Approved methods for home laundering

              Walter Clinton Jackson Library
THE UNTVEI<SITY OF NORTI-1 CAROLINA AT GREENSBORO
Special Coll£ctions & Rare Books Division
HOME ECONOMICS PAMPHLETS
Gift of Carolyn Shankle
Class of 1991
.:; ~tr:·:-1'~·• . ,.·.:~-t.~':'!- "~·r ...~ , ·'- (i >,:~-) ~ ... _: r.A.:~l·
' ),
'l~j
Approved Methods
for
Home Laundering
BY
MARY BEALS VAIL, B. S.
PUBLISHED BY
THE PROCTER & GAMBLE CO.
CINCINNATI, OHIO
Copyright 1922
The Procter & Gamble Co.
Cincinnati, 0.
Table of Contents
PAGE
Introductory
Value of Laundry Work. 7
Purifiers
Sun ... .. . . . .... .. . .
Air. . .. , ...... .
Wat er .......... .
7
8
8
Chemica l... ...... 9
Mechanical.. .. . . . . . . 9-10
Soil
Inorganic and Organic . . . . 11
PAGE
Bluing. . ... . .. .. . . ..... . 29
Wax...... . ...... . . . .. . . 30
Re-agents,.. . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Equipment for Home Laundry
List of Articles needed . .. . 32-38
The Family Laundry
Plan of Week's Work ..... 39-40
Order of Day's Work . .. .. 41-42
White Clothes . . . .. . . .... 42-48
Stain Washers
Instructions for taking out 12-18 Electric Types . . . . .... ... 49-54
Fabrics ironing
Cotton ....... .. ... .. . 19 Preparation for Ironing . . . 55-56
Linen . . ....... . .. . . . .. . . 19 Special Articles .. ..... . . . 57-68
Wool ....... . .. . . ... . . . . 20-21
Silk .. . ....... . ........ . 20-21
Soaps
Soap Solution . . .
I vory .. · ... . ........ . .. . .
White Naphtha ..... . ... .
Chipped Soap
24
25
26
26
Electric Ironer
How to Operate .... .. . . . . 68-71
Fine Laundering
White Clothes . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Woolens . .. . . . . ... ..... . 73-75
Silks .... .. .. .. ... . . . . . .. 76-77
Laundry Aids Laces .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Starch ... . . . . . . . ....... . 27-28 Leather . .. ..... ... . . . ... 79-80
The Value of Laundry Work
-Purifiers
HE one great pdvilege of rich and poor
alike is clean clothes. Water is free, soap
is cheap, and sunshine and fresh air are
everywhere. For centuries we have been
training ourselves to like the smell of freshly
laundered linen and the "feel" of clean,
smooth garments, free from wrinkles, and straight as to
threads of material. This very cleanliness is the
strongest supporter of good health. The skin is made
more active by the fresh clothing, which absorbs the
impurities thrown off by the skin. Moreover, clean,
boiled clothes never carry disease germs. ·
In discussing any subject, we first must learn of the
materials to be handled. With the knowledge of these,
intelligent work and satisfactory results are sure to
follow. In our special subject, Home Laundering, the
information side will be discussed under the several
heads: Purifiers, Soil, Fabrics, and Laundry Aids.
Sun, air, and water-Nature's purifiers-stand first
and are indispensable. The sun's rays have wonderful
properties, direct and indirect, in the form of heat.
7
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
Nothing can compare with them. Many forms of
·minute plant life, moulds, and certain bacteria, will not
grow in the sunshine; and sun and air, together with
moisture, break up harmful compounds, rendering them
harmless. Moist heat at boiling temperature or higher
if kept at that temperature long enough, kills all life.
The lower the form of life, the longer will it withstand
heat. So, in order that clothes may be sterile, that is,
free from life, they should heat from cold to boiling and
must boil at least five minutes, and in case of disease
germs, thirty minutes. Dry heat kept at a higher
temperature for a longer time acts in the same way,
but if not controlled, it will injure the fabric. Ironing
applies heat for so short a time that it cannot be depended
on to sterilize clothes.
Air, being one-fifth oxygen, aids in the breaking up of
harmful compounds and, when in motion, scatters dirt.
Water is our chief dirt carrier. When in motion,
water holds in suspension particles of dirt, which float
away. Much of the soil of clothes may be dissolved
in water, or, with the aid of soap, an emulsion is formed
and the dirt is carried off.
Primitive methods of washing depended almost en­tirely
upon flowing water to cleanse clothes, and washing
in streams is still the method of cleansing among people
of simple habits today, a flat stone, upon which to rub
or pound the clothes, being the only aid, unless soap
is used.
More depends upon the kind of water we have for
launary work than upon anything else. Soft water is
best, but rain water may absorb many things in its jour­ney
from the clouds; however, even after air and roofs
are washed rain water is comparatively clean and may
be stored for use. If we get water from a stream or lake,
it may bring with it particles of plants or soil. These
may be strained out, or the water may be allowed to
8
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
settle, the clear water being then carefully poured off.
Water whlch has soaked into the ground and appears in
stream, lake, spring, or well, may have absorbed some
mineral matter that will make it undesirable for laundry
purposes.
The most common mineral which hardens water is
lime. Temporary hard water is most common. This
is due to a soluble lime compound which is easily broken
up. The water may be exposed to the air over night in
a tub, or it may be boiled. Lime water may be added
to the water to combine with and precipitate ·the lime,
or a weak solution of washing soda may be added. In
case the hardness is not removable by boiling it is called
permanent hard water. To overcome this add a weak
solution of washing soda. Often the two kinds of hard­ness
appear together. Sal or washing soda will precipi­tate
them both, but in every case the water must be
well stirred, allowed to settle, and the clear water drawn
off. In softening water with an alkali, only as much as
is necessary to do the work is desirable. More acts upon
clothing and hands, weakening fabric and roughening
the skin. The larger the amount and the greater the
strength of the alkali, the worse the effect. If the hard­ness
of the water were determined, a definite amount of
sal soda would be necessary to soften the water, but a
chemist would have to make the estimates.
Both kinds of hardness are removable by soap but it
is an expensive process as well as unsatisfactory, because
an insoluble lime soap is formed which floats as a grey
curd on the water and must be strained out or it sticks
to the clothes. However, if soap is used to soften the
water, the strong yellow cheap kind of soap is the best.
When water carries fine mud in suspension which will
!lot settle on standing, dissolve one tablespoonful alum
m a half pint of water, add it to each gallon of water,
stir well and let it settle; the alum will carry down the
mud with it.
9
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
The alkalies commonly known and used in the house­hold
are:
Ammonia, a gas dissolved in water, and mild in its action if diluted;
it readily evaporates if heated. It is comparatively expensive.
Borax, a powder, mild and expensive.
Sal soda, or carbonated alkali, a crystal or powder, stronger and
cheaper than borax.
Sopade, a scientifically compounded water softener which throws
the minerals which cause hardness into a harmless form.
Potash or iye, a liquid or solid, strong but little used in modem
times. It is derived from wood ashes by a process of leeching
and is used in making "soft soap."
Caustic potash and caustic soda are very strong and not expensive,
but are rarely known in the household. One or the other is
invariably used in the manufacture of laundry soaps.
Soap, a very essential purifier, is discussed in a separate
chapter.
10
Soil
HE soil in clothing may be of two kinds:
inorganic, that is, ground up rock or metals,
or stains; or it may be organic, the product
of life; it usually is of both kinds.
Organic dirt being most common needs to
be understood. It may be food materials
or stains: body material as blood, excretions, or dead
skin; or plant substances including bacteria and mold.
Bacteria of some kind are practically never absent;
when bacteria are of the harmless kind, and there are
many of them, they are easily destroyed; but when of
harmful kind, called disease bacteria, which are few in
number, they require special attention. All bacteria
can be killed by boiling; the harmless ones need about
five minutes' boiling, the harmful ones being much more
resistant to heat need at least 30 minutes. However,
the work of disinfecting should be done under the
direction of a doctor or nurse.
When organic material of any kind begins to give off
an odor we know that bacteria are at work. This is
noticeably true of clothes that have absorbed perspira­tion.
They announce to the world that yesterday's
clothes are not clean.
Stains are so important that they need a chapter
by themselves.
11
Stains
T AINS should be removed before the mate­rial
is washed, and they come out easiest
when the stain is fresh and moist. Often
cold water alone will carry off the stain,
sometimes hot water is necessary to dis­solve
it. If hot water and soap are used
first, the stain is usually set, that is, it
partakes of the nature of a dye. To remove stains
after they have been washed without doing injury to
the fabric is almost impossible.
If possible, determine the character of the stain before
anything is done toward removing it; if uncertain about
it, try on a sample pr hidden part of the garment.
The stain may need to be
1. Flushed away, wholly or in part,
2. Dissolved, then carried away,
3. Broken chemically, then washed out,
if alkaline by an acid, ..,
if acid by an alkali,
4. Absorbed, when washing is undesirable,
5. Bleached, when other methods fail.
12
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
The simplest method of removing stains should be
tried first. If the material can be wet, use cold water
at once; if the stain is fresh, the excess can usually be
carried away before it fastens itself upon the fibre.
If boiling water is to 'be used as a solvent, stretch the
stained part over a large bowl or saucepan, have a
teakettle full of absolutely boiling water and pour
water through the stain until it disappears. Hold the
kettle high so that the water may fall with force upon
the stain.
If the stain is alkaline in nature it will need an acid
to break it up. Acids and alkalies neutralize each other,
that is, they are so unlike that when they are brought
together in the right proportions and solutiot,J.s one
destroys the characteristic properties of the other and
new products are formed. Both acids and alkalies
should be diluted. If the material is delicate or colored
the acid must not only be diluted but must be used with
great care not to destroy the material or color.
The acids ordinarily used are hydrochloric (also called
muriatic) phosphoric, citric, and oxalic. They may be
purchased at the drug store and should be kept in glass
stoppered bottles.
To take out the stain, stretch the stained part over a
bowl nearly full of boiling water and with a medicine
dropper or an old tooth brush apply dilute hydrochloric
acid (1 %) to the stain; occasionally dip the stain into
the water and use acid again. When the stain dis­appears,
rinse well in clear water and then in tepid or
cold water to which a little ammonia has been added,
enough to give a slight odor. Ammonia will break up
the acid which might act upon the cloth and will itself
~v.aporate. Phosphoric or citric acid (the acid of lemon
JUic~) may be used in the same way as hydrochloric,
but 1f the stain is resistant, use oxalic.
13
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
If the stain is acid in nature an alkali is indicated.
Use dilute ammonia first and stronger ammonia or sal
soda later if necessary. Remember that with strength
of solution and duration of contact, danger to fi,bre
increases. Use same method of procedure as for acid
stain and neutralize with a dilute acid if sal soda has
been used.
Javelle Water
1 lb. sal soda, or preferably pearl ash,
J1 lb. chloride of lime,
2 qts. cold water.
Mix thoroughly, let it stand several hours. Pour off
clear liquid and bottle for use. Keep in dark, cool
place.
To use Javelle water, stretch the stained article and
rub the liquid into it, rinse quickly in clear water and
rub again if necessary. Always rinse in ammonia water
at last until all odor of lime is gone.
Solvents are indicated when the material or color will
not permit the use of soap and water. To use them
place a pad of absorbent paper or cloth under the stain
and with a soft cloth, or perhaps with a bit of the material
itself dipped in the solvent, rub lightly from the outside
toward the center of the stain, renewing cloth or pad
when necessary.
