G, GSMAN CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME Cleaning and Renovating at Home A Household Manual By E. G. OSMAN Enlarged Edition, 1 1 iJJJ.5 ^ "" 1 " , O 1 * ( ., \ 5 , 1 * HOME ECONOMY BOOK COMPANY WILMETTE, ILLINOIS Chicago Office 1910 133 W. Washington St. COPYRIGHT A. C. McCLURG & CO, 1910 PUBLISHED MARCH 12. 1910 COPYRIGHT W. F. ZIMMERMAN 1919 PUBLISHED FEBRUARY. 1919 . F.,M*U,IWW1 CONTENTS Chapter Page I SOME GENERAL PRINCIPLES 9 II DRY-CLEANING COMPOUNDS, OR SOLVENTS 12 III THE PROCESS OF DRY-CLEANING 16 IV SOLVENTS FOR REMOVING STAINS 18 V REMOVING STAINS GENERAL PRINCIPLES 31 VI REMOVING STAINS WHITE GOODS 33 VII REMOVING STAINS SPECIAL APPLICATIONS 36 VIII RENOVATING COTTON AND LINEN FABRICS 59 IX CLEANING AND RENOVATING WOOLLENS 63 X RENOVATING MEN'S CLOTHING 68 XI CLEANING AND RENOVATING CARPETS 70 XII CLEANING AND RENOVATING CURTAINS 82 XIII CLEANING AND RENOVATING FEATHERS 87 XIV CLEANING FURS 93 XV CLEANING GLOVES 96 XVI CLEANING AND RENOVATING HATS ^ 103 XVII CLEANING AND RENOVATING LACES 107 XVIII CLEANING AND RENOVATING LEATHERS AND LEATHER GOODS 117 XIX CLEANING AND RENOVATING RIBBONS 125 XX CLEANING AND RENOVATING SATINS 128 XXI CLEANING AND RENOVATING SILKS 131 XXII CLEANING AND RENOVATING VELVET AND VELVETEEN. .139 XXIII TREATMENTS FOR VARIOUS FABRICS 142 XXIV CLEANING JEWELRY 151 XXV THE LAUNDRY 159 XXVI THE PROCESS '.165 XXVII SPECIAL WORK 180 INDEX ... ..211 Cleaning and Renovating at Home CHAPTER I SOME GENERAL PRINCIPLES BEFORE undertaking systematically to clean, even in part, any garment or fabric, be sure to remove all loose dirt by brushing or otherwise. Professional cleaners use two processes, the wet and the dry. In the former, soap is the cleansing medium; in the latter, the petroleum products, chlo- roform, turpentine and other solvents, references to the application of which will follow. For the most part, these liquids and their compounds are combus- tible, and they must be handled and used with caution and never in proximity to an open fire or gas flame, owing to their volatile nature. They should be kept in tight receptacles, the operator drawing into a cup, or similar vessel, only such quantities as may be needed from time to time. This method will be found both economical and safe.- When the piece is to be dipped, it is better and more economical to use a vessel with a cover, which 9 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME will prevent excessive evaporation and save the liquid, which may be filtered and used again. Frequently, to obtain the best results, the article may be wrung out of the liquid and given a second bath, or even a third. This thoroughness of method would entail consid- erable expense for the solvent alone if the liquid were thrown away after one using or allowed to evaporate. For all ordinary purposes gasoline, benzine, or benzol can be used repeatedly, if strained through filter pa- per, which may be bought at any drug store. All bottles containing cleaning liquids should be preferably of a kind different from those ordinarily found on kitchen, laundry, or pantry shelves; and they should be carefully labelled and so placed as to be out of the reach of children. When removing spots a pad of blotting paper or absorbent cotton should be put under the material being cleaned before commencing the process. This pad will absorb the dirt loosened by the solvent and will aid in preventing the ring so often found on the fabric after the spot is removed, especially when ben- zine is used. Sometimes the ring is the result of an impure solvent. In rubbing out spots, therefore, the expert cleaner with chemicals will advise the use of the absorbent pad, or even bread crumbs, to take up the excess of liquid. He will also rub round and 10 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME round and toward the specific spot to be removed, a method that, by concentrating the absorption at the spot itself, will tend to prevent the ring forming at all. The circle should be quite large to facilitate quick absorption. When the spot is removed, a succession of dry cloths should be used to dry the article or fabric treated. Should there be any trace of the ben- zine, or a solvent stain, however, in spite of this pre- caution, it may often be removed by scraping some French chalk over the spot, leaving it on for some hours to absorb the solvent, before brushing it off. A piece of the same fabric that is being cleaned, or one as nearly like it in color and texture as possible, should be used for the rubbing process, except when cleaning delicate silk, when white flannel should be used. Some cleaners use sponges for rubbing out spots, as they are considered easier on the hands and better adapted for picking up the dirt quickly. They are easily cleaned, but they must be cleaned after each using, and very carefully. Marion Harland advises gently scratching the out- line of an obstinate "ring" with the finger nail, until it blends with the surrounding stuff. 11 CHAPTER II DRY-CLEANING COMPOUNDS, OR SOLVENTS THE process of dry-cleaning consists in immersing the fabric or garment in benzine or some other solvent which dissolves fat. Benzine, benzol, carbon tetrachloride, and turpentine are those most com- monly used, because they are the cheapest as well as the most effective solvents, although others of less moderate cost may be employed. The benzine sol- vents named below may be used without affecting the most delicate colors and without requiring that a garment be taken to pieces. The solvents in common use by cleaners are as follows: Antibenzinpyrin. This is a preparation made of white soap, magnesium chloride or magnesium sul- phate, and benzine. Used by professional cleaners. (See Benzine, Gelatinized.) Benzine. A petroleum product, highly inflam- mable as well as volatile. It must be used with cau- tion and away from any open flame. It may also be accidentally exploded by high friction. It is usually 12 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME not distinguished by the trade from gasoline, but it is different from benzol, in that it is less pure. The latter has no effect whatever on the tint or color of any fabric; benzine has only a slight effect, if any. Benzine is a powerful solvent of oils and fats, and is used alone or with other solvents. When using benzine or gasoline in the household, it is well to be liberal with the liquid. Use a vessel large enough to cover thoroughly with the liquid the fabric or garment being cleaned; close the vessel tightly and let the fabric soak for some hours, then wring out lightly and let it hang in the air and sun- shine. After airing, if there are still any spots, wet the rubbing cloth with warm water and touch the spots, rubbing gently thereafter with a dry cloth. It is said that if the vessel containing the garment soak- ing in the liquid is set in warm water, the action of the solvent will be hastened. Benzine, Gelatinized. Dissolve twelve ounces of olive oil soap in eighteen ounces of boiling water and three ounces of liquid ammonia; add water to make one and a half pints of liquid ; add five ounces of ben- zine and shake well. One ounce of this mixture is then added to nine ounces of benzine to form a gela- tinized benzine. When using shake constantly. This 13 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME is a substitute for antibenzinpyrin, and is used for removing stains, etc., in the same way that benzine is used. Benzinized Magnesia. Calcined magnesia is mixed with sufficient benzine to make the magnesia moist (a little more so than a paste). Spread thickly over the stain and rub in well ; let the benzine evaporate ; then rub off the magnesia. Benzine Soaps. These are more efficacious than either substance used alone, but their use, especially on an extensive scale, is attended with some danger from electric ignition. Carbon Tetrachloride, or Tetrachloromethane. This liquid is becoming very popular for dry-cleaning and as a solvent for fats, both on account of its effi- cacy and because it is non-inflammable and non-ex- plosive. It is used for all cleaning purposes to which benzine is adapted, and has the advantage over ben- zine that it can be used on the most delicate tints, like silks, has less tendency than benzine to make rings when used to remove spots, leaves the leather of cleaned gloves softer and less liable to crack, and loses less by evaporation than benzine. Even this 14 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME loss can be wholly prevented when the liquid is not in use by covering it in its container with a deep layer of water, drawing the carbon for use from the bottom of the vessel. It is excellent for removing grease stains, even old ones. This substance has been used as a "dry shampoo," a fact that calls for the caution that while in ordinary use its fumes are not so harmful as those of chloro- form and benzine (although more poisonous in fact), it is because they are heavier than air and sink to the lowest level. It is therefore very dangerous as a shampoo, or when used in such a manner that the operative's lungs are below the level of the substance itself. It should therefore be used only OIL the lowest floor of the house. Turpentine. Use only the best, if any. It is a good solvent for fats, but is little used in dry-cleaning because it leaves an unpleasant odor. 15 CHAPTER III THE PROCESS OF DRY-CLEANING THE process of dry-cleaning is suitable for white silk fabrics ; ribbons and goods in which, though they contain other colors, white is nevertheless the prevailing color; woollens and half-woollen fabrics; silks, velvets and all other colored silk stuffs; light colored woollens and half-woollen fabrics; dark col- ored fabrics.* The process is less suitable for half-silk fabrics, or for cotton and linen stuffs, which can be better cleaned in the laundry, or with the tampion and brush. First clean the garment of all dust by beating and brushing and be sure that it is perfectly dry, other- wise after the cleaning the garment or fabric will be spotted. If there is reason to suspect the benzine of containing water, a dry cotton cloth run through it will usually absorb all the moisture. If the fabric is badly stained, use a ball (called a tampion and made by tying some wadding in a piece *"The Practical Dry-Cleaner, Scourer and General Dyer," By Wan. T. Brannt. H. C. Baird & Co., 1907. 16 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME of white linen) wet with benzine to saturate and rub the spots before soaking the fabric in the benzine. (If more than one article is to be cleaned in the same liquid, clean the darkest piece last.) When handling the fabric in the benzine, proceed as if washing it in suds, but rub the fabric with the hands and not upon a board. Air for several hours in the sunshine. After the benzine is evaporated, the fabric may be brushed with cold water. White woollens and silks that are very dirty ought to be sent to the professional cleaner, as they require greater care and a more elaborate process to obtain satisfactory results. Velvets also require steaming to restore the pile after cleaning. Where there are stains on these fabrics, made by oil, paint, tar, or varnish, the treatment needed is complicated and should be undertaken only by a first-class profes- sional, if the article is of any material value. 17 CHAPTER IV SOLVENTS FOR REMOVING STAINS HURST says : "It may be laid down that cotton fabrics, or fabrics containing 1 cotton, should not be treated with strong acids." Even dilute acids have a destructive effect. "Certain organic acids, such as acetic, oxalic, and tartaric acids, may be used if the acid is necessary to remove stains." * Linens and fabrics made from vegetable fibres should be treated like cottons. Neither wool, silk, nor animal fibres should be treated with strong alkaline liquids. Weak ammonia may be applied to these, and also very weak solu- tions of soda; but it is best, when fabrics made of these fibers are to be dealt with, never to use any other alkali than ammonia, which has no action on them. Acids of a moderate degree of strength have no effect on animal fibres. No single compound, or solvent, can be recom- mended for universal use, for obvibus reasons ; but every housewife should keep on hand a bottle of am- monia, a can of benzine, and certain of the compounds *"Dyeing and Cleaning." By Geo. H. Hurst, London. 18 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME hereinafter named. These should be kept in a place by themselves and suitably labelled. The following compounds will be found most useful ; they cover practically all the necessities of household practice : Acetic Acid. Used, diluted with water, for remov- ing stains caused by alkalies. Increases the efficacy of alcohol, benzine, and ether in some cases. Will liven up colors injured by dust, especially skirts, when these are afterwards rinsed in clean water. Does not act well upon dyed fabrics. Alcohol. Use grain alcohol ; inflammable but not explosive. It dissolves, entirely or partially, fat oils, fats, and many resins, as well as certain salts, alka- loids, etc. Used alone or in combination with one part alcohol and one part of ether or chloroform. (Keep tightly corked.) Can be used on the most delicate fabrics. Wood alcohol (a poison) will re- move stains from light cloth. Alcohol and Chloroform. A mixture of alcohol and chloroform in equal parts, one-third as much gasoline as of each of the other ingredients, and a tablespoonful of ammonia to each pint of the com- pound is an eradicator of everyday spots. A bottle 19 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME of it should be in every woman's bathroom. Keep it closely corked, as it is very volatile. Sponge the spots be they grease or mud or stickiness faith- fully with this, and dry in the air and shade. Ammonia. Invaluable for the removal of stains from all wool or other fabrics made of animal fibres. Neutralizes the effect of acids and fresh fruit stains, red wine, and red ink. Before using, the color of the fabric should be tested, as it may change under the influence of the solvent. Ammonia Soap, etc. Aqua ammonia, one gallon; soft water, eight gallons; best white soap, four pounds; saltpetre, eight ounces. Shave the soap fine, add the water and boil till the soap is dissolved. Let it settle, skim off dry suds, add ammonia and salt- petre, and put into fruit jars. It removes grease spots from carpets, rugs, and any kind of wearing apparel. Benzine. See Chapter II. Camphor and Borax. Dissolve one ounce gum camphor and one ounce borax in one quart boiling water. When cool add one quart of alcohol ; put in a bottle and keep well corked. Before using shake well ; apply with a sponge. 