is
ideal. Keep your sprinkled clothes
conveniently near on a chair and your
clotheshorse near enough to place the
freshly ironed clothes on without get
ting up, or on casters, so that 1t will
wheel easily to where you need it
most. Use an electric iron If possible.
Electric heat is clean, even and cas-
lily adjusted. The newest irons can
have the heat adjusted at the iron
instead of at the bracket II you
have no electricity the next best
thing. of course. is a good gas iron.
Never start to iron with a soiled or
torn blanket on the board. Pad your
board we'll with an old blanket pref
erably, and then with a sheet not
too old to last through the days
ironing. 1t pays to have a sleeve
board ready for fine work and sleeves.
They are easily made at home or can
be bought at small cost. Keep a
sponge in a pan of water handy for
dampening clothes which have be-
come dry. Also wax pad for keep
ing the irons from sticking and a pa
per sprinkled with salt to smooth
them off.
Many women do not like ironing,
simply because they are not experts
at this necessary household art. One
thing to remember is the order in
which garments should be ironed.
Always do the fussy parts first and
leave fiat pieces until the last. Iron
cuffs, collar band, sleeves, yoke, back
front in this order on a mans shirt
or a woman's tailored waist. For a
fancy blouse. sleeve. back, front and
collar should be ironed in this order.
Skirts and petticoats should have the
ruffles ironed first then the hem, then
the body of the skirt
When ironing curtains. first fold the
curtains in the middle lengthwise and
iron them double. Then fold them
lengthwise and iron again. If the
curtains are very wide. fold them
again, and be sure that the folds are
creased well, and your curtains will
hang straight. This method may be
used for all sorts of scrin, muslin and
wolfe curtains, and even with net and
lace curtains.
Some Dyeing Methods.
IL your Summer house dresses and
others have become faded and unsightly
set apart a day to dye them. All ging-
hams take black beautifully. 1t will
take about three packages of dye for
each dress. Then out of your scrap
bag you can probably find enough ma
terial to make several sets of white
collars and cuffs. This plan will en-
able you to have lovely house dresses
for winter at small cost. When
these black dresses have served their
purpose cut them into carpet rags and
then crochet some rugs, edging them
with colors corresponding to your win
dow draperies.
All-black lawn, percale and calico
dresses and both dark tan and dark
blue ones may be dipped in starch in
which a cupful Of clear coffee and a
lump of white wax have been boiled.
The coffee will give to the material
the original dark finish and the wax
will prevent the starch from sticking
to the irons
Just now. when ecru lace is go pop
ular for trimming colored fabrics, it is
Of value to know how to produce an
ecru tint on white lace, which is less
expensive to buy than ecru lace, and
prettier patterns can be secured in the
white lace. Ten cent? worth of yelIow
ocher dust can be procured from your
druggist, which should be placed in a
large paper bag with the lace you wish
to tint ecru in color. Shake vigorously,
remove the lace from the bag, then
shake off the surplus dust A beauti-
full ecru tint that is permanent will be
the result.