As a solvent for fatty dirt use any of the following
with caution: ether, gasoline, or benzine. The fumes
of these solvents are inflammable, so for safety use them
only in daylight and in the open air, where no spark
can ignite the g-as and plenty of fresh air will dilute it
beyond the danger point. Chloroform and carbona or
Clenzol, trade names for carbon tetrachloride, are
volatile but not inflammable at ordinary temperature,
which makes them the safest solvent for fat.
Turpentine is a solvent for varnish, paint, resins,
oils, etc.
14
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
Alcohol, also inflammable, is a solvent for sugar or
syrupy dirt, for some fats and for varnish and paint.
Glycerine is a solvent for color in stains.
An absorbent may be necessary if the stained material
cannot be washed. When fresh, the stain (if in a carpet
or rug) may be covered with starch or Fuller's earth,
perhaps made into a paste with water: when dry, the
material is brushed off; or layers of soft, or blotting
paper are put over and under the stain and gentle heat
is applied.
Stain Removers
Follow methods given above. The simpler removers
are listed first.
Blood
1. Soak in cold water or tepid water.
2. Soak in warm, not hot, water and ammonia.
3. Soak in warm, not hot, water and naphtha soap.
4. Javelle water.
5. Cover with wet or dry raw starch, let dry, brush off.
6. Chloroform. ·
Brass
1. Rub rancid fat in before washing.
2. Dissolve in warm white vinegar.
Chocolate or Cocoa
1. Wash in cold water.
2. Borax or glycerine, soak, boiling water.
3. Bleach.
Coffee
1. Boiling water falling with force.
2. Cover with borax and water.
3. Cover with glycerine and ammonia.
4. Bleach.
Egg
1. Cold water.
Fly Paper
1. Benzine.
15
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
Fruit
Boiling water.
Warm alcohol.
Dilute ammonia.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Peroxide of hydrogen and ammonia.
Javelle water.
Glue
1.
2.
White vinegar.
Acetic acid.
Grass
1. Cold water.
2. Kerosene.
3. Naphtha soap.
4. Alcohol.
5. Acid or ammonia.
6. :Peroxide of hydrogen.
Grease
If washable
1. Naphtha soap and cold water.
2. Soften with fat or turpentine, then use soap.
Soak vaseline in kerosene before washing.
Soak automobile grease in gasoline before washing.
If not washable
3. Dissolve in gasoline, chloroform or carbona.
4. Absorb with starch or Fuller's earth.
5. Absorb with blotting paper and warm iron.
Gum
1. Gasoline.
Ink
1. Water, if fresh.
2. Sour milk for 24 hours.
3. Salt, lemon juice and sunshine.
Fountain Pen Ink
4. Dilute citric or phosphoric acid followed by ammonia.
5. Dilute hydrochloric or oxalic acid followed by ammonia
6. Peroxide of hydrogen and ammonia.
7. Javelle water.
Red Ink ..,
8. Cold water followed by ammonia.
9. Javelle water.
16
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
Iron Rust
1. Lemon juice, salt and hot sunshine.
2. Hydrochloric or oxalic acid.
3. Javelle water.
Medicine
1. Alcohol.
Iodine
1. Hyposulphite of soda or chloroform.
Mildew is a mold growing on the fibre. It shows itself
on damp clothes that have lain too long, and it is
hard to get off
1. Strong soap solution, powdered chalk and sunshine, keep
moist for hours.
2. Lemon juice and sunshine.
3. Javelle water.
Milk or Cream
1. Cold water followed by soap and cold water.
Mucus (in handkerchiefs)
1. Soak in salt and water.
2. Soak in ammonia and water.
3. Soak in boric acid and water (in case of severe cold).
Paint, Tar, or Varnish
1. Naphtha soap.
2. Gasoline or benzine.
3. Wood alcohol or turpentine.
4. Equal parts turpentine and ammonia.
5. If dry, soften with fat, soak in benzine or wash with soap
and water.
6. Chloroform for delicate colors.
Paraffin
1. Scrape off excess.
2. Soak in kerosene, wash with soap.
17
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
Perspiration
1. Strong soap solution or borax, and sunshine.
2. Oxalic acid.
3. Javelle water.
4. Sponge silk and cover with powdered chalk.
5. Remove odor with chloroform or by boiling.
6. To prevent odor, neutralize perspiration under the arms
by using boric acid powder.
Sugar or Gum
1. If washable, warm water.
2. If not washable, dilute alcohol.
Scorch
1. Water and sunshine.
2. Soap, water and sunshine.
Teas
1. Cold water.
2. Soak in borax or ammonia.
3. Soak in glycerine.
4. Boiling water from a height.
5. Hydrogen peroxide and dilute ammonia followed by dilute
acetic acid and water.
Wax
1. Scrape off excess.
2. Soft or blotting paper and a warm iron.
3. Warm alcohol (heat over water) .
4. Javelle water.
Wine
1. Dry salt while fresh, then boiling water.
18
Fabrics
HE fabrics that we deal with ordinarily are
of both vegetable and animal origin.
The vegetable fibres, cotton and linen,
and others less well known, are of a cellu­lose,
woody nature, and do not readily com­bine
with other materials. Their resistance
makes them tough, strong, and not as easily dyed as
animal fibres.
Under the microscope the cotton fibre is ribbon-like,
somewhat thickened at the edges, tapering toward the
end, and slightly twisted. The fibres come from the
fruit pod of the plant, are from one-half to three inches
long, seem like a flattened tube and probably are plant
cells.
Linen comes from the stem of the flax plant. The
fibres average twenty inches long and under the micro­scope
are slender, straight, and tube-like.
Cold dilute acids, or alkalies, will gradually weaken
both cotton and linen fibres. Concentrated acids and
a_lkalies act upon both according to concentration and
tlme allowed. Linen is more strongly affected by
alkalies than cotton. With concentrated acids cotton
is converted into parchment-like material first, then
gradually falls to pieces. With concentrated alkalies
19
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
cotton becomes thicker, transparent, lustrous, is in
fact mercerized, then decomposes. Sal soda (sodium
carbonate) acts but mildly on either cotton or linen.
Moist chloride of lime and sunlight weaken both fibres,
and if boiled with a weak solution of chloride of lime,
the fibres grow weaker the longer the contact. This
ml,\terial is used in bleaching both fibres, and the fact
that unbleached materials are stronger than bleached
is thus accounted for.
The animal fibres ordinarily used are wool and silk.
Both are nitrogenous in character--one, wool, being
hair-like, the other, silk, being gum-like. Both are
more easily injured than vegetable fibres, silk being more
delicate than wool. Wool, the hairy covering of sheep,
consists of tube-like fibres which are more or less wavy
or kinky, and average less than four inches in length.
The fibres are covered with scales, invisible to the naked
eye, which number from one to five thousand to the inch.
The finer the fibre the greater the number of scales.
Goats have a much longer fleece called mohair, which
has few kinks, no scales, and which will not felt.
Wool, because of its uneven surface, will felt and shrink.
When we realize how closely the fibres lie in cloth, we
can understand how the jagged edges may interlock
with rubbing or with the expansion and contraction of
heat and cold in the water or air with which we treat
flannels.
All alkalies act on wool, the effect depending upon
the kind, concentration, temperature of solution, and
duration of contact. Cold dilute caustic alkalies are
destructive, and if hot they will dissolve t he wool fibre.
Sal soda makes the fibre yellow, and less elastic. Am­monia
has the least action. Dilute acids roughen the
fibre but concentrated acids disintegrate it. Chloride
of lime injures the fibre and, if hot, destroys it.
Silk, the product of the silkworm just as it enters the
chrysalis state, is a lustrous, strong, elastic fibre. The
20
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
fibre is double, coming from two glands in the head
through the opening and is from 11;4 to 41;4 feet long.
All alkalies act upon silk according to kind, concentra­tion,
temperature of solution, and duration of contact.
The lustre is first · impaired and then the fibre is finally
dissolved. Dilute acids roughen the fibre but concen­trated
acids disintegrate it. Both silk and wool are
readily affected by dry heat; silk first stiffens, then
breaks. Artificial silk will not stand as high a temper­ature
as silk or wool.
In studying laundry work from the textile side not
only the fibre but the weave of the cloth must be con­sidered.
Closely woven material is least harmed by
washing but it holds dirt most tenaciously, especially if
twilled. Loosely woven material is easily washed but be­cause
the threads are lightly twisted it may be stretched
or pulled out of shape; if threads are overshot or bro­caded,
it requires unusual care not to spoil the design,
tear the threads, or mar the finish. Plain weaves and
plain colors easily show the dirt.
21
Soap
N very early times soap was unknown. To
loosen the dirt clothes were rubbed and
beaten in running water. The oily dirt in
the clothes being insoluble in water, the
labor of removing it was so great that the
fabric was usually injured by the rough
treatment. Later it was discovered that
water leeched from wood ashes would lighten the labor
of washing. But when it was used too freely the hands
and the fabric suffered.
The first attempt to make soap was a mixture of fat
and potash, but always there was an excess of potash.
The finished soap of today is one of the resultant prod­ucts
of the combination of a fat and a caustic alkali,
either potash or soda. Both the fat and alkali break
down under the force of superheated steam and then
combining form the two new compounds, soap and
glycerine. Perfect soap is neutral, having no excess of
fat or alkali. In good soap if either is in excess it is
the alkali. Even when soaps have other materials
added to them, as soda, resin, or scouring materials,
neutral soap is first made and then deliberately adul­terated.
22
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
Glycerine is a by-product of every soap factory. Soap
made by what is known as the "cold- process" is not
perfectly combined, and contains the glycerine and all
the impurities in the original fat. Home-made soaps
belong to this class and even if-most carefully made are
unsatisfactory.
The alkalies used in soap making are potash, or soda,
known as caustic soda. Potash makes a soft soap. It
was originally leeched or dissolved out of wood ashes.
Today it is little used except for the Physicians' Green
soap. Soda makes a hard soap. Before the siege
of Paris it was made from sea plants, but at that time a
method was devised to make it from common salt.
The fats used in soap making are of many kinds, both
of animal and vegetable origin. The latter makes a
milder soap, used largely for toilet purposes. Cocoanut
oil alone makes a "Marine" soap, so-called because it
is soluble in salt water.
Resin, a mild fatty acid, is a common adulterant of
laundry soap. It makes suds and is responsible, largely,
for the yellow color of the cheaper soaps. It is of doubt­ful
value in soap, and the growing appreciation of white
laundry ·soap, which leaves no dark color to be washed
out, is eliminating the use of resb.
Soap owes its cleansing power to its solubility. It
~issolves perfectly in hot water, but as the water cools
It seems to separate if there is much water present.
Hot soap solution does the best work. Soap is an
excellent emulsifying agent; the dirt in clothes is largely
of an oily nature or surrounded by oil and oil is easily
emulsified.
. Soap acts so as to cleanse by solution or suspension;
It ma~es ~ e~ulsion of the oily part of the dirt and the
non-olly dtrt 1s absorbed by the soap solution making
a permanent suspension. Both emulsified and sus­pended
dirt are rinsed away in the water.
23
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
It is true that soap disassociates in water to some
extent; that is, the fatty acid separates from the alkali,
but they recombine on concentration. The alkali how­ever
has no power in its dilute condition to combine
with the fat of the dirt, but it can form new soap with
any fatty acid present. The free alkali may loosen the
dye of delicate colors if the dye was set with an acid;
in such case an excess of acid, such as vinegar, will pro­tect
the color.
Soap plants, although having no alkali present, act
in solution, much as · do soaps, forming emulsions and
suspensions with the dirt. Being practically neutral
the color is not disturbed.
Petroleum oil used in naphtha soaps is a solvent for
fats and adds to the effectiveness of the soap.