20 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME Camphorated Borax. Put five cents* worth of bo- rax with ten cents' worth of camphor gum in a large bowl, and dissolve them with an equal quantity of boiling water. Use to remove spots and grease from black fabrics. Apply the renovator, diluted with an equal quantity of water, with a piece of black stock- ing, using it as a sponge. Press the garment after- ward, and it should be as fresh as new. Carbon Tetrachloride See Chapter II. Chloroform. Less dangerous than ether. May be diluted with alcohol. Will remove paint stains, ex- cept on silks. Use with a small quantity of ammo- nia; follow by a washing in soapsuds. Citric Acid. In two quarts of water, previously boiled and cooled, dissolve four ounces of citric acid ; add six to eight ounces of a strong, strained solution of borax; and bottle (No. 1). To two quarts of water, previously boiled and cooled, add three-quar- ters of a pound of chloride of lime; shake and let stand from four to six days, after which strain and add from six to eight ounces of a strong solution of borax, and place in a separate bottle (No. 2). This compound is useful to remove ink from paper, cloth 21 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME or other absorbent substance. The composition in bottle No. 1 is applied so as to saturate thoroughly the place occupied by the ink, a blotter being used to absorb all waste moisture. By the combined use of the two fluids thus described, writing inks or other fluids will be immediately dissolved and removed from the paper. Cleaning Paste. Fill a pail half full of soft rain- water and add a teaspoonful of Soap-powder to it ; stir it well, then set on the stove to boil. When it boils set it off to cool. It will form a paste which can be reduced when necessary, or made as thin as you like. Get a glass bottle with large mouth and pour this into it, and then stop it tight, and keep on hand for emergencies. It will remove grease spots and all kinds of soil. Apply with a damp cloth, and after the soiled places are all gone, rinse with clean, warm water. Coffee. Black goods, silk, wool, or cotton, will look like new if sponged with strong black coffee that has been strained, and to which a few spoonfuls of am- monia have been added. Cornmeal or Flour. White cornmeal or flour is used to dry-clean white or any light shade of wool- 22 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME len goods, and other articles. Place the article to be cleaned in a large vessel and cover with white corn- oneal or flour; add powdered borax; use the same movement as in washing with water; shake well and brush in the open air. Repeat the process if neces- sary. Cream of Tartar and Citric Acid. Mix cream of tartar and citric acid in equal parts. Good for re- moving stains. Moisten the spot with hot water and rub in the mixture. When the stain is removed, wash the article with water and dry. Egg. The yolk of a fresh egg is nearly equivalent to ox gall, but must be used directly it comes from the shell. It is sometimes mixed with an equal bulk of turpentine. Ether. Very volatile and if ignited explodes with great violence; must be used with extreme caution. A good solvent for fats and resins. Ether, Sulphuric. Extremely inflammable use with great caution; evaporates rapidly; leaves no cir- cle around the spot removed; cleans white satins, silks, and chiffon just as soap and water do linens. 23 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME To use: First spread the fabric over a smooth, ab- sorbent surface ; then take a piece of white flannel and, putting it to the mouth of the bottle, wet it thoroughly, corking the bottle immediately and also hastening to get the wet cloth on the soiled spot before the precious fluid is dissipated. The spot should first be thoroughly moistened with the ether and then rubbed very gently along the thread of the goods. When dry apply a fresh supply and repeat until it is quite clean. Ether will take out all greases es- pecially well and also removes dirt, etc., that has settled in the grease. "Excellent" Cleaner. The following will clean all manner of cloths, felts, silks, and woollens; it will also' restore the color to faded materials. It does not take the stiffness out of fabrics, and is a preventive of moths. Take eight ounces of benzine, a quarter of an ounce of chloroform, quarter of an ounce of sul- phuric ether, eighth of an ounce of oil of wintergreen. Shake this mixture thoroughly before using and be sure to keep away from fire or heat. Apply this to the material with a soft cloth. Fuse Oil. Solvent for varnishes, resins, and. oil colors. Air the cleaned articles. 24 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME Glycerin. Solvent for alkalies, alkaloids, dye-stuffs and other bodies. A mixture of equal quantities of yolk of egg and glycerin is useful for removing stains from white flannel and other white woollen fabrics. Spread the compound on the stain, leave it to soak in for half an hour, then wash the garment as usual. Glycerin and Soft Soap. These, with water, may be used to remove iron stains from colored fabrics, the color of which would be affected by acids. Rub the spot and let the solvent remain for some hours ; then wash with water. Repeat if necessary. Javelle Water. Dissolve one pound of sal soda in one quart of boiling water; dissolve half a pound of chloride of lime in two quarts of cold water. Let both settle and pour off the clear liquid. Mix, filter, and bottle and keep in a dark place. (See also direc- tions on the chloride package.) Use for bleaching textile fabrics and wash goods, and for removing fruit and red wine stains from those fabrics. For whitening clothing put two or three tablespoonfuls of the liquid into the water in which the clothing is boiled. To remove stains from white goods, dilute the Javelle water with its own volume of cold water. Soak the article in this until the stain disappears, then 25 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME rinse thoroughly in several clear waters, and finally in diluted ammonia water. Javelle water removes al- most all stains and all colors, therefore it should not be used on colored articles. If articles are allowed to remain in the Javelle water for a long time it will injure the fibre. The action of the water, if too strong, is counteracted by immersing the fabric in ammonia or in a solution of sodium hyposulphite. Lemon Juice and Salt. This mixture will remove ordinary stains. Lye, etc. Dissolve a piece of lye, the size of a walnut, in a bucket of cold water. This solution may be used on strong articles. Soak the article over night; then wash with a good white soap and boil, finishing by running through weak blue water. The objection that the lye will rot the material is not sustained save in the case of very delicate materials. Milk. A valuable detersive. If an article wet with ink be washed out in sweet milk before the ink has dried, the stain will' be removed. Used scalding hot, milk is more effective in removing stains from cotton or linen fabrics than hot water. Ox Gall. Ox gall is a solvent for most fats and does not injure the fabric or the color, and is prefer- 26 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME able .to soap for woollens, but is apt to give a false shade to fabrics in light and delicate colors. Mixed with turpentine, alcohol, yolk of egg, fuller's earth, etc., it is used for cleaning silk. Oxalic Acid. Very poisonous. It serves as a sub- stitute for tartaric or for citric acid, or both. Oxalic Acid Solution. Take three ounces of oxalic acid crystals, and add one pint of water ; bottle, cork tightly, and mark plainly with a label, "Poison." In using, dilute well a small quantity in a bowl by add- ing more clear water and either soak the entire ar- ticle in this, or wet the place where the stain is, be- ginning with a weak solution and increasing the strength, if necessary; or keep moistening the stain (which should be placed on a plate) by means of a bit of absorbent cotton on the end of a toothpick, set- ting the plate with the stain exposed where the direct rays of strong sunshine will fall upon it. After using the acid to remove a stain,- wash out the place thor- oughly in strong ammonia water to counteract the action of the acid, and then rinse thoroughly in clear water, remembering that the acid rots the material, and, like any acid or bleach, is sure to weaken the fabric unless it is thoroughly rinsed away, and its 27 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME action counteracted or destroyed by the ammonia. Be careful of the hands when using this acid. Pipe Clay. Put equal parts of pipe clay and whit- ing into a piece of thin old muslin or linen and tie up to form a small ball. Place the garment to be cleansed on a table and cover it with clean bran. Rub thoroughly with the ball of pipe clay, shake off the bran, and brush with a perfectly clean whisk broom. Will clean white or colored cloth garments, white flannel sailor suits, white belts and shoes. Potato Cleaner. Grate two medium sized potatoes into a bowl containing one pint of clean cold water; stir well and strain carefully through a sieve or cheesecloth, allowing the liquid to fall into another vessel containing an additional pint of cold water. Let this settle, and then pour off the water, being careful to allow no "settlings" to go off with the water, and bottle for use. Softly rub the soiled fabric or garment with a sponge dipped in the potato water, after which wast} it in clean water, dry carefully and iron. Slight stains can be removed from black cloth by rubbing with a freshly cut raw potato, wiping with a clean cloth. 28 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME Scorch Solvent. Extract the juice from two large onions and mix with it two ounces of fuller's earth, half an ounce of white soap cut in pieces, and half a pint of vinegar. Boil this compound well and when cool spread on the scorched linen, leaving it to dry. Then wash the linen. If necessary repeat the process. Soap-bark. Useful for freshening up woollens of any dark color. It is much used by dyers and scour- ers as a cleaner for dusty and greasy clothes, espe- cially men's. To prepare for use, pour a quart of boiling water over five cents' worth of soap-bark; steep this gently over a low fire for two hours ; strain the liquid through a piece of cheesecloth into a jar. When using have a smooth board or table and lay the fabric on this and sponge carefully on both sides, giving special attention to the very much soiled parts. After sponging, rinse in ammonia and water. Tartaric Acid. This is a substitute for the more expensive citric acid and may be used wherever the latter is called for. "Universal" Cleaning Fluid. Dissolve four ounces of white Castile soap in one quart of boiling rain- water. When cool add four ounces of ammonia, two 29 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME ounces each of alcohol, ether, and glycerin, and, lastly, one gallon of rainwater. This is an excellent cleaning fluid to bottle and keep for emergencies. It will remove spots from carpets, rugs, table-covers, and also grease spots from clothing. 30 CHAPTER V REMOVING STAINS GENERAL PRINCIPLES STAINS should be attended to as soon as possible and always before sending the article to the laundry; because when stains have become dried into the fabric, or the piece has been laundered, they be- come set and are difficult to remove without damage to the fabric. The actual process to be employed will depend, in the first place, on the kind of fabric stained, woollens and fabrics of animal fibres requiring a different treat- ment from those made of vegetable fibres; and, sec- ondly, on the character of the stain, and the effect of the stain upon the color of the fabric and the effect of the removal of the stain. Dyed fabrics also re- quire special care. If the cause of the stain is un- known, expert cleaners first experiment with some portion of the garment that is not visible when worn, in order to test the color with the usual solvent, or the one proposed to be used. The cleaning of white goods is a comparatively simple matter. Acids should not be used on white cottons or linens except in unusual cases, when acetic, 31 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME oxalic, or tartaric acids may be used. Woollens, silks, and fabrics of animal origin should be treated with the acids but not the alkalies, except that weak ammonia may be used. Soap and water are the best cleansers of white cottons, linens, or fast colors. For tinted goods that would lose color if treated with any of the acids, try fuller's earth, or starch, made into a paste with a little glycerin. The paste should be spread upon the spot and left for several hours, then thoroughly brushed with a stiff whisk broom. Repeat the operation if any trace of the stain is left; or, if the trace is very faint, sprinkle with dry fuller's earth and let it lie for twenty-four hours, after which time the stain should have disappeared. This paste is excellent for removing stains or spots from counterpanes, pillows, and mattresses, as well as from the most delicate silk or woollen garments. A piece of well-washed cheesecloth is one of the best materials to use in sponging out a stain, and an old toothbrush, boiled first in soda water, to cleanse it, serves as a useful scrubbing brush. CHAPTER VI REMOVING STAINS WHITE GOODS MANY, perhaps most, stains may be removed from "white goods" with water. Use distilled or soft water for removing spots. Spread the piece to be cleaned on a piece of glass, a plate, or a platter; rub the spot with a brush and soft water and a little salt (or spirit for colored cottons and silks) until the spot disappears, and then dry with buckskin to prevent the formation of the ring. Do not use so much liquid as to make the operation wet, as nothing but the stain itself should be touched, and the drying should be made as rapid as possible. In more stubborn cases, the weaker solvents will act, except in extreme instances, when oxalic acid or Javelle water must be resorted to, in spite of the danger of their injuring the goods. If the stain has been set by laundering, try steam- ing the spot first, by holding it over the spout of a teakettle filled with rapidly boiling water; then apply the solvent given for the particular stain while the spot is still warm. The moist heat helps to loosen the stain. 33 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME White goods and household linens may be soaked for two or three hours in weak Javelle water before laundering as usual ; this will cause grime and stains to disappear. The same treatment may be employed with handkerchiefs, towels, etc., that have become grimy through improper laundering. Stains may be removed from table linens by using borax when washing, but without boiling the goods; bleach out the spots in the sun, wetting the places occasionally with borax water. Still another formula is to rub the spot with a preparation of saleratus, slacked lime, and soap-suds, allowing the preparation to remain on the stain for about two hours ; then wash and iron. At many hospitals bed linens are washed in water containing a gram of petroleum for each quart of water, added to the soap and soda. The combina- tion cleanses thoroughly, does not affect the linen, and the goods retain their color, and yet are thor- oughly disinfected. Bed linens that have turned an undesirable color may be washed with soap and hot water. Then put to soak all night in cold water containing a table- spoonful of ammonia to each pail of water; next day boil and blue. Handkerchiefs and towels may be bleached by 34 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME washing in the usual manner and then letting them stand over night in a solution of half a teaspoonful of cream of tartar to each quart of water used. Linen that has become yellow may be bleached by soaking for a day or two in buttermilk; then wash as usual. Treating Colored Cottons. If the piece under treatment has embroidery on it or is made of a fig- ured fabric which the sun's rays may fade, lay over the article a piece of cloth or paper in which has been cut a hole the size of the spot to be removed. Apply the solvent through the hole; lay the piece in the sun, covered except for the spot, and keep the spot moist until the stain disappears. Ammonia may be used to counteract acids in the same way. Use the clear liquid and rinse with water ; keep blotting paper or absorbent cotton underneath the spot so that the, liquid will not spread into the rest of the fabric and attack the colors. 