Sometimes housekeepers add a little piece of paraffin,
or a tablespoonful or two of kerosene to a boiler full of
clothes with good results, except that many rinsings in
hot water are necessary to get rid of the odor; for this
reason the use of naphtha soap is better, and white
naphtha soap is best because it leaves no color to be
rinsed out.
Soap powders are made of soap, dried and ground,
to which is added more or less borax and washing soda,
and sometimes a scourer.
Soap flakes are a new and convenient soap product­small
thin flakes that melt instantly in warm water.
When made from a pure mild white soap they are un­excelled
for fine laundry work.
Soap solution is not for sale but is easily made and
more economical than using the cake in the water. For
laundry purposes shave one bar of laundry soap into
three or four quarts of hot water and cook until soap is
dissolved. Use hot or cold. Do not make or store in
tin or aluminum vessels.
Ivory Soap solution, if sufficiently concentrated, will
form a jelly when cooled. Shave one medium size cake
24
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
of Ivory Soap into two· quarts of water, cook about ten
minutes, or until perfectly dissolved, put into jars, and
use when cool. An easier way is to dissolve a third of a
package of the new Ivory Soa·p Flakes in a quart of
water. This solution is used for fine laundry work, or
on a dry cloth to clean material on which you would not
use soap and water, as heavy gloves, leather, etc. ·
· In choosing soap the use to which it is to be put must
be considered.
As a rule white soaps attract the housekeeper and if
quality is added to color the soap cannot be excelled.
It is for this reason that " Ivory Soap" has been for many
years the standard of excellence. Being a white, neutral
floating soap it is desirable for toilet purposes and at
the same time will not injure the finest muslins, woolens,
silks and laces. The new Ivory Soap Flakes gives us
this same ideal soap in an even more ideal form for fine
laundering.
Yellow soaps are stronger than white soaps. They
move dirt quickly, in hard or soft water, and they are
useful for washing badly soiled garments when delicacy
of color or fabric does not have to be considered. In
fact, many people believe that a soap, to be effective,
must be yellow in color. To these people, Star Soap
should be the standard.
Naphtha soaps are a great help in the laundry, because
the naphtha in them helps to move dirt quickly. Pre­eminent
among naphtha soaps, because of its unusual
~eatures, is P and G The White Naphtha Soap. This
1s a new-idea soap that combines the cleansing qualities
of the finest white laundry soap with the dirt-moving
power of naphtha. It works in hard or soft, hot or luke­warm
water. It requires much less rubbing than ordi­nary
soap, and it makes boiling unnecessary, if plenty
of water, sunshine, and fresh air are available. Never­theless,
an occasional boiling is desirable to make the
clothes white and sweet smelling.
25
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
To use P and G The White Naphtha Soap, make it
into solution (see page 24), add two or three cupfuls to
half a tubful of cold or lukewarm water, and soak the
clothes for at least an hour; better still, over night. Rub
a little soap directly on badly soiled spots before soaking.
Rinse clothes out of soaking water, look them over for
soiled spots which may need rubbing, rinse thoroughly in
three waters, two hot and one cold, and hang to dry.
Wash colored clothes as directed on page 45.
P and G The White Naphtha Soap is excellent also
for washing clothes in an electric washer, which requires
white soap as the best preventive of the sticky gray scum
that is harmful to the galvanized lining of the machine,
and difficult to rinse from the clothes. Even better
than cake soap for a washer is a fine flaked white soap
which may be put directly into the machine without
previous preparation. Such a flaked soap is Chipso,
prepared from the best white laundry soap especially
for washing machines. Its flakes are so thin that it
melts instantly into suds of wonderful cleansing power­dissolving
so thoroughly that there are no particles of
solid soap left in the clothes to retard rinsing.
26
Laundry Aids
OST important of the little extras in a
laundry is starch. It is of vegetable
origin, and found in many parts of the
plant, but principally in the seed, root,
or tuber, where it is stored as food for
the germ when it begins to sprout.
The tiny starch granules, known to us as a tasteless,
odorless, white powder, cannot be distinguished one
from the other except by the microscope, when their
shape, size and markings are recognized. When sub­jected
to heat and moisture these granules absorb mois­ture,
burst their envelopes and combine with the water
to form a gelatinous mass, more or less thick, according
to the amount of water used. It is this peculiarity of
starch which makes it valuable in the laundry. The
threads of the cloth are coated with starch, and the
spaces between the threads are filled. This gives stiff­ness
to the material when dry, and prevents its mussing,
soiling, or staining easily. The usual sources of starch
are com, wheat, rice, and potato. Sago and tapioca
b.oth furnish excellent starch, similar in its qualities to
nee starch.
~ice starch is capable of great dilution, the granule
bet_ng one of the smallest; it is used for fine muslins.
It ts rarely found on sale in America but is easily made
from rice.
27
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
Corn starch is cheap and in general use; its stiffening
quality is high. It is sometimes mixed with wheat
starch.
Wheat starch is used in public laundries because ita
results are satisfactory, the material being not only stiff
but more flexible than when com starch is used.
Potato starch is little used except for the filling of
cloth in factories.
General Directions for Making Starch
Mix starch with a small quantity of cold water to a
creamy consistency, add a little more cold water, and
then the desired amount of absolutely boiling water,
stirring constantly. Put the starch over the fire and
boil it for several minutes still stirring to prevent burn­ing.
Cool or dilute for use. If oil, borax, or wax are
used, they should be cooked with the starch, but bluing
is added later.
The proportions for cooked starch are one measure­ment
of starch to eight of boiling water, for thick starch;
and one measurement of starch to sixteen of boiling
water, for thin starch.
Uncooked or partly cooked starch will stick and
make trouble for the ironer, especially if the irons are
not hot. The amount of starch needed is regulated by
the number of clothes to be starched. Starch may be
made thinner by adding water, and it always becomes
thinner with use.
Thick Starch
Mix Y, cup starch and
7:\ cup cold water, add
;K leve! teaspoonful shaven white wax or a white
fat and
4 cups (1 qt.) boiling water.
Let it boil up several times, to be sure that wax is
melted and mixed and starch cooked. Add a little
bluing and set dish in a pan of cold water until it is
cool enough to handle. ·
28
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
Thin Starch
In a clean granite kettle put
Y, cup starch,
y.llevel teaspoonful white fat or twice as much
borax, stir smooth with
Y, cup of cold water, then, stirring rapidly, add
1 qaart of boiling water and continue sti~rifl;g
until it boils thoroughly. Have holder ready to hft 1t
from the fire, or it will boil over. Add
1 quart of cold water to thin it and reduce the
heat and enough bluing to counteract the yellow color
of the starch. Turn starch into a large dish. If care­fully
made, it need not be strained.
Rice Starch
Wash J1 cup rice, put into
1 quart water, boil it slowly, stir often at first,
keep up the quantity of water, and cook until the rice is
a pulp. Add 1 quart boiling water, and strain through
a flannel bag (without pressing). If too thick, dilute
it with cold water, and use while hot.
Raw Starch
To 3 tablegpoonfuls of the plain starch, add
1 teaspoonful borax, and
1 pint of tepid water. Stir well and use at once.
If prepared starch is used, make in the same way,
but do not add borax.
After using, allow the starch, if clean, to stand and
settle, pour the water off, and dry the starch. It may
be used again as raw starch, or, better, may be made
into cooked starch.
Bluing
Sunshine, moisture, and fresh air are the best bleach·
ers. Could we command a clean grass plot, pure air,
and sunshine, there would be no need of bluing. Clothes
become yellow from careless washing, dark colored
soaps, stains, or impure water. To cover up this telltale
color we use bluing. Bluing is sold in solid or liquid
form. The solid is usually insoluble; the fine particles
29
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
of blue are all through the water while it is in motion,
and will settle when the water is undisturbed. These
particles lodge in the cloth and give it a bluish-white
color.
Indigo, a solid blue, was originally a vegetable prod­uct,
but is now manufactured. It was the first bluing
used. It varies greatly in quality, and is little used
at present.
Ultramarine blue was originally the stone lapis lazuli
ground fine, but is now manufactured and sold in little
blue balls.
Aniline blue, either solid or liquid, is a product of
coal tar, and is a strong dye. This blue is used almost
exclusively by the public laundries. It will not set in
an alkaline medium, therefore the clothes must be rinsed
free from soap, and a little acid, usually acetic acid,
added to the bluing water before the clothes are put in.
Prussian blue is usually sold in liquid form. It was
first manufactured at Berlin, hence its name. Being
soluble, it is easy to use, and gives a bright blue to the
clothes. Prussian blue is a salt of iron, and, with an
alkali, changes to iron rust. If the clothes are rinsed
free of soap, it may be used with good results. If
careless work is done, you may find the clothes yellow
or rusted in fine spots. You can assure yourself that
the liquid is Prussian blue by heating a little of it with
a strong solution of sal soda. The mixture will turn
yellowish red and precipitate what is known as iron rust.
Every laundry cupboard would be more complete if
supplied with the following materials:
Beeswax or paraffin, used to fill up and smooth the surface of sad
irons. It should be tied in a cloth for easier handling.
Common salt, a neutral comP<>und, used as a scourer for soiled
irons, or to set colors.
30
Approved Methods for Home Launderinq
Ammonia, in liquid form (household ammonia), and
Borax a white powder. Both being mild alkalies are used where
s~aking rather than rubbing is desirable, and the color is not
to be considered. Borax, especially, is a mild bleach. It
has also the power of stiffening fibres.
Sal soda, or washing soda, is used for testing, and to "break" hard
water.
Javelle water is used to take out stains, and to bleach.
Hydrochloric or muriatic acid, dilute, a liquid, and
Oxalic acid, in liquid or crystal form, are used to take out stains.
White vinegar, used to set colors.
Grain alcohol, used to dissolve sugar, some medicine, and grass
stains. '
Ether dissolves fat or oil from the more delicate fabrics.
Kerosene is a solvent, used in washing and to clean rubber.
Gasoline is used to take out stains and to clean gloves and ribbons.
Sulphur is a bleach.
Powdered chalk or Fuller's earth will absorb stains.
Soap should be bought in quantity and kept in a clean. dry place.
If allowed to harden, there is less waste in using.
31
Equipment for Home Laundry
HE room should be light and airy.
The stove should be one made for that
purpose. It should be the right shape for
the boiler and so low that lifting is not
burdensome.
Tubs, if stationary, should be porcelain
lined, or made of cement. The top of the tub should
be about 36 inches from the floor for the average woman.
This should be considered when they are set. Portable
tubs are made of fibre, galvanized iron, enamel, or wood.
The wooden ones are best if made of cedar and brass­bound,
but they are heavy, and will warp and leak if
not kept in a damp place or with water in them. Tubs
of all kinds must be kept clean. A scourer of any kind
roughens the surface and makes it easier for the dirt
to lodge. A strong soap or sal soda will keep the gal­vanized
tub bright, but at the expense of the plate.
The sheet iron foundation will rust. Three tubs are
necessary for good work.
32
0 0 0 0
o,,~C \4 0 0
~
0 0 0
0 0 0
0 0 0
A MECHANICAL WASHING DEVICE
Made to fit the bottom of a wash boiler. The formation of
steam forces the hot, soapy water up the spouts,
over and through the clothes.
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
A wash bench should be of the right height for
user. The bench should have pegs to hold the
in place, and preferably a support f9r the wringer
between the tubs. .
A rubbing board is often molded into the <>Lctu~ma~JT,
tub, but this is rarely used, probably because it is
of the right height or slant. Portable boards are made
of brass, zinc, or glass, and as long as they are not broken
or ragged, there seems to be little choice between them,
except that the rougher ones are better for dirty clothes.
A washing machine of any kind simplifies work and
is more efficient than rubbing on a board. Many
principles are made use of to force the dirt out of the
clothes into soapy water; the action of the machine
may be rotary, oscillating, rocking, or revolving, or
the principle of the percolator may be used to pull the
dirt out by putting a false bottom into the boiler with
one or more tubes attached which extend above the
clothes. The power may be man, water motor, steam,
or electricity. Get the best you can afford but remem­ber
that brains also are necessary to the proper operation
of all washing machines.
A wringer saves not only time and strength but the
clothes as well. It is economy to buy a good wringer
and to care for it. One with reversible drip board is
best. Frequently put a few drops of good oil onto the
bearings. After each using loosen the screws that the
rolls may not become flat, wipe the wringer off with clean
tepid water and cover it from dust.
The boiler may be round or oblong, stationary or
portable, but should be very largely of copper, not only
for the sake of greater durability but also because copper
transmits heat more readily than most metals.
A clothes stick may be ma'de of an old broomstick,
or can be bought with a metal-pronged end.
34
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
A pail, of enameled ware, galvanized iron, tin, fibre,
or wood is necessary for changing waters, .and to carry
clothes.
A dipper, of enameled ware or tin, also is necessary.
A sauce pan, of five or six-quart capacity, for making
starch, should be of enameled ware, made with a bail.
A teakettle, of enameled ware or tin, for heating
starch water.
A case knife, a large wooden spoon, a tablespoon, a
teaspoon, a tin cup CY2 pint divided into fourths) and a
quart cup are necessary.
An ironing machine, electrically operated and gas
heated, is an economy if more than four beds are to be
cared for. The modem ironing machine will iron all
flat pieces, also plain garments such as aprons, under­wear,
men's shirts, and children's rompers and dresses
that can be folded flat or that open from neck to hem.
Select a mangle with a roll a little more than half as long
as the bed and table linen is wide.
There are also hand ironers for use where electricity
is not available. The cheapest are unheated, and are
recommended only for bed linen and towels that do not
require a glossy finish.
The table for sprinkling and ironing should be strong
and firm and not more than 32 inches high. For thick
starch work, the weight of the ironer is often laid upon
the iron, and her table must be adjusted to her work.
For ironing, the table should be covered with two thick­nesses
of a wool or cotton blanket, or one of felt, and
over that a sheet made of firm, smooth cotton, prefer­ably
half-bleached, because it wears longer. The sheet
should be hemmed and have tapes attached to it. These
may be tied under the table to hold the sheet in place.
A skirt board of the best type has a firm standard
attached, so arranged that a skirt or dress can be slipped
35
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
over one end without wrinkling against the support.
The blanket should be tacked on, and the cotton sheet
tied or pinned.
A bosom board is needed for ironing stiff dress shirts.
A sleeve board is also a help for infants' clothes.
A folding clothes horse should be light, strong, and
made without iron anywhere.
Sad irons must have a smooth surface. Nickel­plated
irons will not rust. Steel-faced irons will keep
smooth longer than those of cast iron. The irons with
detachable handle are desirable, but the old-fashioned
ones will do as good work. A gas iron has a tube con­necting
it with the gas pipe, and the gas burns inside
the iron. An electric iron has wire connections with
an electric plant. A gasoline or alcohol iron differs
from a gas iron in that the fuel is in a tank back of the
handle. A self-heating iron saves many steps and keeps
the room cooler.
New irons must be heated thoroughly and rubbed with
grease or wax before using. To store irons, keep in a
warm, dry place. If they are to be packed away, rub
them with vaseline or clean grease and wrap in paper.
A clothes basket should be light and easy to handle.
A clothes line must be kept clean. If stationary,
whether of rope or wire, it must be wiped with a damp
cloth before using.
Clothes pins should be washed occasionally and always
stored in a clean, dry place. If in a clothes-pin apron
fold the top over the pocket and put on a shelf.
A clothes-pin apron may be made from a piece of
bed ticking or something equally strong. Have material
half a yard wide and three-quarters of a yard long, turn
up one-quarter of a yard on the outside for a po~ket,
bind the pocket and the sides of the apron with tape,
36
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
tack the pocket in the middle, and put the apron on
a belt.
A whisk broom for sprinkling clothes, or a metal
sprinkler attached to a hose, if running water is available.
A flannel bag, or one made of loosely woven cotton,
is used for straining rice starch. A piece about 15 inches
square is folded from corner to corner, making a triangle,
and is stitched a little more than half way up. When
in use, the top end is folded over a rod or hook and pinned
so that the bag does not touch the utensil . underneath.
Old flannel, folded once or twice, is used when ironing
embroidery or pinning down lace.
Old cloths are necessary for lining basket, covering
sprinkled clothes, wrapping up clean clothes, or cleaning
off spots.
In addition, one needs scissors, an ironing stand,
an iron holder, perhaps of asbestos, and a medicine
dropper and soft brush for taking out stains.
38
Monday
The Family Laundry
LUE MONDAY" has so long been wash­day
that to we.sh regularly on Tuesday
takes courage. But, would it be "blue
Monday" if the work did not, beyond
reason, heap up on the housekeeper?
Where one woman has everything to do,
this plan is suggested for ·the week's work:
1. Put the house in order.
2. Plan and cook for Tuesday.
3. Sort clothes.
4. Mend clothes (rents grow in washing).
5. Take out stains (see pages 15 to 18).
6. Soak soiled clothes.
7. Lay fire for morning.
8. Fill boiler.
9. Get tubs and other things ready.
In sorting clothes, arrange them in five piles:
1. Table linen.
2. Bed linen, body linen, towels, handkerchiefs
(soak in boracic acid solution if they have been
used for a cold).
39
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
3. Flannels.
4. Colored cottons and stockings.
5. Soiled towels and cloths.
Soaking clothes loosens the dirt and makes the work
of washing easier, but only white clothes should be
soaked. Soft water is best, as hard water and soap are
likely to hold dirt in clothes. If three tubs are available,
use one for table linen, one for bed and body linen, and
one for the soiled towels and cloths. These last should
be soaked, even if the rest are not. The table linen
will need soaking least of all. Wet the clothes, rub
soap solution on the soiled parts, fold and roll each
piece by itself, so that the dirt from soiled parts will
not get into the clean parts; pack in a tub, cover with
cold water and let them stand over night. For two or
three hours' soaking use warm but never hot water.
Tuesday
1. Light fire and heat water.
2. Make soap solution. (See page 24.)
3. Wash.
4. Dry.
5. Sprinkle and roll clothes.
Wednesday
1. Iron and bake.
2. Do thick starching.
Thursday
Finish ironing.
Friday
Put house in order.
Saturday
Bake and plan for Sunday.
40
••
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
Tuesday
Order of Day's Work Outlines
(Details. are given on following pages)
1. Heat water.
2. Make soap solution.
3. Wash flannels or silk underwear. These require
no boiling and only warm water, and, if rinsed
and hung out at once, will be dry before the
line is needed for other things.
4. Wash stockings.
5. Using warm, clean suds, wash cleanest things
first:
Table linen,
Bed linen,
Towels,
Body linen,
Handkerchiefs,
Soaked clothes.
Make fresh suds when necessary. It is a
mistake to think you can wash clothes clean in
dirty water.
6. Boil. Put clothes into cold water with soap
solution. Let them come slowly to the boiling
point, then let them boil for five minutes. The
longer they are corning to the boil the better.
7. Rinse in two · or three waters. The more
waters the whiter and cleaner the clothes.
8. Blue. Shake out each piece and put through
the bluing water. Never allow clothes to stand
in bluing water, or they will become streaked.
9. Starch clothes needing thin starch.
41
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
10. Hang out, putting pieces of a kind together,
and have the threads of the cloth straight.
11. Wash colored clothes.
12. Take down, piece by piece, and fold. Never
crush clothes into a basket.
13. Dampen and roll up.
Washing of Linen and Cotton
White Clothes
Heat water in boiler.
Place tub on bench and rubbing board in place. Be
sure that both are clean.
Pour warm water into tub.
Add soap solution.
Take cleanest clothes first, soaked ones last.
Rubbing is necessary for soiled clothes. Bench and
board should be of the right height, so that the arms,
rather than the back, will do the work. Rub soap or
soap solution on the article, drop it to the foot of the
board, hold the goods firmly with both hands, but in
such a way that the cloth, not the hands, will get the
benefit of the rubbing. While rubbing up and down
the board gradually gather the cloth into the hands,
then turn the article and rub the other side in the same
way. Soiled parts may need extra soap and rubbing.
Garments should be left wrong side out, to protect the
right side from dust, while drying. Take fresh suds
whenever water becomes dirty. Delicate fabrics should
be rubbed between the hands, the fleshy parts of the
thumb being er.1ployed instead of the board.
Put clothes through a carefully adjusted clean wringer.
Wringing by hand is not only hard work, but it strains
the cloth. When using the wringer, fasten it firmly
42
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
in a convenient place, adjust the screws to bring the
rolls close together, and, fold the cloth so that it will be
even in thickness when going through the machine. Be
sure to fold all buttons and hooks inside the garment
and tum the wringer slowly. For blankets or heavy
material the wringer must be loosely adjusted.
Second suds is often necessary. Shake out clothes
from wringer and drop into fresh, warm suds. When
the tub is partly filled, look over clothes for spots that
may need rubbing; then wring again into a clean basket
or pail. The clothes are now ready for
Boiling. Clothes should be clean before they are
boiled, but if any soiled or yellow parts have not yielded
to rubbing, put soap on them before they go into the
boiler. Half fill the boiler with cold soft water and
enough soap solution to make a light lather. Shake
out each piece and drop it into the water. All white
clothes should be boiled, and the best results are obtained
when there is a large quantity of water and the boiler
is but half full of clothes. Bring them slowly to the
boiling point, and boil about five minutes. A clean
stick is necessary for handling the hot clothes. If the
clothes grow yellow in boiling, it may be due to a poor
quality of soap, water containing iron, or poor washing.
Boiling should not be omitted or slighted. The germs
that make bad-smelling clothes are easily killed by
boiling. Disease germs may need longer boiling, thirty
minutes at least, or several boilings; but this is usually
done under a doctor's directions.
After the white clothes have peen boiled (and clean,
crtld water should be used for each new boilerful) the
lamp cloths may go into the hot water without previous
washing, kerosene being the agent that cleanses them.
They must be well rinsed. to get rid of the kerosene
smell, and for this purpose hot water is better than cold.
43
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
Rinsing is very important, for clothes must be free from
soap before bluing, especially if you use the liquid blue.
Lift the clothes slowly out of the boiler into a clean pail
or dishpan, and drain them to get rid of the soapy water
before dropping them into the rinsing water. Use soft
water for the first rinsing, then hard water if the color of
rain water is not so good. The first rinsing water should
be warm, or the soapy curd will harden on the clothes,
and it may be necessary to rub to get it off. A second,
and even a third, rinsing water is desirable. It is careless
rinsing that leaves clothes a bad color, and no amount
of bluing will cover it up. Use the wringer for rinsing
and bluing waters-in fact, whenever possible.
Bluing. We have grown to like clothes of a blue-white
color. The more sunshine and fresh air, the less blue is
needed. No rule or proportion can be given for bluing.
The quantity to be used must be regulated by the color
and the amount of clothes to be blued. Often more blue
must be added, or a fresh water made. Tie the solid
blue in a thick cloth, flannel preferred, wet it, and squeeze
it out. Make a strong solution of bluing in hot water,
using a dipper or a small pan, and add what is needed
to the tub of water. Take a little of the solution in the
palm of the hand to test it. It should be of a pale
blue color. When bluing water is right in color, stir
it and use at once. Remember that if it stands the.
solid blue will settle, and clothes that touch the bottom
or sides of the tub will become streaked with blue.