35 CHAPTER VII REMOVING STAINS SPECIAL APPLICATIONS ACID Stains. Use ammonia on fast colors (ex- cept blue), which may be treated at once. In rubbing stains with ammonia, use a piece of flannel and rub gently. Colors can be restored by applying chloroform ; black by dipping in a weak solution of baking soda, which is good also for shades of yellow. Blood Stains. (a) If fresh, soak in cold salt water until the stain turns brown; then wash in lukewarm (not hot) water with plenty of soap ; afterwards boil. (b) Or, wet with kerosene. (c) Or, soak for a few hours in cold water to which a piece of washing soda has been added ; then wash and rub through clean water. Wash and boil. If then the stain is not all gone, bleach in the open air, which will oxidize the remaining color. (d) If the stain is of long standing, soak the spot repeatedly with chloroform or peroxide of hydrogen, working in the open air or at an open window. (e) If the stain is on thick goods, such as ticking, use a paste, as stiff as possible, made of raw starch 36 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME and tepid water, with only enough water to bind the crushed starch together. Spread freely on the goods ; leave until perfectly dry; brush off; repeat if neces- sary. (f) If on silk, use strong borax water. Blood stains must not on any account be put into hot water before they are soaked in cold water, be- cause the hot water hardens the stains and makes removal difficult if not impossible. Brass. Rub with rancid lard or olive oil before washing. Warm white wine vinegar is a solvent for brass or copper, but must not be used on colored cloths. Chocolate, Coffee, and Tea Stains. When fresh, hold over a bowl and pour boiling water through; or wash with soap and tepid water. When old, there are many methods, all to be used, however, before the stain is set by boiling. (a) Rub butter into the stain and wash well with hot soapsuds. (b) Soak in cold water and then spread with glycerin; leave all night and then launder. (c) If the stain is set, cover with a paste made of egg and glycerin; wash in warm water and iron 37 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME (while moist) on the wrong side with a moderately hot iron. (d) For a chocolate stain, sprinkle with powdered borax ; then place stain in a bowl and pour on enough cold water to soak ; next spread stain over a bowl and pour a fine stream of boiling water on it from a suf- ficient height to strike the goods with some force. (e) If the stain is a particularly bad and obstinate one, try salts of lemon. Pour boiling water into a bowl ; then over the top of the bowl stretch the stain, on which place a little of the salts of lemon. Let the stain sink down occasionally into the bowl; then draw the goods tight again and rub the salts over the stain. The steam from the boiling water, as well as the water itself in combination with the salts of lem- on, should remove a bad stain of this character. (f) Spread the spot on a plate and pour on a little hot oxalic acid. Rub gently with a soft brush; when the stain disappears, rinse in plenty of cold water and then in ammonia water, to neutralize the acid (a tablespoonful of ammonia to two quarts of water) . (g) On woollens and mixed fabrics use a mixture of one part glycerin, nine parts water, and one-half part ammonia. Apply with a brush and keep the spot 38 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME moist with the liquid for twelve hours; then dry be- tween clean cloths. (h) On white woollens, cover with gin; then rub with a piece of the same woollen. (i) On delicately colored and finely finished silks use a mixture of five parts glycerin, five parts water, and one-quarter part ammonia. (Test the color first; if it is affected, omit the ammonia.) Apply with a soft brush and let remain for six to eight hours ; then rub with a clean cloth. Clean the spots of the dry substance with a knife, brush with clean water, and dry between clean cloths. If any stain then remains, rub with dry bread. The finish of silk may be restored by brushing with beer or a thin solution of gum arabic; then iron. Color Stains. An article that has been stained by color which has run out of another article, should be put as quickly as possible- into a large vessel of cold water, left for about twelve hours, then dried in the sun. Yellow spots on clothing, due to acids, may be removed by applying a weak solution of ammonia. Egg Stains. Soak in cold water. Fly Paper Stains. Sponge off with benzine. 39 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME Fruit Stains. The quicker these are removed the better; do so always before putting the fabric into soapsuds, which will set the stain. In general the rules given for chocolate, tea, and coffee stains will answer for fruit stains, (a) Stretch the fabric over a basin and pour boiling water, boiling milk, or even alcohol (for obstinate stains) on the spot. If the stain has been fixed by time, soak the article in a weak solution of oxalic acid, or wet the stain with solution and steam over a kettle. (b) Treat with Javelle water, with a little vinegar added. (c) Hold over the fumes of sulphur. (d) Wash in ice cold water, or hang out of doors in cold weather. (e) Wash in soda water to which borax and am- monia have been added. (f) Heap salt on the spot, rub hard, then rinse in hot water in which considerable borax has been dissolved. Immerse woollens in a weak solution of sulphurous acid, or one of hyposulphite of soda; follow with a solution of tartaric acid until the stain disappears. Test colored fabrics in all cases before cleaning; if colors will stand soap, the stain may be removed 40 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME by washing in tepid soap-water, or in a decoction of soap-root. Peach stains are among the most persistent, (a) Soak white goods over night in water containing one tablespoonful of chloride of lime to each quart of water and wash in the usual way. (b) Moisten the spot well and rub in salts of lemon ; place in the sunshine and then wash carefully with salt and warm water. (c) Soak in camphor for a while and wash in water. (d) Soak in sour milk or buttermilk, or spread sour milk and a little salt on the stain and put out in the sun. (e) Use Javelle water as directed. Grass Stains. (a) Saturate the spot with kerosene and launder as usual. (b) Treat with bleaching liquid. (c) Wash in cold soft water without soap. (d) Soak in alcohol. (e) Soak in strong cream of tartar water or cover the spot with cream of tartar, then dip in cold water and rub on more cream of tartar, and wash as usual. This process will not injure delicate wash goods. (f) If on delicately colored clothes, make a paste of white soap and baking soda and spread on the 41 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME stain (or spread on molasses) ; leave for two or three hours; then wash. (g) Apply ammonia and water at once when the stain is fresh. (h) Wash white goods with naphtha soap and warm water. (i) Cover woollens or silks with chloride of tin and wash at once in plenty of water. Grease Stains. (a) Use the dry process. Rub in a little oleic acid, and after this has soaked in, use soap and water. If the goods will not stand soap, use hot irons and blotting paper, as well as benzine or turpentine. Avoid the ring, or spot, by following the directions previously given, and by using the benzinized magnesia or gelatinized magnesia. The use of these two solvents (or etherized magnesia, made with ether and calcined magnesia, like benzi- nized magnesia) is particularly recommended for grease stains on silk fabrics, except that sometimes ether may act upon the colors. (b) Stains of milk and soup may be removed from white goods with water or by washing in luke-warm soap-water and rinsing. When the goods will not stand soap, wash in cold water containing acetic acid. (c) Very old grease stains may be covered with 42 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME lard, which is allowed to remain for half an hour ; then wash the piece in cold water (no soap) and follow with another washing in hot water. (d) Old stains may be treated with chloroform, following with benzinized magnesia. (e) Rub the spot with a mixture of yolk of egg and turpentine; when dry scrape off and wash in hot water. (f) Machine grease may be removed by using cold water, ammonia, and soap. This will not cause colors to run. (g) On colored goods use French chalk, putting it over the spot and holding over it a hot iron to melt the grease while the chalk absorbs it. (h) Salt dissolved in alcohol will remove grease, but it is not always quite safe to use it. (i) When the grease is on silk or satin, moisten the spot and rub with ether and chloroform; or yolk of egg and chloroform; -finish by using method in (g) ; or use it separately. (j) For raw and pongee silks, use equal parts of ialcohol and chloroform, with teaspoonful of house- hold ammonia to each pint of the mixture. Place the spot over blotting paper and rub with a soft cloth, gradually enlarging the area moistened. (k) Cover sewing machine oil spots thickly with 43 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME lard ; let stand long enough to absorb the grease ; then wash in cold water and soap; or wash immediately in cold soft water and soap. (1) Wash greasy spots in black woollen clothing in a solution of borax, then rinse in clear water and dry in the sun. This is the process to use on men's coat collars. (m) Wagon grease may be removed from white goods by moistening the spot with turpentine; then use blotting paper over and under the spot and rub with a hot iron. Finish by washing in warm soap- water. (n) Coat wagon grease thickly with moist laundry soap and leave for three hours ; rinse out in cold water, or wet with turpentine and rinse in cold water. (o) Wax or candle grease may be removed by the blotting paper method in (m). (p) Remove hair stains from collars by rubbing with a cotton or flannel cloth moist with a mixture of four parts ammonia and one part common salt. (q) Gravy spilled on linen may be removed by use of peroxide, but this substance should be immedi- ately followed by the use of an alkali. If just remov- ing a spot, sponge the fabric first with peroxide until the stain has vanished, then follow with a solution of weak ammonia. 44 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME (r) Rub axle grease with lard; let it stand to soften ; then wash out. (s) Remove cream spots from linen by touching lightly with household ammonia ; then iron with clean blotting paper on each side of the spot. The greasy shine of coats may be removed by rub- bing with emery paper and then steaming. Gum Stains. Sponge with gasoline. Ice Cream Soda Stains. Sponge soda stains with gasoline or chloroform with a blotting paper under the spot; when dry sponge with tepid water and rub with a flannel until dry. Indigo, or Bluing, Stains. Wash in boiling water, or boil for a few minutes. Ink Stains. As the various inks on the market are made of different ingredients and chemicals, different agents are required to remove stains made by them. It is necessary, therefore, to know what kind of ink was used before recommending a solvent for its re- moval. Soap and water will remove some inks, while strong chemicals will not affect others. Attend to such stains as soon as possible after they are made. 45 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME (a) When stains are made with aniline inks, they will generally disappear when washed with soap and water (except in the case of silks), or with a bleach- ing fluid, or in alcohol and vinegar. In the case of nut-gall inks, use the Javelle water (not too strong), letting the goods remain in the water for some time. This is not good for silks. (b) Ink stains disappear when treated with a few drops of oxalic acid and the spot scrubbed with an old but clean toothbrush. Keep blotting paper under the spot, and move it about frequently so as to keep a ckan piece under the spot; rinse thoroughly and dry as far as possible with blotting paper. (c) If the ink spot be a fresh one, dip the spot in milk, changing the milk as it becomes discolored. Or soak in sour milk or buttermilk. If a dark spot remains, rinse in a weak solution of chloride of lime. Or sponge with milk until the ink is removed, and then use benzine to remove the grease of the milk. Do not let the milk dry in the goods. This process will take ink spots out of colored dresses if treated while the spot is moist and fresh. (d) ,First wet the stain with cold water and then pour oxalic acid on it. Let stand a few minutes ; then rinse in ammonia water, and put at once into tepid water. (This is for white goods. If the acid turns 46 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME the dye of colored goods to a red tinge, restore the color with ammonia.) Or, scatter fine tin dust or tin shavings over the spot after moistening it with hot oxalic acid; finish as above. (e) Dip the fabric in melted tallow (or paraffin) and then wash out the grease with soap and water. (f) Soak the spot in a weak solution of chloride of lime, in the proportion of one ounce to each quart of water. (g) For white goods, cover the spot with salt and pour on lemon juice and rub between the hands ; lay in the sun until the spots disappear. As the moisture dries, wet again in the same way and repeat as needed; then rinse well in cold water. Or, wet with the lemon juice and pour boiling water through the spot. Or, wet the spot with lemon juice and good hard soap. (h) Treat ink spots on cotton, silk, or woollen fabrics with turpentine. .Saturate the spots and let them remain wet for several hours; then rub between the hands. Neither the texture nor the color should be injured. (i) Paint ink stains on linens with a solution of cyanide of potassium, applying it with a camel's hair brush; as soon as the stain is gone, rinse in cold water, and launder. 47 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME (j) Wet ink spots on silk with peroxide of hydro- gen and put in the sun. Peroxide can be used on very delicate colors. (k) Wash ink stains in vinegar, changing the liquid as soon as it becomes discolored; then wash in the usual way. (1) Put ink-stained linens in a strong but cold solution of borax and leave for several hours ; squeeze out and cover with fresh solution, leaving for twelve hours. Rinse several times in warm water; powder the spots with more borax and* rub briskly before rinsing again. If stain still remains, pour hot borax water through it and when linen is cold wash with soap. (m) Put a hot plate under the spot and when the spot has been moistened with hot water, rub in salts of lemon ; rinse in clear water. (n) Rub wash goods with yolk of an egg before washing. (o) When ink is spilled, no matter how much, im- mediately dash on salt. When saturated, scrape off and add more. Continue doing this until the ink is all absorbed. Wash the place with warm water. Hectograph Ink. Boil the stained piece in strong cream of tartar water. Rinse and lay in the hot sun 48 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME all day, wetting hourly with the cream of tartar water. Rinse again at evening and soak all night in loppered milk. Rinse the second morning and sun all day. Then wash in the usual way. India Ink Stains. India ink may be removed with alcohol, in which it is soluble. Indelible Ink Stains. Use cyanide of potassium, oxalic acid, lemon juice, or Javelle water as described above. Or, make a stiff paste of talcum powder and buttermilk, cover the spot and leave for two days ; rinse with pure water. Repeat as necessary. Printer's Ink Stains. Use ether, turpentine or pure benzine, or butter. If the last, allow it to remain over night, then wash. To remove the lettering from flour bags, soak in clear cold water over night, rub well until the starch is out of the cloth and the print pale; then put into cold suds and bring to a boil; rub, rinse, and dry. Iodine Stains. (a) Dip in strong ammonia water and rinse as soon as the stain disappears. (b) Soak in cold water for half an hour and then cover with a thick layer of common soap. 49 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME (c) Dip in sweet milk, leaving the? spot submerged over night; then rinse in fresh milk before washing. (d) Wash with alcohol and then rinse in soap- water. (e) Cover with common baking soda (saleratus) ; wet with cold water; rub on more soda; then wash as usual. Lampblack Stains. Wash with kerosene and wipe with a dry cloth; then use soap and warm water to remove the kerosene. Medicine Stains. (a) Use a paste of fuller's earth a-nd ammonia ; lay it on the spot and moisten with more ammonia ; rub well ' and wash in cold water ; then in soap and water in the usual way. (b) Dissolve with alcohol. Mildew. Mildew is a fungus growing in the fab- ric's texture. If not too deeply seated, it will wash out in time ; otherwise it is difficult to remove. Some- times it is caused by letting articles lie too long in a damp state before ironing ; or by putting damp towels in the soiled clothes hamper. The mildew appears in such cases not only upon the damp articles them- selves but upon other articles touched by them, such 50 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME as fine handkerchiefs and linens, and even on the hamper itself which becomes infected and dangerous to the household health. Flour of sulphur sprinkled on the fabrics will kill the fungus. (a) Mix soft soap with two parts of powdered starch, one of salt, and juice of lemon to make a paste; lay on both sides of the material and let it lie on the grass until the stain disappears. Or, use in the same way a paste of soap and powdered chalk. Or, make a paste of one pint of soft soap, one pint of water, and teacupful of salt, stirring well; rub thoroughly into the fibre of the cloth ; keep spot damp until stain disappears. (b) Soak white goods first in clear water and then in water containing a tablespoonful of lemon juice and a teaspoonful of oxalic acid to each half-pint of water. (c) Use Javelle water, wetting the stain repeat- edly and laying out in the sun. (d) Soak mildewed linen for several hours in but- termilk; then wash as usual. (e) Use diluted ammonia on mildewed woollens. Mud Stains. Let the mud dry on, then brush off with a stiff brush. If a stain remains, dip a piece of linen in strong alcohol (or weak ammonia for black 51 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME goods) and rub until the spot disappears. Also, the stain may be sponged with potato water, or bicar- bonate of soda in water, or rubbed with a cut raw potato. Use for spots on silk and wool as well as on wash goods. Nitric Acid Stains. (a) On linens use Javelle water, oxalic acid, or cyanide of potassium, or apply lemon juice and lay out in the sun for a day. (b) Moisten nitric acid stains on woollens, when fresh, with concentrated solution of permanganate of potash and rinse with water. Brush old stains with nitrate of silver to blacken them. Paint Stains. (a) Remove paint stains, when fresh, with turpentine. Treat old stains with a mix- ture of turpentine and ammonia, or chloroform alone, letting the liquid soak well into the spot, under which is placed blotting paper. Sponge with chloroform if a ring is left. (b) Lard paint on white fabrics; let it stay for a day or two ; then wash with white soap. (c) Treat paint on silk with benzine or ether; then wash carefully in soap and warm water. (d) Soak varnish stains on cloth with alcohol and rub with a clean cloth. If the color is affected, sponge 52 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME with chloroform, unless the color is blue, in which case use vinegar. (e) Use, for paint or varnish, a mixture of five parts of alcohol, three of ammonia, and one-fourth part of benzine; or equal parts of ammonia and tur- pentine; saturate goods and wash with soapsuds. (f) Cover paint on cotton or woollen goods with olive oil or butter; then use chloroform. (g) Boiling water will remove fresh paint stains if used before the linen is laundered. Permanganate of Potash Stains. Use a tablespoon- ful of salt and juice of half a lemon ; apply with a piece of flannel ; rub well until stain disappears. Perspiration Stains. (a) Sponge perspiration stains on white woollen or silk with warm water and ammonia, then with clean water; press before it be- comes quite dry. (b) Use one part Javelle water to four parts of hot water; rinse well. (c) Treat with distilled water and Castile soap ; brush the spot and rinse to remove soap ; finish by moistening the spot with saccharine acid solution and wash to remove the acid. Treat silks in the same way, using a chlorine instead of a saccharine acid. 53 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME (d) Use a mixture of one part of ammonia and three parts each of alcohol and ether. (e) Clean facings of garments by brushing with benzine and then washing with lukewarm water and ammonia. (f) Soak stain in cold water, wash with borax, and expose the garment to sunshine. Perspiration under the arms is different from that of any other part of the body and requires an acid, such as a weak solution of muriatic acid. Rust Stains. Rust spots on clothes are often due to impure bluing, much of which contains Prussian blues, compounds of two iron salts which are precipi- tated by alkalies. Before bluing clothes, therefore, be sure that all the soap is well rinsed out, and use plenty of water in the bluing tub. Test all fabrics to find the action of the reagent on the 'color. (a) To remove rust stains, treat like ink stains; or they may be removed with a bleaching fluid, or Javelle water, or with acetic acid in clean water. (b) Rub spots with salts of lemon and wash; re- peat if necessary; or use lemon juice and salt as a substitute; then put out i^ the sun. Pineapple juice is said to be as good as lemon juice. 54 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME (c) On white goods use half an ounce of citric acid dissolved in two-thirds of a cup of water; satur- ate spot and put out in the sun. (d) Use oxalic acid as directed (p. 32) ; rinse in ammonia water and then in clear water. (e) Hydrochloric acid may be used, if care be taken. Dissolve teaspoonful of borax in a quart of water. Spread the rust spot over a bowl containing the borax water and apply the acid to the spot drop by drop until the stain brightens, then immerse at once in the water. Repeat if necessary. (f) On fast colors use muriatic acid in the same way, except that clear hot water is used without borax; rinse finally in ammonia water. (g) Soak linens all night in sour milk ; then wash in clear water and lay in the sun, wetting frequently with lemon juice. (h) Rub rust stains on cloth with sheep sorrel and then take out the grass stain with molasses or alcohol. (i) Use mixture of benzine and borax on white cloth. (j) Use hot solutions of tartaric acid or of oxalic or citric and tartaric acids. (k) When rust stain is complicated with oils or 55 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME fats, use a mixture of one part of soap, one part of glycerin, and three parts water. Scorch Stains. (a) Soak scorch stains in luke- warm water; then wet with lemon juice and salt, and put in the sun. (b) Take juice of two onions and mix with two ounces of fuller's earth, half an ounce of white soap finely cut, and half a pint of vinegar ; boil ; when cool spread over the scorch and allow it to dry on; then wash. (c) When the scorch is a simple one, dampen and lay in the sun. (d) Make a starch paste and heat as in (b). Soot Stains. Rub with dry salt or dry cornmeal before washing. Or, saturate the spot with ether and put a cup over it to prevent evaporation until the stain disappears. Tar Stains. (a) Rub turpentine well into dark materials; then rub with benzine, or wash in warm water. (b) Cover tar stains on wash goods with lard; and after several hours, wash. (c) Use 'olive oil on dress goods; then wash with white soap and tepid water. 56 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME Urine Stains. Treat with alcohol or dilute citric acid ; restore color with chloroform. Wine Stains. (Use directions for fruit stains.) (a) As soon as possible wash claret-stained linens in hot soapsuds, and unless the wine is artificially col- ored the stains will disappear. (b) When a port wine stain is made, immediately throw sherry wine over it; then rub with dry, soft cloths. (c) Remove vinegar or sour wine stains with am- monia water, soda and water, or some similar alkaline reagent. (d) Salts of ammonia mixed with lime will take out wine stains from silks. Spirits of turpentine is equally good. The table on the following page, given by both Hurst and Brannt, will be found useful for quick reference. 57 6 bo^o & 1 ITS g 8 c !.s"!i 3 -< to -dOft, c *c C 'c S J M rt ^ ^> a rt 3 8 o S ft 1 - 1 ' 1 i i O E 111 irf Q M M % 1] co- .HC ft> r 1 X s I 2 S^S III ~c S6 'o S >, "35 It |1 1 d ^^o lll.l 111] bo C i rt s 9Q n tn ft a c/^ If | s -d *" C 5 .c l b ^ 2 o > 1 --i ft).ti c ^ti i C/) w g CO CO "S "~ ? 2 fe ^ rt fe H O C 1 .a JU x *-* drt*^ 3 4) ^ S| u 1 rt i g -1 t> rt o> "rt 'C e rt ^ rt^S^S O rt w - *H co*" 4 >..- *- 4> X ..o.S ^ >rt?^ ra V g 1 11 3 O 00 Illi O jj'T *^ "ft C/3 ^ S D _ !l!l o - S g 3 C - | 13 C g ^ 3 ^ Q '3 t y *d (VI H u 4> i *o c ^ c rt W ?1 1 1| rt tfj ft) H co *8 5 5)rt o ftT C IS.S'd Is* rt 1*0 11 boU SB ! Q *t3 C rt ^ D .s"" g S^ rt ft) C/2 tfw < g^ *T g c * S w ^ S S a i2 58 CHAPTER VIII RENOVATING COTTON AND LINEN FABRICS QPOTS on Linen Dresses. Remove tea stains ^ from linen dresses by covering with gin; rub with piece of same cloth; press on wrong side with moderately hot iron until dry. To remove black spots, or soot, place the garment on several thicknesses of white cloth; then rub with a white cloth wet with hot water. To clean linen or batiste blouse collars, use benzine as for silk or satin ; no pressing needed. Restoring Colors of Cotton Fabrics. (a) Ammo- nia (or sal volatile) will restore colors faded by acids. (b) Sponge faded fabrics colored with aniline dyeg with chloroform. (c) Whiten a faded cotton dress by boiling in cream of tartar water. (d) Restore faded fabrics by first cleaning off the dust and then covering with a layer of Castile soap, last of all rinsing in clear water and then in alum water. (e) Freshen colors faded by soap by a water bath 59 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME in a wooden vessel containing enough sulphuric acid to give the water a faint acid flavor. See that water and acid are well mixed. Bleaching. (a) Bleach faded muslins or linens with chloride of lime one tablespoonful to one quart of water. (b) Soak faded linen gowns or colored waists for twelve hours in a solution of one pound of soda and one gallon of hot water, then boil half an hour in the same liquid. Make a mixture of chloride of lime and eight times its bulk of water, and let it stand in a stone jar for three days, stirring it often in the meantime. When settled, draw off the clear liquid and put into a porcelain kettle. Wring out the fabric upon taking it from the soda solution and let it steep in the chloride solution for thirty-six hours; then wash, dry, and press. (c) Use turpentine on collars or other white arti- cles that have turned yellow. Dissolve one part tur- pentine in three parts strong ammonia; put a table- spoonful of this in the last rinse water; immerse the article and put in the open air to dry. (d) Whiten clothes by using kerosene a table- spoonful to each gallon of water. If the garment is much soiled use equal parts of kerosene, clear lime 60 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME water, and turpentine, shaken until creamy. Use one cupful to a boilerful of clothes and keep on fire for half an hour. The emulsion is invaluable for whiten- ing workmen's heavy jumpers, shirts, etc. Ginghams, To Freshen. Remove spots on ging- hams by wetting with milk and covering with salt ; v leave for an hour or so; then rinse in several changes of water. Organdie, To Dry-clean. Lay each breadth in turn smoothly upon a table covered with a clean white cloth and rub both sides with a mixture of^ starch and borax, or with talcum powder, using a tooth or nail brush ; rub into every thread and leave the pow- der for twenty-four hours ; then shake out well in the open air. Cover with a damp cloth and press. Treat light wool stuffs in the same way, using block mag- nesia instead of the starch. Organdie, To Wash. Soak in water for a few hours ; then soap all over with white soap; then put into a clean pillow-slip and boil for twenty minutes; then hang each garment by the belt on a low line and draw gently through the hands from top to bottom (do not squeeze or wring). Use very weak starch water and 61 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME hang out to dry, shaking frequently to prevent the folds from sticking together. Blue Duck, To Clean. Dip in cold water contain- ing ox gall in proportion of tablespoonful to gallon of water. Let the garment get almost dry ; then wash quickly in tepid water and borax soap; rinse, dry in the shade, and iron while still damp. Blouses, To Freshen. Put the perspiration-stained part in strong soda water for a few minutes; wash and rinse well in clean hot water before soaping the material. Iron with moderately hot iron. White Vests, To Clean. Use block magnesia, rub- bing it in well and freely. Put the vest in a drawer for several days; then beat and brush. Crepe, To Renovate. Remove from the dress and sponge with beer or dilute ammonia. Remove beer odor by placing the cloth while damp before a brisk fire. Plush Pile, To Raise. Sponge with chloroform. Sateen, To Impart Gloss To. To make sateen glos- sy after washing put a little borax in the last rinse water; iron. 62 CHAPTER IX CLEANING AND RENOVATING WOOLLENS SOME advise that woollen fabrics stained with inks can be best cleaned by professionals, which is perhaps true ; but this book is designed to help those who are not able to avail themselves of a profes- sional's services. Read the introductory remarks and the chapter on cleaning compounds, or solvents. What follows is for specific cases. Grease. First cover the spot with wheat, buck- wheat, or rye flour, or corn starch, and let it absorb the grease; brush off and apply fresh flour until the grease is absorbed. Absorbent cotton will do this if applied at once. Do not put hot water or any kind of water on woollens that have liquid grease spilled on them. For removing mineral oil or wax spots, which are very hard to eradicate, especially when they have pen- etrated deeply into the fabric, aniline is recommend- ed. Use the following mixture: Aniline, one part; soap, one part; water, nineteen parts. Soap, and sponge with clean water. 