Shake out each article and drop into bluing water, then
very soon wring out and drop into a clean basket . . Un­starched
clothes are now ready for the line. Clothes
requiring thick or raw starch should also go· onto the
line to get the sun and air.
Starching comes next for those clothes requiring thin
starch: aprons, shirtwaists, the trimming of underwear,
etc. Make the starch according to directions starting on
page 28. The amount of starch needed depends upon
44
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
the number of garments to be starched. Dry or thick
materials take up more starch than wet or thin ones,
and the starch may need to be thinned with water for
some garments. When only part of a garment is to be
starched, rub it well, then squeeze out the starch.
This must be done by hand, the rest of the garment
being held out of the way. The starched pieces are
hung out with the rest. (The starching of individual
garments is discussed in a following chapter.)
Colored Clothes
The dyes in colored fabrics are of two kinds: substan­tive,
those that combine with the material to be dyed; and
adjective, those that attach themselves to, rather than
combine with, the material. To the former class belong
the wools and silks; to the latter, the linens and cottons.
From the tough, resistant character of the linen and
cotton fibres, we can understand that they will not read­ily
take up color, and that, if they do, they will part
with it easily. Strong soaps, hot water, hard rubbing,
and even sunshine tend to weaken their color; therefore
great care must be used in their laundering.
Before washing a colored garment, it always is best
to wash and dry a sample of the fabric, and, if the color
suffers, to set it by one of the folowing methods, trying
different solutions on samples of the material, until the
right one is found. Soak the fabric overnight in the solu­tion
prepared with cold water, then dry it in the morning
before doing the actual washing. Some colors, particu­larly
those set with salt, require setting before each
washing.
To set black, black and white mixtures, gray, light
yellow, pink, brown, or red: use two cupfuls of salt or
one tablespoonful of powdered alum to a gallon of cold
water.
To set green: one tablespoonful of powdered alum to
a gallon of cold water.
45
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
To set lavender, purple, or heliotrope: one-half cupful
of strong vinegar or one tablespoonful of sugar of lead
(a strong poison) to a gallon of cold water. A table­spoonful
of vinegar to every quart of rinse water often
will restore sun-faded lilac or lavender.
To set blue: if strong salt water will not set the color,
try one tablespoonful of powdered alum, one-half cupful
of strong vinegar, or one tablespoonful of sugar of lead
(a strong poison) to a gallon of cold water.
For the washing, use only a neutral soap, or, in case
of a very delicate color, starch, oatmeal, or bran water,
instead of soap. Strain the bran or oatmeal out of the
water in which it has been cooked. The starch water is
very thin, and, like the bran or oatmeal water, is used
just as you would suds.
Ordinarily, good results are obtained by washing the
garment quickly in luke-warm suds made with Ivory
Soap or Ivory Soap Flakes, washing one garment at a
time, and if the water becomes colored, taking fresh
water for the next garment. Never rub soap on the
goods, nor the goods on the board-except the edges of
the hem, if badly soiled. Squeeze or rub gently by hand.
Rinse thoroughly in salted waters, then in one containing
thin starch and a teaspoonful of alum. The alum helps
to keep the color bright and also makes the goods less
inflammable. Turn the garment inside out for this
last rinse, and hang it inside out in the shade, removing
it from the line as soon as dry, that the wind may not
whip out the stiffness. Never blue pink garments. Use
red ink in the final rinse if you wish to strengthen the
color.
Dampen colored garments only a short time before
ironing. Press muslins, prints, and ginghams on the
wrong side whenever possible, as it makes the material
look like new.
46
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
Drying Clothes
Sunshine and fresh air are so valuable in bleaching
and purifying clothes that if we can control a bit of out­doors
we must use it. To aid in the bleaching, put
clothes out without wringing, or let them lie on the
grass and moisten them frequently.
In cold weather the laundress should protect herself
with a sweater or short jacket, a hood, and white mittens.
Wipe the line with a damp cloth. If the material is
so placed that the threads are straight and the article
in the shape desired when finished it simplifies the rest
of the work; and, if ironing for every piece is impossible,
you will have straight, sweet, sun-dried clothes to wear
or use without any further work except folding. Many
people prefer the odor of sun-dried clothes, and if the
wind whips out the wrinkles they are satisfactory.
Ribbed underwear, stockings, towels, and often sheets
and pillowcases need no ironing if time is limited. Plan
to have things dry quickly; never let water run into
gathers or pockets, or have puckers or corners to stretch
out or straighten later.
Always hang articles
to dry quickly,
for least strain,
with things of a kind together,
with hems of material straight,
with threads, not selvages over line,
with articles wrong side out.
In detail: hang skirts by bands; shirts and waists
by the shoulders; aprons and drawers by bands or a few
inches over the line; chemises and nightgowns with six
inches of hem or top over line; closed end of pillow case
over line; towels and napkins one-fourth over line; one
piece dresses on a coat hanger; and sheets and table
cloths doubled wrong side out, hems stretched, placed
47
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
ten inches over line and pinned at least four times to
prevent sagging. Small or delicate things may be hung
in a cheese cloth bag and shaken occasionally while dry­ing.
When clothes are dry, take them down carefully,
shake them free from dust and possible insects, and fold
them lightly- never crush them into the basket. When
it is feasible, a light sprinkling, while yet on the line,
will eliminate one handling.
48
Washing with an Electric Washer
~ N ELECTRIC washer, if it is operated
U /I intelligently, saves time and energy in the
home laundry, and washes clothes per­fectly
without any hand rubbing being
required. Machine washing is easier on
the clothes, also, since the dirt is loosened
and carried away simply by forcing soapy
water back and forth through the clothes.
Types of Electric Washers
Of the hundred-odd machines made today, each be­longs
to one of four distinct types: (1) the dolly type,
in which a "dolly" or three- or four-legged milking stool,
attached to the cover, moves the clothes around in the
suds; (2) the cylinder type-a small model of the machine
used in public laundries-in which a perforated cylinder
containing the clothes revolves and reverses in the' soapy
water; (3) the oscillating type, which has a peculiarly
shaped container that moves back and forth, throwing
the clothes from one of its corners to another; (4) the
suction type, in which inverted cones press down into
the clothes, first pushing, then pulling, the soapy water
through them.
The wringers on electric washers are also operated
electrically; they are most convenient when they can
49
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
be reversed and when they can be swung into positions
for use with other tubs. There is also a type of machine
that dries the clothes by a centrifugal process similar to
that used in public laundries. The washing "basket"
revolves inside an outer tub so rapidly that the moisture
literally flies out of the clothes; all handling and putting
the hands in hot water is avoided. It is preferable to
dry the clothes partially in the machine, finishing by
hanging the clothes out of doors.
How to Select a Washer
In purchasing a washer, study the principles involved
rather than the prices, which do not vary widely. To
get the utmost help and service from the washer the
following points should be observed: (1) To do away
with lifting and carrying water, the machine should be
connected by a hose to a water faucet for filling, and to
a drain for emptying. (2) To withstand wear and tear,
the machine should be of heavy metal that does not rust
- preferably copper. (3) The motor should be of stand­ard
type, and the motor and bearings should be covered,
to prevent accident. ( 4) To permit boiling of clothes
right in the tub, in case illness or some other cause makes
sterilization necessary, a large gas or other heater should
be available under the tub. This is also useful for heat­ing
the wash water, when one does not have running
hot water. (5) The swinger should swing, reverse, have
a dependable safety release, and a locking device that
prevents it from changing position while the rolls are in
operation. (6) The washer should be on casters, and if
necessary, as often is the case, particularly with oscillat­ing
machines, it should have clamps for holding it firmly
in place when the motor is running. (7) It should be
of the height most convenient for the operator.
Directions for Washing
(Use these general directions for a water power washer also)
For washing in a machine, sort the clothes as you
would for hand washing (see pages 39 and 40), and soak
so
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
the badly soiled white clothes in cold water containing
a little white soap solution and a softener, if necessary.
Do not rub soap on the garments themselves, as it clogs
the meshes of the cloth, and hinders the flow of cleansing
water through them in the machine. Long soaking is
not necessary. Wring garments out of soak, as they
will dilute the washing suds too much if left wet. (Some
authorities say that soaking is unnecessary. This is
largely a matter of personal preference.)
Prepare the washing suds by filling the machine to the
water line with water, not too hot for the hand to bear,
(do not use boiling water as it tends to set the dirt), and
by adding a cupful of Chipso, or two cupfuls of white
soap jelly, and half a cupful of sal soda solution, prepared
by dissolving a pound of sal soda in a gallon of hot water.
P and G The White Naphtha Soap is the white soap
usually preferred for ordinary family washings; Ivory
Soap is used for fine garments, silks, and woolens. Jelly
is made from either soap by shaving one large cake into
two quarts of boiling water and keeping the solution over
a low fire until the soap is thoroughly dissolved. It
jellies when cold. The use of Chipso, a flaked white
laundry soap prepared for washing machines, eliminates
the hand chipping and boiling of the soap.
Run the machine two minutes, and if a good suds is
not worked up, add more soap, sal soda or Sopade, as
the hardness of the water requires. Do not forget, how­ever,
that too much soda attacks the clothes, the hands,
and galvanized metal as well as the lime in the water.
Keep a record of the amounts used. This will save time
in subsequent washings. The suds should be rich and
foaming, but not too thick, or they will act as a cushion
in the machine and keep the clothes from sufficient action
to cleanse them properly.
The proper loading of the machine with clothes is as
important as having the suds right. The water and
51
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
clothes should be in such proportion that the clothes
move freely; too few clothes, however, is as bad a fault
as too many, since in either case the suds will not work
through the clothes with sufficient force. Too much
water for the amount of clothes requires a wasteful
amount of soap to keep up proper suds.
One good way to estimate the correct amount of clothes
to put in the machine is to weigh the number of double
sheets which the manufacturer gives as the capacity of
his machine, and use the same weight of any other kind
of clothes. Weigh everything when dry. If this weigh­ing
is done for one or two washings, the operator can
judge the load without going through the weighing
process.
Wash the table linen first, running the machine ten
minutes; then put the bed linen in the same suds. More
soap should not be needed for this load.. Next comes
the body linen, in the same suds, with a little Chipso
or one or two cupfuls of soap jelly added, according to
the condition of the clothes. A tablespoonful or two of
kerosene may be added as a solvent for the black, oily
dirt that is likely to be found on bands and cuff edges.
Ten minutes' run of the machine should be sufficient
for all but very dirty white clothes. Even very dirty
water need not be discarded, as it will loosen the dirt in
the garments, and proper machine rinsing will carry all
this loosened dirt away. Do not rinse any white clothes
until they can be rinsed in the machine, after all have
been washed.
Ordinarily, boiling is unnecessary for clothes that can
be washed and rinsed in a machine. All the white
clothes, however, should have three five-minute rinses
in the machine-two in boiling water, which correspond
to the steam rinses used in laundries and aid greatly in
whitening the clothes, and one in cold water. The hot
rinses also rid the clothes of odor where kerosene has
52
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
been used in the suds. With some machines the water
can be run out while the machine is working. In this
case it is not necessary to take out the .clothes while
changing the water. If the water is run out of the ma­chine
while the clothes are still, sediment settles on the
clothes as the water seeps down through them.
After these three rinsings, clothes are ready for bluing,
starching, and hanging out as usual. (See pages 44 to
48.) Bluing may be done in the machine. The clothes
should not be wrung too dry, as it is the action of the sun
and wind on the water in them that keeps them white.