63 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME Whenever a spot appears on woollen goods, from the most delicate shades to black, place the article on a table, and with a rubber sponge rub the wrong way of the nap, cleaning the sponge on a cloth after each stroke. (These sponges may be bought at a department store for ten cents or thereabouts.) Flannels. To remove stains from flannel, use equal parts of glycerin and yolk of egg. Spread this mjx- ture on the stain, leave for half an hour; then wash the article as usual, using a batter made of boiled soap. Use rainwater, if possible. To whiten 'flannel that has become yellow with age and to restore it to its original whiteness, use (a) a solution of one and one-half pounds of white Mar- seilles soap in fifty pounds of soft water, to which is added two-thirds of an ounce of aqua ammonia, and the whole thoroughly mixed. The flannel is to be immersed in this solution and well stirred around, and afterwards washed off in clear water. The same re- sult may be obtained still more quickly (b) by im- mersing the flannel for an hour in a dilute solution of acid sulphate of soda, and then stirring in dilute hydrochloric acid in the proportion of one part of acid to fifty of water. The vessel is then to be cov- ered over and allowed to remain for a quarter of an 64 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME hour, when the articles are to be removed and thor- oughly washed. Dry-cleaning. (a) To dry-clean light cloth gar- ments, use fuller's earth, pipe clay, or magnesia; rub it all over the garment; then carefully fold the gar- ment, and lay away for a few days. Then take it out and brush well. Any spots which may remain will probably disappear if rubbed with a bit of flannel moistened with alcohol or benzine. (b) Use whiting and oatmeal in place of pipe clay, rubbing the mixture into the garment evenly with a clean flannel. Press on the wrong side with a warm iron. (c) Clean summer shawls, white sweaters, or crocheted articles in the same way with a mixture of magnesia and flour. Woollen Blouse. To clean a white flannel blouse make soap jelly and dissolve two tablespoonfuls of it in half a gallon of warm water. Add one teaspoon- ful of cloudy ammonia and put the blouse in this, letting it soak for about ten minutes. Wash the blouse in the usual way, taking care to rub the parts that are most soiled, using no soap. Then wring out; rinse in clean tepid water, to which ammonia has 65 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME been added in the same proportion as the lather. Put through wringer, fold and wring out again and repeat; then hang out. (d) To freshen shabby dark dresses, sponge with water in which young ivy leaves have been steeped. (e) To restore faded and discolored materials, pack between layers of tissue paper and put away in a dark closet or chest. Bedford Cord. To clean Bedford cord garments, cover with flour and dry salt in equal parts or with two parts of pulverized starch and one part of borax. Scrub with this as with suds, rubbing between the hands. Then cover with buckwheat flour or clean meal and leave for two days, covered to keep out the dust. Then shake out and brush. Other kinds of light wool fabrics may be cleaned in the same way. Renovating. (a) To renovate a black dress or coat which has worn glossy, sponge with equal parts of ink and strong tea. (b) To freshen black suits or dresses, sponge on the wrong side all over with a mixture of one part of alcohol to three parts of water ; press on same side while still damp. 66 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME (c) Rub black cloth with a solution made of one- half pound bruised galls, one pound logwood, three- quarters pound green vitriol, and three quarts water, boiled for three hours; sponge and press as in (b). Wrinkles. To remove wrinkles from a coat or skirt, hang in the bathroom over the tub ; close the windows and door and turn on the hot water; let it remain there for two or three hours, then hang out in the fresh air. The same treatment will remove the marks of braid taken from a garment. Sponging Liquid. To make a good liquid for clean- ing and sponging woollens and for washing delicately colored fabrics, soak grated potatoes in water in the proportion of two medium-sized potatoes to each quart of water. Erasive Fluid. An excellent erasive fluid for wool- lens : Dissolve half a bar of rosin soap, one ounce of saltpetre, one ounce of borax to each gallon of water. When cool add five ounces of ammonia and two of chloroform. Shine. To remove shine from a worn black skirt, have it redipped by a dyer or dye it at home, 67 CHAPTER X RENOVATING MEN'S CLOTHING OATS. (a) To freshen a black coat, brush and clean, with gasoline; then sponge with a quart of coffee containing a teaspoonful of ammonia; or with a weak dye made by boiling logwood chips. (b) Sponge black materials all over with two quarts of hot water and a pint of ale. When nearly dry, iron on the wrong side. Trousers. Clean with pipe clay as previously di- rected. To press use an ironing board ; stretch seams evenly to prevent bagging at the knees. Use one and a half yards of cheap white duck for a press cloth ; dampen this cloth and press with hot iron until dry. Removing Shine. (a) Get emery cloth from the druggist. Rub shiny spots gently with this, and then go over them with a warm silk handkerchief. (b) Have the tailor "damp-rag" the whole suit. (c) Rub smooth-faced cloths with a piece of warm soft silk. (d) Rub with a piece of flannel dipped in tur- pentine. 68 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME (e) Sponge with a solution of common washing blue and water; press while still damp under a thin cloth. Collars. (a) To clean coat collars use a mixture of one pint of benzine, one-half dram of chloroform, and one dram of alcohol. Apply with a soft rag. (b) Rub collar with cloth dipped in ammonia. (c) Clean velvet coat collar with ammonia and hot water; let it dry, then sponge with alcohol. (d) Use ammonia and salt enough to make a soft mixture; employ as a cleaner. Nap. To raise the nap on cloth, soak in cold wa- ter for half an hour, then put on a board and rub the threadbare parts with emery cloth. 69 CHAPTER XI CLEANING AND RENOVATING CARPETS THE general rules for cleaning woollen fabrics answer for ordinary spots and stains on carpets. The size and other characteristics of carpets, however, call for some special suggestions as follows: Carpet Cleaning Compounds. (a) Shave half a pound of soap and boil in a quart of water until dis- solved ; then add a gallon of hot water and one ounce of salts of tartar ; mix thoroughly. Application : Use a stiff brush and scrub the carpet with the mixture, which should lather freely and clean the carpet without making it very damp ; clean a breadth, wipe it hard with a cloth wrung out of cold water. (If there is much green in the carpet, put a cup of vin- egar into the cold water. This quantity will clean a large carpet.) (b) Dissolve four ounces of good white soap in four ounces of boiling water; when cool add five ounces of ammonia, two and one-half ounces of alco- hol, two and one-half ounces of glycerin, and two ounces of ether or chloroform ; bottle and cork tight- 70 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME ly. Application: To clean a carpet add a teaspoon- ful to a pail of tepid water and wipe the carpet with it; follow with clean water. Two tablespoonfuls to a pint of water will remove obstinate stains. (c) Three gallons of water, two bars of white soap, five cents' worth of borax, five cents' worth of saltpetre, one-half pint of ammonia. Heat the water ; shave the soap fine; add borax and saltpetre; boil until everything has dissolved; when it has ceased boiling add the ammonia, and use the liquid as warm as one can bear the hand in it. Application : With a soft scrubbing brush clean a small space that can be covered equally and scrub just as one would a bare- floor; use about one-half of a bucketful of water at a time, so that the water is always clean and hot. Take the wooden edge of the brush or the back of a knife to scrape up what water is left on the surface. (d) Boil together until dissolved eight ounces of borax, eight ounces of washing soda, and three pounds of white soap in four gallons of water ; when ready to use, add two gallons of water, four ounces of alcohol, and two ounces of ammonia to one-half of the mix- ture as first prepared. Application : After it is thus diluted, wipe the carpet over with this, using a scrub brush on stains and very dirty spots ; afterward wipe over with a clean cloth wrung out of clean water. 71 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME (e) Make a suds of good white soap and hot wa- ter, and add fuller's earth to this until the consistency of thin cream is secured. Application : Have plenty of clean drying cloth, a small scrubbing brush, a large sponge, and a pail of fresh water. Put some of the cleaning mixture in a bowl and dip a brush in it; brush a small piece of the carpet with this; then wash with the sponge and cold water ; dry as much as possible with the sponge, and finally rub with dry cloths. Continue this till you are sure that all the carpet is clean ; then let it dry. (f) Take a twelve-gallon cask and put in about three gallons of lukewarm water, then pour in one- half pint aqua ammonia. Take a kettle with about two quarts of water and put in six ounces of pulver- ized soaptree bark and boil about twenty minutes, then strain in the barrel. Shave five large bars of pure soap in a kettle with one gallon of water and boil until dissolved. Then add one pound pulverized borax and boil about ten minutes, stirring continually, pour the contents into the barrel, and fill up with lukewarm water to make twelve gallons. Let stand until cold. Use as in (a) or (e). (g) Use ball of carpet soap or ordinary ox gall soap. Application : Take two old towels, one dry and one wet, and a pail of warm water. Wring out a 72 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME towel in the warm water ; dampen the carpet with it, but do not make it too wet; put the soap over the damp surface and scrub it with a stiff scrubbing brush until a thick lather covers the carpet ; wash off this lather, changing water frequently, and dry the carpet with the dry towel. Each section of the car- pet must be cleaned in this way and dried as thor- oughly as the worker can do it with old towels; let the carpet dry on the floor. Remove all grease marks at first before cleaning a carpet in this way. (h) Steep a quarter of a pound of smoking to- bacco in a gallon of water for twelve hours, strain, and add to the water three tablespoonfuls of am- monia. Application : Wring out a clean cloth wet in this liquid and go over the carpet with it. The tobacco restores and brightens the colors. Renovating and Freshening Carpets. (a) A sim- ple process is to sprinkle salt over the carpet and follow by careful sweeping. (Spots and stains should be first removed.) (b) After careful sweeping, wipe the carpet over with vinegar and water in the proportion of a tea- cupful to a pail of water. Do not use carpet until it is dry. (c) Wipe carpet with a cloth wrung out of warm 73 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME water and ammonia and kerosene, using one tea- spoonful of ammonia and one tablespoonful of kero- sene to one gallon of water. Change water frequently. (d) Wipe carpet with a cloth wrung out of a solution of alum water. (Brightens the colors.) (e) Sweep with a broom dipped in hot water con- taining a little turpentine. (f) Wipe carpet with a solution of one part ox gall and two parts water. (Brightens the colors.) (g) Wipe carefully with a cloth wrung out of salt water. (Removes dust and brightens colors.) (h) Wipe with a cloth wrung out of a solution of half a pail of tepid water, one-half cup of camphor, and three to four tablespoonfuls of ammonia. Use only on dark carpets which need brightening. (i) Scatter grated Irish potato over the carpet; then sweep carefully. Will revive colors without in- jury to delicate shades. (j) Scatter dampened bran or cornmeal freely over over the carpet ; then sweep carefully. Musty Carpet. Spread upon turf or clean, damp earth, and leave out all day. Next day lay it 'right side up upon the grass or floor; cover thickly with fine, dry salt and leave in the hottest sun for six or 74 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME eight hours; sweep, once against the nap and once with it. Spots and Stains of Whitewash. Remove by put- ting a few drops of carbonate of ammonia in warm water, and applying carefully. Sticky Spots. Remove with salt and alcohol. Oil. Remove by absorption process, using fuller's earth, blotting paper, salt, etc. Soot. Remove by covering with salt ; let it remain some minutes; then sweep. Ink. If wet, pick up as much as possible with blot- ting paper; then remove with milk, or common sand soap. Or, first pour clean cold water on the spot, if it is a fresh one, taking it up again with a spoon, which is pressed down into the pile of the carpet. Lay a cloth around the 'spot so it will not spread ; then apply a weak solution of oxalic acid, sponging it up quickly. If the color is altered apply ammonia water. Dyeing Carpet. (a) Touch up all the faded flow- ers with diamond dye of the desired color, using a small paint brush. 75 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME (b) After the carpet is cleaned and laid, wipe off with vinegar-water and let dry. Then prepare any good dye, using the predominating color of the car- pet, and apply with a wide paint brush. All colors and shades will not absorb the dye to the same ex- tent, and the design will remain and all worn places will be colored. MATTINGS Matting should be wiped with a cloth dampened in salt water, which strengthens the fibre and pre- vents its turning yellow. If white or cream-colored matting has become faded, wash with strong soda water, which will turn it to a deeper shade of creamy yellow but will make it all of one color. If the fig- ures of the pattern have become dingy, brighten by rubbing. Dye with an old tooth brush, following the lines of the figure. Never use soap on matting. Grease Spots. Cover grease spots on matting with French chalk and benzine ; after the benzine has evap- orated, brush off the chalk. R us t. Use muriatic acid, a hot iron, dry cloths, an old nail brush, a sponge, a bowlful of boiling 76 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME water, and two pailfuls of clear cold water. Applica- tion : Cover the spot with paper and place the hot iron on this ; when the matting is hot, dip a glass rod or stick in the acid and touch the stain which will instantly turn to a bright yellow; wash quickly with the boiling water, using the nail brush ; then with the clear water, using the sponge; wipe dry. The work must be done quickly and all the acid removed from the matting by repeated sponging with clean water. LINOLEUM Linoleum or oilcloth should never be washed with hot water. Make a suds of soft lukewarm water by adding a tablespoonful of powdered borax and one-fourth of a pound of soap, shaved fine and dis- solved in hot water, to every bucketful. Application : Wash linoleum or oilcloth, changing the water fre- quently. After having been all over the surface, dry- ing as the work proceeds, go over it a second time with a mixture of half skimmed milk and half water. Soap and soda or ammonia will destroy linoleum or oil- cloth by removing the oil. Treatments. (a) New oilcloth that is losing its lustre may be made to look fresh and to last longer 77 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME by treating it to a thin coat of glue. Application : The oilcloth should be washed thoroughly with a weak Soap-powder suds ; then apply the glue water at night with a flannel cloth, and it will be dry and hard by morning. (b) Apply good furniture polish twice a year. (c) Rub paraffin oil well into linoleum when new- ly laid to preserve and lengthen the wear. (d) Polish with beeswax and turpentine. Appli- cation : Make the polish by dissolving an ounce of beeswax in a pint of turpentine. Apply with one piece of flannel and polish with another. To get a good effect quickly be careful always to use clean cloths. Cleaning. (a) Remove all dust; then rub with a flannel sprinkled with paraffin. (b) Wipe with skimmed milk. (c) Break two eggs into a basin and beat suffi- ciently to mix them partially; then add one quart of lukewarm water. Application: Dip a soft flannej cloth in this mixture and go over the linoleum ; wring out the cloth and wipe a second time, using care not to step where this has been done; then leave it to dry in the air, and do not use until the floor is thor- oughly dry. 78 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME RUGS Treat rugs like carpets, as a general proposition; but be careful in beating them not to break the warp ; and do not shake then; by the end. Ordinarily light rugs may be satisfactorily cleaned by sprinkling with cornstarch, fuller's earth, etc., mixed with one-sixth its bulk of prepared chalk. Let the starch remain for several hours ; brush it out, and hang the rug in the air for several hours before putting down. ORIENTAL RUGS Oriental rugs that are valuable must be treated "as gently as a thoroughbred race-horse." "Country Life in America" says : "The broom should be used daily on them and they should be swept with the nap. Every third day, after the sweeping, sawdust that has been slightly moistened should be sprinkled over the rug, which should then be gone over with a carpet sweeper. Be careful to have the sweeping precede the application of sawdust, as otherwise the moisture will turn some of the dust into mud that, caking itself in the threads, will ravel the fibres. Once a week rugs should be taken out on the lawn, spread surface down, and then gently tapped gently, mind with a flat rattan beater." 79 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME Cleaning. First remove all the dust (by vacuum process when possible) ; then, says "Country Life in America," "the rug is spread on its face, liquid olive oil soap is poured over the back, and it is gently rubbed with a brush until a fine lather forms. Then the same thing is done to the face of the rug. After that, warm water is played over the rug until it re- vives. After the hot shower, of course, a cold shower follows and for about an hour on a concrete floor that slants slightly cold water runs over the surface of the rug from sprinklers. Then, in order to take the water out, the rug is rolled with the nap, a light wooden roller being the tool employed. After this the rug is spread out on the roof, face up, for three clear days and nights. When the sunlight has re- moved the last vestige of moisture the rug is rolled up with the nap and is ready for use or storage." When grease spots appear, send the rug to a cleaner, because it is difficult to remove spots at home with- out leaving the "ring." To Size Rugs or Carpets. Take one gallon of hot water and one quart of powdered or dry glue; keep on the stove until the glue is all dissolved. Appli- cation: Let the rugs or carpets be previously stretched and tacked wrong side up on the floor. 80 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME With a cheap whitewash brush go all over the rug or carpet, taking care to wet every inch, especially the edges. (Put paper under the edges to keep the glue from getting on the floor.) The solution will not dampen nor gather dust and the sizing may be repeated ad lib., and rugs will last must longer if it is done often. Strips in halls may be done three of four times a year. Use more glue if it is wished to have them very stiff. This preparation should be used hot, or quite warm, and the rug be let alone until dry. It will not injure fine rugs or carpets, nor will it injure waxed or polished floors. Do not fold rugs or carpets ; roll them. FUR RUGS See chapter XIV on "Cleaning Furs" for directions for cleaning. FIBRE RUGS Clean colored fibre rugs with a solution of water, borax, and white soap ; rinse. Add five cents' worth of muriatic acid to the rinse water to restore blue color. 81 CHAPTER XII CLEANING AND RENOVATING CURTAINS WHITE Cotton. When blackened by coal smoke, soak in cold water from twelve to twenty- four hours, changing the water several times, or using it only as long as it will float grime on the surface. Then put through two hot soap baths, squeezing them instead of rubbing; rinse, and put in a warm bath for half an hour, adding Javelle water to make the bath water slippery. Cleaners then give them a sul- phuric bath and finish (except when colored) by rins- ing in blue water. Starch (adding a little talcum powder stirred into the cold starch and boiling slight- ly only), squeeze out, and put on stretchers. Do not soak the dirty curtains in hot water to begin with, as that will turn them gray, and they cannot afterwards be bleached. Lace Curtains. To clean lace curtains at home, make a suds of white Castile soap and a little borax. First soak as above. If the curtains are very dirty, scrub them gently in the suds with a soft scrubbing brush ; do not rub between the hands, as this is likely 82 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME to make holes. When quite clean rinse in clear wa- ter to which a little borax has been added; squeeze between the hands and dry on a sheet. Ecru Net. Lay the curtains taut upon a sheet, pinning down the edges, and rub into them with a complexion brush all the flour, mixed with one-tenth the quantity of borax, that the mesh will hold. Treat every thread carefully; blow off the loose flour and rub in a fresh supply. Leave this on two days, cov- ering to keep out the dust. Unpin the curtains and hang in the wind and brush out the powder. Col- ored applique work may then be gone over with a cloth slightly dampened with household ammonia. Bleaching. When curtains have a dirty gray color, brighten by rinsing in warm water containing dia- mine yellow and auramine II ; or in a cold bath con- taining a few drops of nitrate of iron. To Tint Lace. To tint lace curtains to a cream color, add an ounce of yellow ochre to two ounces of starch and mix in the usual way with boiling water. Soak each pair together to insure their be- ing of the same shade. Colored Curtains. Colored curtains are hard to handle at home. The colors should be well under- 83 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME stood. If colors are fast, rinse first in cold water, then in one or two lukewarm soap waters; rinse, using in the last water some acetic acid to brighten the colors. Be careful to keep the goods in motion to prevent blending of other colors with the white. Goods with fugitive colors should be sent to the cleaner. SHADES Linen Blinds. (a) Clean linen blinds by laying flat and rubbing with powdered bath brick. (b) When merely dusty on the surface lay flat and rub in hot cornmeal, with a circular motion of the hand; then rub gently with a soft dry brush to remove both meal and dust. Washing Linen Blinds. Use bran for brown hoi- lands but no soda or soap, except that curd soap may be used when blinds are very dirty. Boil two handfuls of bran in a quart of water and strain through muslin. Boil a second time to make a supply of bran water for rinsing. Cool the bran water by adding a quart of cold water. Wash the blinds ; when dirt is re- moved, rinse first in bran water and then in clear water; put through a wringer, and iron, while still 84 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME damp, on the wrong side. Bran water washing is best for cretonne, colored muslin, and silk or cotton em- broidery. Stiffen. To stiffen blinds, or shades, stretch them tightly on the floor and sponge with bran water (two quarts bran to six quarts water), boiled and strained; apply to the shades on both sides with a clean sponge and iron while damp. VENETIAN BLINDS Take the laths out of the tape-ladders and wash in warm water with a little soap and ammonia; sponge with clean water and dry with a soft cloth. Clean the tapes with pipe clay, etc. TAPESTRY, ETC. Tapestry. To clean : Take four ounces of soap to a quart of water and boil until it becomes a jelly. Add half of this to each of two tubs of hot water and a handful of bran to prevent the colors running. When the tapestry has been washed alternately in the two tubs, rinse out in water and vinegar to dry. Stiffen with a thin boiled starch and iron quickly with a very hot iron. 85 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME Faded Hangings. Restore by beating out the dust ; then apply a strong lather of Castile soap with a, brush. Wash off soap with clear water and afterwards with alum water. Cretonne Chair Covers. When they cannot be re- moved, rub well with a cloth wrung out of cold water and ammonia (two teaspoonfuls to a pint). Keep the rubbing surface of the cloth clean and have plenty of clean water. Do not use soap. The water is better when it has been boiled with some bran (in a bag) in it. 86 CHAPTER XIII CLEANING AND RENOVATING FEATHERS OSTRICH Feathers, Washing. Make a weak suds of soap and hand-warm water with a little ammonia (for pale colors, very weak and cold soap water). Dip the feather into the suds and then draw it through the hands a few times until it appears clean. Under no circumstances allow the feather to remain in the soapy water just dip it into it and then draw through the hand to squeeze out the soap and water before dipping it again. If very dirty, use two suds. When this cleaning process is over, rinse through several bowls of clean, cold water, with a little blu- ing, the rinsing being done in the same manner as the washing. After thorough rinsing draw the feather through the hand until it "is nearly dry, then place it on the lap and slap it with the hand to make it fluffy. The fluffing of the feather may require a little prac- tice, and it is well to practise on a poor feather before trying to handle a more expensive one. When the feather is almost dry, handle it where there is a draft and shake at intervals. Before it is quite dry, shake it gently before a gas stove fire where the heat is gen- 87 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME tie and not hot enough to make it brittle; or it may be partially dried by steam over a pan of quickly boiling water and dried as directed. When finished the feather should be wrapped in tissue paper and put in a cool place. Dry-cleaning by Gasoline Method. Dip the feather in perfectly clean benzine, sousing it up and down gently so as not to break it until clean ; dry in the wind. Potato starch is sometimes used with the ben- zine, and shaken out when the benzine has evapo- rated. Magnesia Method. Embed a white feather in flour, powdered pipe clay, or magnesia and leave it for twen- ty-four hours; then shake out the substance. Repeat as needed, rubbing gently the more soiled spots. Curling. 'Curling is really an art in itself, that calls for practice to insure the best results, (a) Use an ivory paper knife. Each frond should be picked up separately and with a quick but gentle- turn of the wrist given the necessary curl, continuing until all the plume has been curled. (b) Use a curling iron, not too warm, and take care to have the sheath side of the curler on the up- 88 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME per side, or the tips will be reversed. Take only a little at a time, working toward the stem and gently pulling apart with a hairpin. A feather curled by this process will stay in curl until worn on a damp day. . (c) Start a quick fire of fine kindling, and when the wood is in a good blaze, throw say two good table- spoonfuls of salt over the fire, and as soon as the blaze dies down, hold the feather over, the coals, turning constantly to prevent singeing. Redressing. To redress a feather, pass several, or even many, times through a liquid potato or sago starch and then press evenly between sheets of blotting or filter paper or linen cloths. The hairs of the feather may be loosened up by passing through the hands or between the thumb and finger and rubbed in the starch. The superfluous starch may be removed by using a soft brush. Dry in the air and curl. Coloring. (a) Brown, black, and most other dark colored feathers may be brightened by dipping in a warm decoction of logwood, followed by rinsing. (b) To neutralize the yellow tone caused by the cleaning of white plumes, immerse for ten to fifteen minutes in a weak, cold solution of oxalate of potash or 89 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME ammonia, then rinse in a weak solution of Prussian or Paris blue. Feather Boas. To clean by wet process, use a large basin of the suds of white soap (warm) ; immerse the boa and after soaking for a few minutes, work it gently with the fingers; rinse in several lukewarm waters and shake out; hang in the air to dry. By dry process, heat equal quantities of flour and bran ; rub the boa thoroughly in the mixture, or put all in a clean bag and rub the whole. Shake out and if necessary brush with a clean soft brush. Curling. Finish a feather boa as a plume is fin- ished, by steaming over quickly boiling water; then dry over a fire or dry heat. Eiderdown. Eiderdown flannel or swan's-down may be laundered with white soap and warm water; work quickly with frequent changes of water (with a little baking soda in the second water) and rub- bing with hands only. Dry in the open air. To re- store fluffiness to an eiderdown quilt, hang in the sun- shine for several hours. Wings and Quills. Put in a box with cornmeal and shake them gently ; brush off the meal with a soft brush. 90 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME Bleaching. (a) To bleach feathers, immerse in naphtha, rinse in a second bath, and dry in the open air. Then place in a closed box and expose to strong sulphur fumes. Have the box as tight as possible. (b) Steep the feather over night in peroxide of hydrogen and a little ammonia. On the following day heat to about 150 F. and steep in this warm bath; rinse. Renovating Feathers. The disagreeable odor some- times given off by bed or pillow feathers may be re- moved by renovation. When the professional feather renovator is not accessible, one of the following proc- esses may be relied upon : (a) Choose a bright day when a good breeze is blowing. Have ready a bag of cheesecloth or thin flour sacking, closed except where the feathers are put into it. Rub the entire inside surface of this bag with a good quality of bar soap. Shake the feathers into the soaped bag. This is best done by ripping a hole in the pillow the size of the hole in the bag and sewing the two edges together. After shaking the feathers into the bag, rip the two apart and sew up the bag. The bag should not be over two-thirds full, or the feathers will not have room to expand. Fill a wash boiler with cold water; immerse the bag of 91 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME feathers and bring slowly to a, boil. Lift and turn the bag frequently with the clothes stick. Boil for two or three minutes; remove, and rinse thoroughly in plenty of cold water. Drain and squeeze out all the water possible ; shake and hang in the wind in the shade to dry, which will require about two days. Do not try to shake off the down clinging to the inside of the ticking; immerse right side out in water and the down will roll up in balls and can be removed easily. (b) Bring water to a boil in a pan or boiler, half full ; place the feather pillow on top and keep it there until all is thoroughly steamed ; then hang out to dry, shaking and beating the feathers from time to time. (c) Ammonia is sometimes put in the water in which feathers are boiled as in (a). CHAPTER XIV CLEANING FURS CLEANING furs is by no means so difficult as it might seem. Hot bran, sand, and cedar, ma- hogany or any hardwood sawdust will cleanse any dark fur, provided there are no spots or foreign mat- ter on it; while plaster of Paris, fuller's earth, corn- starch, flour, cornmeal, and powdered magnesia and salt are admirable for cleansing ermine and other white furs. In all cases first beat out the dust. (a) Rub the material selected well into the fur, applying it with the hands; then take a light rattan whip or stick and gently beat out the material from the skin side. (b) For sealskin and mink use hot sand and saw- dust in a place of a powder. (c) Furs that become greasy may be rubbed with benzine, turpentine, or spirits of ether, before clean- ing with warm bran. Apply the liquid with cotton batting. Should there be any lack of brilliancy in the fur, comb it out with a fine steel comb made for