Children's colored dresses, aprons, stockings, and
other colored clothes, and knitted underwear need richer
suds, cooler water, and a longer run in the machine than
white garments. ·
For delicate colors, silks, and very sheer pieces, use
lukewarm water and Ivory Soap jelly, or Ivory Soap
Flakes melted with a little boiling water before being
added to the water in the machine. Do not wring these
garments. Press out the water with the hands, without
twisting the fabrics. Handle flannels in the same way,
using Ivory Soap jelly in every water, diminishing the
quantity with each rinse until the final rinse is just milky
with soap. The oil in the soap prevents the water from
drawing out the natural animal oil which keeps the wool
soft and fluffy. Often proper washing in soapy waters
will restore the oil to old stiff flannels and bring them
back to their original condition. Blankets which are too
large to do by hand may be put through a loosely ad­justed
wringer. Remove woolens from the machine
when changing waters, to guard against their being
touched with water that is too hot or too cold. Either
will shrink them. Have all suds and rinses of the same
lukewarm temperature.
When through with the machine, clean and wipe it
inside and out, loosen the wringer so that the rolls will
53
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
not flatten, pull out the electric plug, and coil the con­necting
cord where it will not collect moisture or dirt.
Before using the machine again, oil it as indicated on the
directions furnished by the manufacturer.
54
Ironing
Including the Starching and Finishing of Special Articles
RONING is the finish of good laundry work
and the test of the laundress. It is done
to make clothes smooth, to make them feel
better and stay clean longer.
Preparations for Ironing
Dampening or sprinkling is usually done
the last thing the night before ironing day. Cover the
table with a clean cloth, fill a basin with warm water,
and use a clean whisk broom for sprinkling. A patent
sprinkler, preferably attached to a hose, is better still,
but the drops should always be small. Sprinkle each
large piece, fold sides and ends into the middle, then
roll tightly. Lay small pieces together before rolling.
Linen should be very damp. Pack all the rolls into
the basket and cover closely. Sprinkle only what can
be ironed the next day. If keptdamp too long, in hot
weather, especially, the clothes may mildew.
Articles Needed
To iron properly, one must have an ironing table or
board, tightly covered with a pad and a clean ironing
sheet; an iron stand; clean irons; beeswax in a cloth;
a piece of old cloth; a bowl of water; and a piece of ·
55
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
clean paper, folded three or four times, to try the irons.
Irons must be kept clean to do good work. Never put a
soiled iron back onto the stove. Use a dull case knife
or piece of steel to scrape off the starch. Sometimes it
will be necessary to rub them on fine salt sprinkled on
paper, or even to wash them in soap and water and dry
them. Wax rubbed over the warm surface of the iron
and then rubbed off on a cloth or paper will keep them
smooth. While heating irons by gas, they must be wiped
off several times, else the moisture that collects on the
cool iron will form rust and soil the clothes. A laun­dress's
test for a hot iron is to hold it near her cheek for
a few seconds. If too hot for this, it is too hot to use.
But it is be'tter to try the iron on a piece of old cloth.
Another test is to touch the bottom of the iron with a
wet finger, if it hisses, it is hot-the shorter the hiss, the
hotter the iron. Gas and electric self-heating irons must
be watched constantly, especially when ironing sheer
fabrics, lest they overheat and scorch the goods.
General Method of Ironing
Shake or stretch the article to be ironed into shape and
place on board, having threads of cloth straight. Iron
with right hand from right to left, using the left hand to
arrange the material, but occasionally iron with the left
hand. As the material is ironed, bring it over the table
or board toward you. First iron the part that will
wrinkle least, leaving the plain, straight parts until the
last. Ruffles and trimming should be ironed first. Lace
must be stretched into shape before ironing and again
afterward, to soften it. Best results are attained when
the iron follows the long warp thread of the material.
The cloth should be left dry, especially bands, hems,
and seams, or they will wrinkle. Linen must be very
wet, and must be ironed with a heavy iron until perfectly
dry. This gives a smooth, glossy surface as well as
firmness to the material. For heavy materials use heavy
56
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
irons; for thin materials, lighter irons, and for gathers,
a narrow, pointed iron. Iron quickly with a hot iron,
yet not hot enough to scorch. If the material becomes
dry or soiled, dampen or rub it with a soft cloth.
Folding does not improve the appearance of articles,
but it is necessary in order to store things and keep them
from mussing. In general, all pieces should be folded
several times lengthwise, that is, with the warp, then
softly crosswise, until of convenient shape for handling.
The trimming, if any, should show, and usually it governs
the shape of the folded garment.
Airing is necessary to dry the clothes; they should
hang over night on the bars, and be sorted, mended and
put away the next day. Clean, pure air is necessary
that they may smell sweet and be free from dust. Damp
clothes are a menace to health.
Special Articles
Table cloths must be freed from stains before washing,
and must be shaken and hung straight on the line, the
selvage folded six inches over at least or they may be
doubled. Fold several times when taking from the line
and never crush into the basket. If the linen has dried
crooked and is stiff, it must be straightened after it is
dampened. For this two people are needed, one at each
end, to shake and stretch it into shape. Let each person
gather the cloth into her hands just below the hem; hold
the selvages tightly with the little fingers, the rest hold
loosely; then, with both hands held high and close togeth­er,
at a signal throw the hands quickly down and out.
Repeat this several times if necessary, then fold selvages
together, right side out. When ready to iron, lay hems
on table with the rest of the cloth at the back of the
table to keep it damp. Iron one side the full length of
cloth until only partly dry, then the other side until
perfectly dry. A hot, heavy iron is necessary to give a
firm, glossy linen that will hold its shape. If it is possible
57
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
to store it with only one long fold it must be wrapped
around a six-inch roll as long as the cloth is wide. If
this is not practicable, fold again and iron fold in. All
folds may be put on the right side of the cloth in the
following manner: After ironing both sides of the folded
cloth, open it and bring selvages together in the one
middle fold on the wrong side, iron the new folds,
and lay sides together to air. Never press cross folds.
Hang the tablecloth to dry and fold it lightly when
ready to put away.
Very old or thin linen may need the least bit of starch.
One cupful of thin starch to half a pail of bluing water
will be enough. The linen will be a little firm and
glossy, but it must not show that it has been starched.
Napkins also must be very damp, and must be ironed
until dry. Stretch into shape, and place on board right
side up and hem in front of you. Iron both sides, then
lay hems together square and true and make two length­wise
folds, then two crosswise folds, and iron all folds
in. The test of a well-ironed napkin is smooth, glossy
Ilnen and square, true corners, all even. Napkins may
be ironed double, like a tablecloth. If the napkin is
small, it may be folded into thirds like a fan, first one
way, then the other. Embroidered napkins must be
ironed on the wrong side, over several thicknesses of
flannel, to bring out the design, then the rest of the
napkin must be ironed dry and glossy. The embroidery
must appear on the outside when folded. Fringe must
be whipped and brushed straight.
Carving cloths, tray cloths, center pieces and doilies
should have hems and corners true. They are never
folded, but should be loosely rolled if too large to lie
flat in a drawer.
Towels, if of damask, are ironed on both sides, then
folded twice lengthwise. If of coarser weave, iron one
side, then iron the other side as you fold it. Bath
towels should never be ironed.
58
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
Handkerchiefs are made very damp, ironed smooth
and straight with a hot iron, and folded as a napkin
is folded. Embroidery should be ironed on the wrong
side, appearing on the outside when handkerchief is
folded.
Sheets and pillowcases are sometimes made of linen
but more often of cotton. If trimmed, they may require
starching. The whole or the trimmed part of the pillow­case
and one-quarter of a yard of the wide-hem end of
the sheet may be dipped into thin starch. The starched
parts must be thoroughly dampened and ironed smooth
and dry with a hot iron. Turn the pillowcase when
ready to iron it. See that the corners are pulled out
and that the cloth is straight. Iron trimming, then
one side of the pillowcase, and, as you fold it, always
lengthwise, iron the other side. Fold sheet once length­wise,
right side out, then crosswise; bring the hems to­gether
and sprinkle them, leaving the rest of the sheet
dry. Fold the dampened parts together and roll up.
Use a heavy iron weighing eight or ten pounds for sheets.
Iron the dampened parts separately and the dry parts
together. Fold lengthwise and hang to air.
Nightgowns or chemises have only the trimming at
neck and sleeves starched. Sprinkle the entire garment,
and fold starched parts and hem inside before rolling.
When ready to iron, turn garment on right side and
iron trimming first; then lay body lengthwise of board
or table, iron front, then back; fold the body to width
of yoke, or embroidery, making a long narrow strip,
then fold crosswise, letting sleeve ends show at sides.
Drawers have only the trimming starched. Iron band
or yoke first, then trimming and then body of garment.
Fold to show trimming only.
Corset covers need thin starch all over. Dampen, fold
right side in, and roll. Iron trimming first, straighten
each section of garment and, if a fitted corset cover, lay
59
'The dotted lines
in.dical:.e the/
foldirc) ___/'
lines
. -... ~ -- ·--:---- --
· ··· ·· ·· ·;· · · --·--·- · ··· Cfhe dotted lines
indicate the
toldinc) lines
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
seams on the edge of the board n·earest you. Iron each
section smooth, having threads of material straight.
Fasten, and fold to show trimming.
Petticoats may be starched. Gather the hem and
trimming into the hands and put into the starch. Rub
them a little, so that the starch may be ev.enly distrib­uted,
wring out well by hand (or the wringer may be
used), shake, and hang straight to dry. Dampen well
and, when ready to iron, turn onto the right side, keep­ing
the damp part in a bunch, that it may not dry out.
Iron band or yoke first, then ruffles; put skirt onto
board, hem to the right; iron hem first, then between
ruffles, and lastly the body of each section as it lies on
the board. Thoroughly dry each part. Use a damp
cloth freely for parts that are soiled or too dry to iron
smooth. Take skirt from the board and hang to air.
Fold by laying the middles of the back and front together,
then fold each half back upon itself fan-like. making a
long strip, which now fold loosely from band to trim­mings;
or fold as indicated in cut.
Shirts, collars and cuffs require a thick starch, special
directions for the use of which will be found on page 28.
Shirtwaists, if colored, must be carefully washed
according to directions given for "colored clothes."
Dip the shirtwaist into thin starch; wring out, and hang
waist to dry in the shape in which it should be worn.
If the material is heavy, no starch will be needed. If
the waist is thin or fancy, with soft cuffs, it may need no
starching. If neckband and cuffs are to be stiff, thick
starch may be rubbed in when shirt collars and cuffs
are starched; or raw starch may be made when ready
to dampen waist, and the neckband, front pleat, perhaps,
and cuffs may be dipped into it, rubbed well and squeezed
nearly dry. Sprinkle the rest of the waist, fold and roll.
When embroidery or design of material is to be brought
out, iron on wrong side. When plain, take polisher or
62
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
ordinary iron of small size for the neck and cuffs. Use
the ordinary iron for the rest of the waist. The part
to be ironed should be straight and near to the front
edge of the table, right mider the ironer. Iron the
neckband and cuffs first on the right side, then on the
wrong, then again on the right side to dry and polish.
Unstarched, flat collars are usually ironed after the
sleeves. Fold the sleeve at seam and iron on top side
nearly to fold. With hand inside sleeve, loosen the two
sides, then iron lower side of sleeve. With hand inside
again, change position of unironed part and smooth it
with narrow iron, leaving no crease in sleeve. Place
small iron inside sleeve at top, and smooth gathers.
Do this also at cuffs if possible. If sleeve board is used,
these directions are unnecessary. The underarm sections
usually are ironed next; then the shoulders, over the end
of the board; then the back or front, whichever is made
in halves. If a tailored blouse, stretch front pleat and
tucks into shape, place pleat next you on the board,
and iron until perfectly dry. Lastly, put iron upon
seams. Smooth all creases and hang waist to air.
Thick Starching
The most approved way of stiffening shirt bosoms,
collars, and cuffs, is by the use of thick, boiled starch.
Raw starch carefully used will produce a similar result.
Make thick starch (page 28). For rubbing in starch,
use a clean table or, better still, stretch over the table
a heavy, damp cloth, and fasten it securely by pins or
strings. On the table place the starch, a bowl of water,
and a clean, soft cloth. .
Dip shirts into water and wring as dry as possible.
Have them still wrong side out, shake them straight,
stretch the neckband or collar into shape, and lay it
upon the table wrong side up. Rub starch into it with
the hand, especially on seams and edges, until it feels
full of starch. Put a little starch into the back of the
63
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
yoke. Take a damp cloth and rub off lightly any extra
starch. Stretch the bosom into shape and place it on
the table wrong side up. The back of the shirt will lie
beneath it. On the bosom lay the two cuffs or wrist­bands
straight and wrong side up. Rub starch into the
cuffs from the wrong side until it appears on i:he right
side and the cuff feels full of starch. Rub off any extra
starch with a damp cloth, and smooth out any wrinkles
on the right side of the cuff. Rub starch into the bosom
the same way, "clear it off," turn it onto the right side,
and work out all wrinkles. Leave all parts as smooth
and true as you wish them to be when ironed. Separate
the back from the front, hang bosom toward the fire,
have neck band in shape, tab turned up, and cuffs straight.
Allowing parts to dry in shape makes the work of ironing
comparatively easy. Treat separate collars and cuffs in
the same way as the shirt and pin them onto a cloth, or
string them together to dry.
Thick starch work is never dampened by sprinkling,
but by contact with a wet cloth. It is better to dampen
the clothes overnight, but four or five hours under pres­sure
will answer. Dip the lower half of the shirt into
water and wring it half dry, turn half of the wet part
over the bosom and half over the back. Place the cuffs
on the bosom, fold the sides toward the center, and roll
from the neck down, or, better still, place one shirt upon
another, and over all a cloth, board and heavy weight.
To iron a bosomed shirt you need an ironing table, a
bosom board, a knife to clean the irons, wax, a bowl of
water, a clean cloth, and polishing, as well as ordinary
flat-irons. Turn the shirt right side out, double the back
in the middle and iron it quickly with a common iron.
Iron the yoke. Straighten the cuffs, and with a polisher,
iron first the wrong side slightly, then the right side
until dry and polished. To polish successfully, great
pressure must be used. The weight of the body is often
brought down upon the iron. Iron the sleeve just above
64
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
the cuff. Next, iron the neck band on the wrong side,
and polish the inside of the yoke, because it shows when
the shirt is folded. Dry and polish the right side of the
band. If the collar is attached to the shirt, iron it first,
but do not turn it over until you are ready to fold the
shirt, then fold carefully with the hand, and press it
with the iron in the middle of the back. Put shirt on
bosom board. If the shirt is open in front, iron the
upper side first; iron lightly, then dry and polish. Then
iron the lower side of the bosom, then both together
until perfectly dry. Be sure the sides ate of equal
length and the eyelet holes coincide. If the shirt is
closed in front, iron the side near you first, then the
pleat in the middle and raise the pleat with a dull knife;
then, iron the side from you, working toward the out­side
of the bosom. Always work lightly and slowly at
first until the part begins to dry out, then with force
and faster, to dry thoroughly and polish. After the
bosom, iron the cloth next to it and the tab. Take
the shirt from the bosom board, place it, front down,
on the table, iron the back of the sleeve, turn the shirt,
iron the front of the sleeve and the front of the garment.
Fasten the neckband together, lay the shirt in shape,
bosom up, and iron a fold in the yoke near the band.
Turn the shirt over and fold sleeves onto the back.
Next, fold body of garment onto the back, making a
strip the width of the bosom. Fold this strip to size
of bosom and hang the garment to air.
Negligee shirts are ironed like bosomed shirts, except
that only the collar band, cuffs, and, if desired, the front
pleat, are thick starched.
Collars and cuffs are ironed with the polisher first
lightly on the wrong side, then on the right side to dry
and polish. Curl them when quite 'dry with a common
iron, and turn the corners if desired. Before curling,
warm the collar with the iron, place it right side down,
and hold iron in right hand on the end of collar toward
66
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
you. Take that end in your left hand, have edge of
iron close to it and, as the iron recedes, follow it closely
with the left hand. Do this several times, and from
both ends, until the collar assumes its proper shape.
Practice and dexterity only will make an expert at this
work. If "domestic finish" is desired for linen, the gloss
can be taken off with a damp cloth. Wring the cloth as
dry as possible and rub lightly, preferably when the
linen is warm.
A damp cloth is necessary in thick starch to take out
wrinkles or remove dirt. Wring the cloth very dry and
work lightly with it-pat rather than rub. Always have
clean irons. If the iron sticks, it may be dirty or too
cool. Never return an iron to the fire without being
sure that it is clean.
Clear Starching
Thin muslins and infants' caps and dresses should
be clear starched. A very thin starch is used which
has a clear appearance, hence the name. This may be
made from corn starch, in the proportion of one level
tablespoonful of starch to one quart of water. Boil ten
minutes. Rice starch is even better. Make according
to directions given on page 29. It will probably be
necessary to dip a bit of material into the starch and
iron it to find out when the starch is right. The muslin
should be as stiff as when new, never stiff enough to
crack or rattle.
67
Ironing with an Electric Ironer
HEN there are more than four beds to
be cared for, an ironer or ironing machine
with heated gas, gasoline, or electricity,
and electrically operated, is an economy.
An experienced operator can iron not only
all flat pieces-such as towels, bed linen,
table linen, handkerchiefs, doilies and scarfs-but neg­ligee
shirts, aprons, underwear, and outer garments that
can be folded flat; and do them in about a third of the
time that hand ironing requires. Some recent machines
even have devices for finishing collars and cuffs and
ironing ruffles.
There are also heated ironers for hand operation where
electric current is not available. These machines re­quire
two operators: one to turn the handle which rotates
the ironing roll; and the other to feed the clothes. Still
a third type is the cold ironer, either electrically or hand
operated. This is much cheaper than a heated ironer,
but, as it does not produce a gloss on the garments, it
is satisfactory only for bed linen and towels. For a cold
ironer, the garments should be dampened only slightly
so that airing will dry them after the wrinkles have been
smoothed out by the machine.
In selecting a heated, electrically operated ironer,
68
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
which is the type most in use today, look for these
qualities:
Ease of cleaning;
Convenient placing of electric switch;
Foot, as well as hand control;
A roll wide enough to iron sheets folded once lengthwise;
A broad table of convenient height; ·
A machine so designed that the operator can be seated
on a high stool while ironing.
How to Operate an Ironer
In learning to use an ironer, the first thing to do is to
practice operating the release, while the machine is cold,
so that one can quickly remove a garment, that is
wrinkling or winding around the roll, without burning
one's hand or scorching the garment. This release may
be the shelf across the front of the machine which guides
the garments through the roll-which is released simply
by pressing it down--or it may be a lever at the side of
the machine, or a foot pedal. The first operation in
releasing a garment is to stop the roll by turning the
electric switch (which should be located within easy
reach); the second is to operate the release, which re­moves
the roll from contact with the heated shoe which
does tpe ironing. If one becomes expert in this opera­tion
before ever using the ironer with the shoe heated,
there should be no burned hands or garments.
When proficient in operating the release, prepare to
use the heated ironer by lighting the gas and heating I the shoe for from five to twenty minutes. Electrically
heated ironers take longer to heat than those heated
with gas. Test the shoe as you would a flat iron, with
a moistened finger. Keep the roll away from the shoe
while it is heating, to protect the cover. After the shoe
is hot, control the heat according te> the dampness and
kind of fabric being ironed. Damask, which should be
ironed very damp, requires a very hot shoe. In case
69
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
of necessity, articles may be put through the ironer
direct from the rinse tub, by running them through
several times.
Never allow the roll to rest against the shoe when the
machine is not in use. When ready to start the actual
ironing, turn on the current which operates the.roll before
placing the roll in gear. In ironing, feed small pieces
first at one end, then at the other, then in the center of
the roll, to assure even wear and to prevent scorching.
Fold larger pieces once lengthwise for the first trip
through the ironer. The roll should be wide enough
to accommodate the owner's widest sheets and tablecloths
when folded once thus. Napkins, towels, and handker­chiefs
should be put through flat the first time, then
folded to the final width desired. A whole row of folded
pieces should be put through at once, saving time and
current. Embroidered pieces should be put through
with the right side toward the padded roll, to bring out
the design. Buttons should be faced to sink into the
roll, thus preventing their breaking.
The covering of the roll can be removed for washing
or replacement simply by unwinding it (by turning the
roll the opposite way from which it ordinarily works).
When the padding becomes matted, remove it as you
would the covering and wash it, hanging it to dry with­out
wringing. This restores its resilience. Replace it
by tucking one end · under a flap of cloth fastened to
the roll of the machine. This holds the padding in
place. The roll can then be started and the padding
wound firmly and smoothly. Replace all coverings in
the same way, by tucking the first end under a six-inch
flap of the preceding cover. No sewing is necessary.
Keep the ironing shoe clean and smooth. Remove
rust spots with the finest steel wool, when the shoe is
cold. Wax it, when necessary, or if the machine has
to be kept in a damp basement, with a waxing pad made
70
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
by wrapping cloth around the end of a small pancake
turner and placing a wafer of paraffin under the top
fold of cloth. Use this waxer after the heat has been
turned out and the machine is just slightly warm. Keep
the shoe away from the roll. When ready to use the
machine again, wipe the shoe with the unwaxed side of
the waxing pad; then send a thick pad through the
machine after the roll is heated, to absorb any excess
wax or dirt before starting the actual ironing.
Cover the machine when it is not in use, and oil it
according to instructions furnished by the manufacturer.
71
Fine Laundering
White Clothes
SE Ivory Soap for all sheer, fine, white
pieces - and Ivory Soap solution made
with Ivory Soap or Ivory Soap · Flakes is
better still. If the material is soiled, soak
it, then wash it very carefully, squeez­ing
rather than rubbing. If it must be
rubbed, lay it on a piece of white cloth: and rub both
together between the hands. Boil it in a bag to protect
the delicate fabric; or, if not very much soiled, pour
an abundance of absolutely boiling water over it and
let it stand. Rinse the material well, blue it, and put
it into the thin, hot starch. Squeeze it out, and lay
i1; between cloths for a few moments to absorb the
moisture. Shake out the material, and pat or clap it
between the hands until it is dry enough to iron. Pull
it gently into shape, put it on the table, and iron it
on the right side unless it is embroidered. The em­broidery
must be ironed on the wrong side over flannel,
and then the muslin on the right. Being thin, the
muslin will dry out quickly. Use a damp cloth freely,
and leave each part dry, smooth, and free from wrinkles.
Hosiery
Wash black cotton hose inside and out in warm Ivory
suds; add a teaspoonful of good vinegar to the rinse water.
72
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
Do not press with a hot iron, particularly while damp.
In washing wool hose, keep the washing and rinsing
waters of the same moderate temperature; do not rub
on board or twist; use Ivory Soap in every water, de­creasing
amount until final rinse is just milky with soap.