the pur- pose. If more gloss is desired, brush sealskin and 93 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME mink with a brush slightly wet, and hang in a cool, dry room for a couple of days to dry. If the fur should appear stiff, beat slightly with a rattan. (d) Clean with benzine ; dry by rubbing in potato starch until the hair is dry ; then heat gently on the skin side to liven up the hair, which should be combed. (e) Wet cleaning is used for furs that are badly soiled; but the process is not to be recommended for home use. Freshening Furs. Freshen furs that have been rubbed or crushed from being frequently placed in their boxes by brushing with' a clothes brush that has been dipped in cold water and then shaken as dry as possible. Brush the wrong Way, then shake thorough- ly and dry in the open air, beating occasionally with a stick. Some kinds of fur need to be combed dry, but it must be carefully done, or the hair will be combed out in the process. Fur Rugs. The following process is suggested for washing a sheepskin or white fur rug: Beat out the dust ; tack, skin side down, to a barrel ; sprinkle wash- ing powder over the rug; then rub the fur gently but thoroughly with a brush dipped in clear water; rinse by pouring water over the surface of the rug, the last 94 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME rinsing containing a very little bluing. When soap is all removed, leave the rug on the barrel to dry ; while still damp, comb the fur with a curry-comb or steel fur brush. The skin side must not be allowed to get wet, or the rug will be spoiled. When the skin has become hard, mix three tablespoonfuls of castor oil, one of glycerin, and one of turpentine; rub well into the skin and let it remain there for a week; then rub with a smooth stone or wood. 95 CHAPTER XV CLEANING GLOVES CLEANING gloves is an important task in many households, and with rare exceptions is a work that can be done as well at home as at the cleaner's. The following directions will be found sufficient for all practical purposes. White Kids. (a) Brush the gloves, after soaking in benzine, with a hard brush, dipping it alternately in alcohol and zine white, which makes a paste which penetrates the leather and removes dirt and perspi- ration. Rub until soft all spots made hard by perspi- ration, then rinse in clean benzine. The professional cleaners then finish the operation by giving the leather a bath in a fat solution, made by dissolving two ounces of lanoline and four ounces of vaseline in one and one- fourth quarts of benzine, diluting this mixture with ten times its volume of benzine. Put in a tightly closed vessel and soak the gloves for half an hour; then squeeze out the liquid and brush with talcum powder. If there are still spots, brush with zinc white on the glove tree. Then put on the powder with a 96 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME linen rag before the glove is dry and polish with a- linen cloth. (b) To clean gloves with benzine, use a small basin and only a small quantity of liquid. Have wooden fingers or use the handle of a wooden spoon. Then brush each finger separately with benzine and a white flannel cloth, using also a little white soap if the gloves are very much soiled. After the fingers are cleaned, place the glove in the benzine and brush with soft brush and soap; rinse in clean benzine and dry on a clean cloth. One secret of good glove cleaning is thor- ough rinsing in benzine after the cleaning is finished. Pull the gloves into shape and rub with French chalk after they are dry. (c) ,Fill a wide-mouthed vessel with benzine and put the gloves into it and close. Leave for forty-eight hours, shaking once or twice in the interval. No rub- bing is necessary. Take out the gloves and dry in a thick, clean cloth and wipe with clean flannel; hang in the shade or over a register or steam radiator to dry. (The muddy liquid can be allowed to settle, and the clean liquid drawn off to use again.) (d) When soiled by perspiration, clean gloves with a mixture of five parts of benzine and two parts of ether and chloroform. When cleaning on the hand 97 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME with benzine or the like put on one glove at a time and work from the wrist downward. (e) When only slightly soiled, clean gloves by rub- bing them on the hands, like washing, with cream of tartar, fuller's earth, pipe clay, French chalk, corn- meal, fine cracker crumbs, or dried bread crumbs, changing the material often. Use benzine to remove spots that do not disappear in the process ; or rub them off with a piece of oiled silk wound tightly around the finger. To keep clean, rub off with bread crumbs after each using. (f) Wipe light colors on the hand with a flannel dipped in skim milk and rubbed on white soap. Go over several times, and lay between towels to dry. (g) Put a little new milk in one saucer and a piece of brown soap in another; have ready a clean cloth or towel folded three or four times. On the cloth spread out the glove smoothly and neatly. Take a piece of flannel, dip it in the milk, then rub off a good quantity of soap with the wetted flannel, and com- mence to rub the glove downward toward the fingers, holding it firmly with the left hand. Continue this process until the glove, if white, looks a dingy yel- low, though 1 clean; if colored, till it looks dark and spoiled. Lay it to dry. Old gloves will soon look 98 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME nearly new; they will be soft, glossy, smooth, well shaped, and elastic. Dark Colored Kids. (a) Wash in half a pint of skim milk containing about ten drops of ammonia; rinse in clean benzine. (b) Soak for one-half hour in one part of sweet oil to twelve parts of benzine, and rub dry. (Will make the leather dry and brittle.) Stains on Kid Gloves. Water stains are removed from white and light colored kids by soaking in ben- zine soap solution and vigorous brushing. If the ben- zine dissolves the color of colored kids, dyeing is the only remedy. Rust stains are removed by dampening the spot with water and touching it with a cloth dipped in^weak hydrochloric acid; when the spot disappears rinse and dry quickly in a clean white cloth. Remove ink stains in the same way % Washable Kids. Wash on the hands in suds of pure white or Castile soap and cold water. Rinse in pure water and dry between towels. Renovating Dark Kids. Freshen by washing in thick flaxseed water. Blacken tips by painting with equal parts of ink and olive oil. 99 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME Chamois Skin. Clean chamois gloves by wet or dry powder processes ; do not use benzine. (a) Apply fuller's earth and powdered alum, French chalk, magnesia, cornmeal, etc., and rub in until the dirt disappears. (b) Put in a bath of eight parts water and two parts ammonia for forty-eight hours ; rinse in cold soft water and dry in the air. (c) Washing: Make a lather of warm water and white soap; put on the gloves and wash as gently as possible by rubbing the hands together, cleaning the finger tips in the palm of the opposite hand. Rinse thoroughly, then wash through tepid water containing a little soap. Dry with soft, warm towels, patting, not rubbing, the hands ; slip off carefully and dry in the air as slowly as possible; when dry, pat between the hands to soften them. Before putting on again, put plenty of talcum powder into them and, if white, cover them outside liberally with the same powder, which tends to soften them. Remember that wet chamois is delicate and easily torn. (d) Some cleaners use a glove stretcher instead of the hands when washing these gloves. Squeeze the gloves carefully through two ample baths of Castile soapsuds, to each quart of which a teaspoonful of olive oil has been added. Rinse in two lukewarm 100 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME water baths; squeeze out gently and dry between towels. To shape them, pull out the tips so that the fingers shall be widest at the tips; and to prevent baggy tips use the glove stretcher, inserting it gently in each finger about half way and spreading it gently ; then push the closed stretcher to the tip, working it a little to make the tip taper. Shape the palm with the same instrument. White Wash Gloves. When washing white wash gloves with black points, moisten slightly with salt and rub well. This will prevent the color from run- ning. Silk Mitts. (a) Wash plain colored silk mitts in benzine; or leave in the liquid for an hour; squeeze out and dry in the air. (b) Use magnesia well rubbed in and place be- tween layers of paper for a few days. To Tint White Gloves. White gloves may be tinted by dipping in strong coffee ; or given a cream or light yellow tint by immersing in a decoction of onion skins boiled in water. Dry on the hands. Buckskin. Soak in lukewarm water for half an hour and wash in warm (not hot) soapy water ; rinse thor- 101 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME oughly, adding two tablespoonfuls of glycerin to each quart of water for the last rinsing; dry in a linen cloth. Gauntlets. Clean with benzine or soap if very dirty; when dry rub with talcum. If tinted, make a thin paste of pure white lead and gum arabic dissolved in water (one part of each) and put on with a brush. When dry polish with a clean white cloth. Suggestions. Tight gloves will go on more easily if warmed before putting on. Black gloves are gen- erally less elastic than light colors. Dressed kid usually retains its freshness longer than the suede. Wear a new glove half an hour before bending the fingers. 102 CHAPTER XVI CLEANING AND RENOVATING HATS /CHIFFON. (a) Freshen by rubbing in powdered ^-^ magnesia as firmly as possible without in- juring the material; brush out with a soft brush; re- peat as necessary. (b) Take hat to pieces; clean ribbons with ben- zine; put chiffon into a wide-mouthed vessel contain- ing lukewarm suds; shake well; rinse in clear water (repeat this process if necessary) and stiffen with gum arabic. Roll in a clean cloth and iron when slight- ly dry. Felt. Light Colors. (a) Use a paste of pow- dered magnesia and water ; paint the hat well and rub off with a stiff brush when thoroughly dry. If very dirty, use turpentine instead of water. (b) Rub in Frejich chalk, fuller's earth, meal, etc. ; set away in a box over night, and brush out the ma- terial. Rub soiled places with a woollen rag dipped in a mixture of alcohol and salt; dry with a clean linen cloth. 103 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME Renovating a Felt Hat. Sponge with a little liquid ammonia in a small basin of water. Do not allow the hat to get really wet. Hang in warm place and brush occasionally as it dries. Velvet. When spotted by rain or snow, steam the whole surface to make the shade even. The velvet will look darker at first, but will become lighter in the open air. Do not brush before steaming. Leghorn. (a) Soak one cup of white cornmeal in benzine ; rub on well with a clean soft cloth ; brush off when dry. (b) Mix a teaspoonful of powdered sulphur into the juice of one lemon, or equal parts of sulphur, lemon juice, and water ; brush into the hat with a stiff brush ; when clean rinse with running water until the sulphur is gone; dry in the air in a shady place. Re- new the gloss of the hat by brushing it over with white of egg. A perfectly clean flat surface should be used, to prevent the brim from curling; and when the operation is finished cover the brim with paper and press under weights until dry. Panama. Rub with a cloth dipped in peroxide, re- peating until clean. (See also Leghorn.) 104 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME Straw. (a) Cover with damp meal, fuller's earth, etc. (b) Treat with peroxide. (See Panama.) (c) Dissolve salts of lemon in boiling water ; clean with this liquid and a brush. Rinse in cold water and dry in the air. (d) Scrub with strong borax water; rinse, etc. (e) Scrub with a five per cent solution of citric acid ; rinse, etc. (f) Scrub with a mixture of two teaspoonfuls of oxalic acid and a pint of warm water. (g) Sponge black hats with alcohol, wiping with black crepe. If rusty, blacken with shoe polish. As the scrubbing proceeds, wipe off the dirty water with a cloth so that it cannot soak into the straw. (Weight down the brim to keep it from curling. Fin- ish with white of an egg. Renovating Straw Hats: (a) Blacken black straws with shoe blacking or blacking made for hats, to be bought at the general stores. (b) Freshen navy blues and other colors by put- ting on aniline dyes with a stiff brush. Remove the trimmings, wet the straw and wipe it clean of dust, and before it dries scrub in the dye. (c) Dissolve a small piece of gum arabic in three 105 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME tablespoonfuls of water; brush the hat with this solu- tion; hang in a cool place to dry. (d) Dissolve one ounce of the desired shade of sealing wax in four ounces of alcohol, first reducing the wax to a powder. First clean the hat; then ap- ply the color with a flat brush in the sun. This process stiffens the straw. The mixture is very in- flammable. Straw Hat Bleach. Pulverize stick sulphur and make a paste with water; plaster thickly on the hat and put in the air to dry; when dry brush off the sulphur. Suggestions. For dusting a felt hat there is noth- ing better than a piece of chiffon velvet. It is also good to keep the bottom of a silk skirt free from dirt. 106 CHAPTER XVII CLEANING AND RENOVATING LACES TO wash or clean lace demands much care, pa- tience, and time. Fine laces should be washed as seldom as possible, and much care is required to prevent breaking the threads. If the lace is very deli- cate, baste it to a piece of common material before proceeding. While at work, manipulate the lace with the hands, avoiding all twisting, wringing, and rub- bing. / Washing. Make a suds of warm water and enough melted soap to make it "soapy," to which, for com- mon laces, a few drops of ammonia or turpentine may be added. Let the lace soak in this suds for ten hours or more, then manipulate in the hands. If the laces are all white, add a spoonful of borax to each two quarts of water to save boiling. Wash in a second lot of the same sort of suds and then rinse in warm water until the water is clear. (If lace is to be tinted, do it at this juncture, then starch.) Finish real lace by rinsing in skim milk and a little gum water, but not in blue water. If much discolored, lay in the sun to 107 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME bleach. Dry between towels or on a pad made of flannel tacked tightly to a board, pinning the lace to the flannel; or the wet lace may be drawn out perfect- ly smooth, covered with cheesecloth, and ironed with a moderately hot iron until dry. A final rinsing in skim milk gives a soft, creamy color. Battenberg. (a) Baste between strong pieces of muslin and wash in strong soap-suds and a little ammonia. Squeeze and press, but do not rub ; rinse twice in slightly blue water. When dry, place un- der a damp cloth and iron, then withdraw the bast- ings. (b) Battenberg and heavy laces, like Irish crochet, if very dirty, may be gently rubbed with a soft tooth brush. If pressing is necessary, lay the lace wrong side up in a thick pad of muslin and iron with a piece of muslin between the lace and the iron. Thread Lace. Sew new white muslin around a bot- tle or round piece of hard wood ; then roll the lace on the bottle smoothly and securely, tacking the ends. Then soak in olive oil. Fill the bottle with cold water to keep it from bursting and set upright in a strong suds of cold water and Castile soap. Fasten the bot- tle so that it will remain upright in a kettle and boil 108 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME for half an hour, or until the lace is