Wash silk hose as soon as possible after wearing, as lying
soiled tends to rot silk. Rub the toes and heels of dark
silk hose with Ivory lather, then drop them into warm
suds. After a thorough soaking, shake them out without
rubbing (rubbing is liable to start runs), rinse them in
warm waters, pat out moisture between folds of a towel,
and hang them by the toes, in a dark or shady place, to
dry. Do not soak white or delicately tinted silk hose.
Wash them in cold suds. Standing in clear, cold water
sometimes helps to bleach white silk hose.
Woolens
Woolen material will shrink easily if carelessly handled.
(See chapter on fibres for explanation of shrinking.) A
"neutral" soap must be used. If a soap is claimed to wash
without shrinking, it does so only if you follow carefully
the directions that come with the soap. Strong soaps
or alkalies, except the milder ones-borax and ammonia
-weaken the fibre and make it more liable to shrink.
The rubbing on of soap of any kind is not desirable,
because you must get it out, and it may require the
rubbing of the material, which tends more than any­thing
else to mat the wool and shrink the garment.
Hot water ahd then cold must not be used, because
heating expands the fibres, and as they lie so close
together, they may interlock; then, when the cold con­tracts
the fibres, they cannot unlock. As a consequence,
the material shrinks. Extremes of temperature, then,
are to be avoided.
Shake the dust out of the flannel. Make warm suds
with solution of Ivory Soap or Ivory Soap Flakes. Have
it about 120° Fahrenheit, that is, so the hands can very
73
Approved M.ethods for Home Laundering
comfortably be held in the water. If the garment is
very much soiled, add a half teaspoonful of household
ammonia for each gallon of water, and let the garment
soak for ten minutes; meanwhile, prepare another suds
just like the first. Draw the garment through the hands,
work it up and down, and squeeze it, 'but do not rub
soap on it or rub it on the board. Put it through the
wringer, turn the garment wrong side out and put it
through the second suds. If any soiled spot does not
yield to this treatment, lay the garment upon the table
or other smooth surface, hold it straight, and rub the
spot briskly with a small brush. If necessary, use a
little soap solution on the brush. Rinse the garment
quickly through several waters of the same temperature
as the first water, using a little Ivory Soap solution in
each, decreasing the amount with each rinse, until the
final water is just milky with soap. 'fhe oil in the soap
prevents the washing from drawing the natural oil out
of the wool, and keeps it soft and fluffy. Put it through
the wringer or squeeze the water out; do not twist it.
Shake it and hang it to dry where it is warm-not where
it is so hot that the garment will steam, nor where
it is cold. Guard against extremes of temperature.
Stretch the garment into shape as it dries. This is
especially true of ribbed underwear, which need not be
ironed. Press flannel when nearly dry, on the wrong
side, until perfectly dry, using a moderately warm iron.
Caution: press, rather than rub, and never have the iron
so hot that the flannel will steam. Closely twisted and
woven wool will shrink less than loosely woven materials.
Woolen dress goods of any kind must be washed the
same as flannels. Try first a sample, to see what treat­ment
is necessary. Set the color, if it runs, and work
quickly. Ammonia will usually brighten black goods.
Wring loosely from one water to the other, and if the
material wrinkles badly, take it from the last water
without wringing, and hang it by the edge to dry. Put
74
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
over the ironing sheet a cover of cotton cloth, fast in
color and about the color of the material to be ironed.
While yet damp, put the material on the table wrong
side up, and iron till perfectly dry, with a warm (not
hot) iron. Air the material, then roll, but do not fold
it, and it will look like new.
Sweaters or knitted articles of any kind will shrink
or lose their shape in washing unless care is taken. Wash
them as you would flannels; do not rub or twist them.
Put them through a loosely adjusted wringer between
two towels, stretch them into shape and lay them upon
towels to dry. Occasionally turn and stretch them. It
is safest to place a towel under sweater when lifting it
from tub, so it will not be stretched by the weight of
the water in it.
Blankets
Select a warm, sunny, breezy day for washing blankets.
First shake the dust out, then soak the blankets in warm
suds of Ivory Soap or Ivory Soap Flakes for thirty
minutes. Work them up and down in the water, squeeze
them against the sides of the tub, and put them through
the wringer, loosely adjusted, into another strong suds
of the same temperature as the first. Stir about and
soak for ten minutes, stretch soiled parts over a smooth
surface, and rub with a brush, using a little soap solution.
Rinse in several warm soapy waters--or until both
blanket and water are clean. Then hang to dry in the
open air on curtain stretchers, if you have them, or put
the blankets half over the line so that they will dry
straight. If border colors are likely to run, hang sel­vage
a few inches over the line and fasten securely with
clothes-pins only a few inches apart. When perfectly
dry, rub the blankets with a soft flannel cloth and hang
them near a stove or in a warm room for several hours.
For each pair of blankets allow a half cake of Ivory
Soap or enough Ivory Soap Flakes to make a foamy
75
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
suds. Never put bhnkets or woolens into water in which
there is no Ivory Sut ·'
Silks
Silk fibre is smooth and shiny, and for best results
requires practically the same treatment in the laundry
as wool. If rubbed hard, the fibre is broken and the
shiny effect lost. If boiled or pressed with a hot iron,
the fibre first stiffens then breaks. If the color in silk
r runs, try a sample and set it with salt or vinegar as you
would cotton. Chloroform is best to revive color.
Wash silk carefully in lukewarm water, with solution
of Ivory Soap or Ivory Soap Flakes. Soak fast colors
twenty minutes if necessary, and take fresh suds for the
washing. Use cooler suds and no soaking for white and
delicate tints. Do not rub silk except with a soft nail
brush over a smooth surface. Rinse in several warm
waters until the last water is clear. Place between dry
towels and put through wringer loosely adjusted, or
squeeze, not twist, water from it and hang to dry where
you can watch it; or, preferab1y, roll it in a towel after
a few minutes' airing. Silk that will streak or fade easily
should be rolled at once. Iron on wrong side, to prevent
shininess; and in one direction, with grain of goods, to
prevent "bubbling." When nearly dry, iron with a
moderately hot iron, until perfectly dry. A thin muslin
spread over the silk before ironing may give better results
when material is thin.
Pongee should be ironed when perfectly dry or thor­oughly
damp. Sprinkling it will make spots, which only
relaundering will remove.
Silk crepe, or silk of fancy weave, that does not require
ironing, may be taken from the last water without wring­ing,
spread straight and smooth up~n a clean table and
allowed to dry there. It will look like new.
Georgette crepe, while damp, must be stretched and
ironed perfectly dry.
76
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
Wash chiffon in soapy water, ri!'C\e carefully, clap dry,
stretch into shape, and iron on the wrong side with a
cool iron.
Lay ribbons out smooth upon the table and brush
them with a nail brush dipped in soapy water. Brush
both sides. When clean, rinse without squeezing, draw
through the hands, and while wet, spread straight and
true upon a clean, smooth surface to dry or when nearly
dry iron under a cloth.
Silk-ribbed underwear must be washed in warm suds
made of Ivory Soap or Ivory Soap Flakes, to which a
tablespoonful of household ammonia for each gallon of
water has been added. It may be soaked for ten minutes,
then quickly washed by squeezing the suds through the
fabric, rinsed and dried. Do not iron it, but stretch it
until it is soft.
Wash silk-embroidered linen in· solution of Ivory
Soap or Ivory Soap Flakes and water, rubbing soiled
parts with a brush. Rinse till clear. · If color is inclined
to run, do not wring but lay between dry cloths and
iron immediately. Always iron wrong side up over
several thicknesses of flannel, to make the embroidery
stand out. When dry, turn it onto the right side and
iron the linen between the embroidery.
To renew velvet pass over steam and brush lightly
against the nap meanwhile. A device can be bought
to attach to the nose of the teakettle, or steam can be
produced by covering an inverted hot flatiron with
several thicknesses of wet cloth over which the velvet is
drawn.
Corduroy or velveteen may be soaked and washed in
warm soapy water, working it up and down to dislodge
the dirt, but never twisting, or wringing it, or brushing
it hard. Rinse in the same way in several warm waters
and hang dripping wet to dry. Rub corduroy, .when
77
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
dry, to soften it. Hang velveteen while wet, with its
face toward a fire, so that it will steam, causing the
nap to rise.
Laces
Real laces are rarely washed because they thicken
slightly, and require very careful handling to make them
appear like new. The best results are obtained in this
way: Baste the lace to a piece of stout, pre-shrunk
white muslin, sewing every point and picot securely.
Soak in warm Ivory Soap Flakes suds for half an hour,
then wash gently, without rubbing. Put dirty pieces
through second suds. Rinse through several clear waters
and one slightly blued water. If stiffness is desired, add
a little gum arabic, dissolved in boiling water, to the
last rinse. Tack on a board, stretching the muslin tight
and true. When nearly dry, remove from board and
press through the muslin. Do not touch the lace itself
with the iron. When dry thoroughly, remove the lace
from the muslin protector.
Wash white lace in warm water with Ivory Soap or
Ivory Soap Flakes and a little ammonia. Soak for an
hour, then use fresh water. Do not rub, but squeeze
the dirt out. If the lace is very yellow, put in a glass
jar, add soapy water and one-half teaspoon borax and
set it in the sun for a day or two. When it is clean,
rinse well. If you wish the lace cream color, add strong
clear tea or coffee to the last rinsing water. If you wish it
white, add a little bluing. To give lace the body it had
when new, stiffen it in gum arabic water, made by dis­solving
a piece of gum arabic the size of a pe~ in one-half
pint of boiling water. Lay the lace between cloths to
absorb the moisture, clap it until nearly dry, pull it into
shape, and pin it straight and true onto fiannel. Be
sure that each point is in shape and that every loop of
the pearl edge has a pin to hold it in place.
78
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
Wash black lace in one cup of strong clear tea or
coffee to which one tablespoonful of ammonia has been
added. Rinse it in gum arabic water, clap until nearly
dry, and pin it into shape on flannel or iron under black
muslin with a warm (not hot) iron.
Shake and brush lace curtains to remove the dust,
soak them in cold, soapy water over night. Work the cur­tains
gently up and down in the water and squeeze them
between the hands to get the dirt out. Put through
wringer into a tub half full of boiling soap suds; cover
tub closely and allow curtains to steam for an hour.
Then wash them gently by hand, working the suds
through them without rubbing Never wring curtains
by hand; lay them on a strip of cloth and put them
carefully through the wringer. Rinse well in several
waters, if stiffness is desired, then put them through
hot, moderately thick starch. If the curtains are white,
the starch should be blued; if cream color, strong clear
tea or coffee should be added to it. Pin each point
carefully to the drying frame and set in the air to dry.
Two or three curtains may be dried at the same time
on one frame. If you have no frame, lay clean sheets
over the floor of an unused room, stretch the curtains
into shape, square and true, and pin each point so that
it will not slip. If points are out of shape when dry,
they may be dampened with a cloth and ironed.
Leather
Leather gloves of the washable kind should be put
on the hands and washed in cool, soapy water. Rub
soiled parts with a cloth. If very soiled, put powder on
the cloth, but do not use a brush because it would roughen
the leather. Rinse the gloves in cool water, slightly
soapy if water is hard, stretch them very little but blow
them full of air to hold their shape, and dry in warm,
never hot, air.
79
Approved Methods for Home Laundering
If gloves are not washable put them on the hands and
rub with Ivory Soap jelly (see page 24}, using a dry soft
cloth and little soap, to protect the color.
Wash chamois as you would flannel in lukewarm
soapy water. Stretch the chamois as it dries and rub
it between the hands to keep it soft.
A teaspoonful of oil or glycerine added to the last
water in which leather is rinsed will help to keep it
pliable.
80