clean. Rinse with hot water and put in the sun to dry. When quite dry remove the lace and lay in long folds between sheets of white paper and leave for a day or so. Washing Real Lace. Fold and fasten together with a few stitches and then sew in an old linen bag and put in a bottle of pure olive oil to soak for twenty-four hours. Then boil fifteen minutes in soft water soap- suds; rinse until water is clear and immerse in thin and slightly blue starch water; press between the hands and iron with a hot iron. Too frequent wash- ing rots real laces, which effect the oil bath counter- acts. They may be redressed with a very dilute solu- tion of gum tragacanth or gelatine. Dry-cleaning ,Laces. Let laces soak in benzine for an hour; then wash in benzine by manipulating them in the hands. Rinse in clean benzine and pull into shape. Dry by pinning to board; stiffen with gum as above. Powder Cleaning Laces. Cover with magnesia ; put between clean papers, and leave for several days ; shake out. Bleaching Laces. (a) For lace yellowed by age or very dirty : soak in the sun in a strong solution of 109 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME borax and water, keeping the vessel full as evaporation takes place ; if water becomes dirty, replace with clean solution; turn the lace frequently to insure an even color to all of it. The bleaching may take several days, but must be stopped when once the lace is clean. When ready, take out of solution, fold, press in folded towels pinned together, and leave in the sun to dry. If the lace while bleaching should stick to the towel, loosen by adding solution don't try to force it loose. (b) To bleach coffee-colored, white, or cream-col- ored laces : fill a preserve jar with warm suds of white soap and a small spoonful of ammonia ; put lace in the jar and set out in the sun, changing the water daily. After several days rinse thoroughly in boiling water. Press carefully; if frail, baste to a cloth and press. (c) Rub with lemon juice and salt and put in the sun. Restoring Lace. To freshen fine old lace or needle- work which has been crumpled in process of making, dissolve a little gelatine in boiling water and while it is hot dip the work into it ; then spread between two pieces of blotting paper; place the blotting paper be- tween two pieces of board, fastened with a clamp or 110 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME put under a weight. After twenty-four hours remove the clamp and the lace will be straight and smooth. Tinting Laces. To give thread lace an old, soft look, pass through water slightly blued to which is added one drop of black ink for every half-pint of water. To get ecru tint, use tea, coffee, or saffron; make the tinting fluid rather strong and try a corner of the lace; if too strong reduce with water. Cream starch is also used. Tea is preferred ; tea and coffee give a duller tint than the cream starch, which is yel- low. Tinting Various Materials. To tint laces, chiffons, silk or crocheted buttons, feathers, slippers, gloves, etc., to a gown shade, use oil paints in tubes and ben- zine. The benzine is placed in a porcelain bowl and the paint is dissolved in it. Mix the paint to the re- quired shade in a saucer, comparing it with the goods till the right color is obtained. When the exact tint is reached mix with the benzine and dip the lace or whatever is to be dyed quickly before the paint falls to the bottom. Do not let the goods touch the bot- tom, as there might be a spot of paint there. A hair- pin comes in handy to hold the edge of the goods. Ill CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME Shake out quickly and pin up to dry. It is well to make a few experiments before risking costly ma- terial, but the process is really not at all formidable. Washing Black Lace. Dip a piece of crepe in water; squeeze the crepe and the lace together until the latter is thoroughly damp in every part; to dry, stretch on a board and pin out all the points. Freshening Black Lace. (a) To freshen any black lace discolored by age or exposure to the sun, spread out on paper and brush carefully to get out the dust. If spotted, sponge gently with cold tea and then soak for at least half an hour in tea prepared as follows : Put into a small lined saucepan one teaspoonful of gum arabic, one dessertspoonful of dry tea, and one pint of boiling water; simmer slowly, stirring occa- sionally until the gum is dissolved ; then strain into a basin. This tea will give a slight stiffness to the lace. (b) Sponge with black silk dipped in a solution of one teaspoonful of borax in half a pint of warm water. Iron lace, while still damp, first covering it with a piece of black silk or cloth. (c) Soak rusty black lace for some hours in a so- lution of two tablespoonfuls of vinegar and a pint of 112 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME water ; rinse in cold coffee ; iron between flannels while still damp. (d) Wash black lace in water to which a little ammonia has been added ; rinse in cold coffee and fin- ish as in (c). Lace Yoke. To clean a lace yoke without remov- ing from the garment, roll a bath towel into a thick pad and put it under the lace ; then dip a brush or cloth in a good lather and clean the lace, which is well squeezed meantime in the fingers. Repeat as necessary, using clean suds and a fresh dry towel to absorb the moisture. Freshening Gold Lace. Laces embroidered with silk and colors, tinsel or gold and silver should be spread out smoothly on a clean piece" of calico and cleaned carefully with a soft brush dipped in spirits of wine. If silk lace is much discolored, it should be soaked in hot milk for three 'hours before washing. No starch should be used and the lace must be kept very carefully covered while ironing. Stains on gold lace can be removed by boiling the lace in hydrochloric acid, slightly diluted with water. The acid will dis- solve and remove the verdigris and leave the gold uninjured. 113 CLEANING AND RENOV/ATING AT HOME Washing Silk and Silver Lace. Soak in curdled milk for twenty-four hours. Stir soap shavings into two quarts of soft water, adding a proportionate quan- tity of honey and fresh ox gall, beating the whole for some time, adding water if too thick so as to make a thin paste. Let this stand for twelve hours and ap- ply to the wet laces. Professional cleaners then wrap a moist cloth around a mangle roll, and put on the lace, covering it with another moist cloth, and man- gle, moistening occasionally with water and applying the paste with a brush. They then dissolve gum arabic in water, and then add an equal quantity of sugar. When the water becomes clear, immerse the lace; mangle between cloths, and hang up to dry. (Adapted from Brannt.) Washing Gold Lace. (a) Soak over night in di- lute vinegar and proceed as above. (b) Drop in a pint of boiling water containing a quantity of white soap and ammonia. Do not at- tempt to rub lace, but rinse it carefully and pin to a towel to dry. Warm spirits of wine will remove the tarnished appearance should it remain, though usually ammonia will remove the dull 'lustre, but it may in- jure the color of a silk thread, should such be inter- woven in the lace. 114 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME Dry-cleaning Gold and Silver Lace. (a) Embroid- eries, fringes, etc., of gold and silver lace : Rub the ar- ticles with pulverized tartaric acid, using cotton. (b) Clean gold lace on garments by applying pow- dered ammonia briskly with a flannel ; finish by a good brushing, or polishing, with a silk handkerchief. (c) Remove the lace ; sew it in a clean linen cloth ; then boil in a quart of salt water and a quarter of a pound of soap and rinse in cold water. If tarnished, apply a little warm spirits of wine to the tarnished spots. Starch for Laces. (a) Mix one teaspoonful of starch with two tablespoonfuls of cold water and pour on this one pint of boiling water. Place on the fire and add one-fourth of a teaspoonful of sugar, and one- fourth of a teaspoonful of gum arabic which has been soaked in one tablespoonful of cold water. Boil for five minutes,' stirring all -the while. Strain through cheesecloth. For laces in which only a suggestion of starch is desired double the quantity of water. For heavy laces that are required to be rather stiff use only half the quantity of water. (b) Gum arabic starch is made by putting one- fourth of an ounce of the best white gum arabic in a cup or wide-mouthed bottle with one gill of cold water. ,115 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME Let it soak for two or three hours, then place in a basin of cold water and put on the fire to dissolve. Stir frequently; strain through cheesecloth. This makes a very stiff starch. For articles that need to be only slightly stiffened a quart of water or even more may be added to the dissolved gum arabic. Finishing. When sponging lace, rub from the sel- vage down so as not to pull it out of shape. 116 CHAPTER XVIII CLEANING AND RENOVATING LEATHERS AND LEATHER GOODS /CREASE Stains. (a) Remove from leather by VJ covering the spots with a paste of pipe clay and water, letting the paste remain on the stains for twelve hours or more ; then brush off and rub well. (b) Apply white of egg beaten stiff. (c) Apply benzine or perfectly pure turpentine. Wash the spots over afterward with well-beaten white of an egg or a good leather reviver. Washing Leather. Dust the leather and wash in warm water after removing the spots ; wipe dry and finish with a black cloth dipped in beaten white of egg mixed with equal its bulk of water. Chamois Skins. (a) Wash in strong suds and rinse in lukewarm water containing a little ammonia ; shake thoroughly and hang up to dry. While drying, change its position so that all four corners may dry at the same time. (b) Clean a chamois skin chest protector that is lined with felt, by the powder process (French chalk, 117 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME etc.), treating both sides. After the process, it may be fumigated in sulphur. Embossed Leather. Clean with turpentine applied with a soft cloth. Go over the leather, to remove the stiffness, with a little oil, finishing with clean cloths to remove the oil. Bags. (a) To clean a brown leather bag, rub with a sponge dipped in a mixture of two pints of best cream and one pint of linseed oil, mixed when both are lukewarm. (b) Remove all dust ; use a clean flannel rag, slight- ly damp, to rub on pure Castile soap; rub until dry and then polish. (c) Apply sweet oil, afterward rubbing the leather free from oil with clean cloths. (d) Use benzine or methylated spirits, rubbed on with soft flannel ; then polish. (e) Sponge black bags with a strong, warm solu- tion of soda ; when soaked, apply a coat of black ink and let it dry in ; then give it another coat of ink, and when this is perfectly dry, rub off superfluous ink with a damp rag and finish by brushing with the white of an egg. (f) Rub brown seal bags with banana skin and skimmed milk; polish. 118 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME Bags may be retoned with a good quality of black or russet leather polish. White or light tone bags may be quite successfully cleaned with gasoline, used, of course, with necessary precautions. If it is applied with a soft cloth and evenly rubbed on, the leather need not look streaked. Belts may be treated in the same manner. Belts. Clean white leather belts with powdered borax rubbed in with a piece of white flannel. Morocco Leather. (a) Remove grease stains with fuller's earth. (b) Remove ink stains with sweet spirits of nitre. (c) Revive lustre by brushing with white of an egg. Patent Leather.* (a) Clean by rubbing the sur- face with a slice of orange ; polish^ when dry with a soft dry cloth. (b) Revive by rubbing a linen rag soaked in olive oil or milk; polish when dry. (c) Revive with equal parts of cream and linseed oil; polish when dry. (d) Revive with French harness oil put on with a soft woolly rag; polish. 119 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME Tan Leather. Difficult to clean so as to avoid mak- ing it dark and streaked. Tan gloves may be kept in condition by rubbing the surface with a damp rag. Upholstery Leather. To clean and '.revive: (a) Wipe until the dirt is removed with a woollen cloth dipped in very hot milk; then wipe dry with a soft flannel. When clean go over the surface with a piece of flannel on which is spread a thin layer of prepared Wax about as large as a pea. After waxing, go over the leather with a clean soft flannel, rubbing brisk- ly but not too hard. To make the wax, cut two ounces of beeswax into small bits and put them in a bowl, placing the bowl in a pan of hot water on the back of the range. When the wax is soft, take it from the fire and beat into it a quarter of a cupful of turpen- tine and half a tablespoonful of paraffin oil. It should then be used ; but if it becomes cold before it is to be used, put it in a pan of hot water and let it stand for a few minutes. (b) Wash with warm water containing a little vinegar. To restore the polish, mix well the whites of two eggs with a teaspoonful of turpentine to each egg, and rub the mixture into the leather with a piece of clean flannel; dry with a clean linen cloth. 120 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME (c) Pour half a cupful of boiling water over two tablespoonfuls of flaxseed and bring to the boiling point ; strain ; and when cool apply to the leather with a cloth. Black Leathers, Restorative and Preservative for. Blackings produce a bright polish, but they make the leather .brittle. This recipe has given good results for the preservation of black leather: Dissolve fourteen grams of Marseilles soap in forty-three grams of water ; add about one hundred grams of alcohol. Keep in moderately warm place and shake frequently ; final- ly filter through a tuft of cotton. Proceed in the same manner to make a solution with one hundred and twenty-five grams alcohol, twenty grams of Venetian turpentine, seven grams of mastic and fourteen grams of sandarac. Then make another mixture with one hundred and thirteen grams of alcohol, twenty-one grams of aniline black, and fifty-two grams of shellac. The three different mixtures must now be united, add- ing at the same time thirty grams of glycerin. Keep in wide-necked bottles. An iron wire should be fas- tened to the cork that closes the bottle and at its end a little sponge, by means of which the blacking solu- tion can be put thinly upon the leather. 121 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME Chamois. Chamois bootees clean nicest in rather strong ammonia water. They should be washed in a suds with ammonia in it and rinsed in ammonia water and wiped dry with a towel. Do not dry near artificial heat. Kid Shoes, To Clean. (a) Dip a perfectly white piece of flannel in a little ammonia and rub over a cake of white soap ; then rub the kid gently until the soil is removed, changing the flannel as it becomes soiled. (b) Clean with benzine, like gloves, by rubbing them gently from the toe upward, with an even stroke, with a cloth dipped in the benzine. Do not have the cloth too wet. Shoes should be cleaned after each wearing so that the rubbing may be as gentle as pos- sible. A little vaseline may be rubbed over kid shoes at night, and rubbed off with a soft cloth in the morning. Thus a good polish may be obtained, and the kid will be preserved by the vaseline. When the shoes are shabby, vaseline will still be a good dressing for them, if a little lamp black be mixed with it. White Leather or Canvas. (a) Use pipe clay, well rubbed in ; or the cleaners' material sold for this pur- pose. 122 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME (b) Make a paste of Paris whiting and warm water about the consistency of cream; apply with a nail brush. (c) Canvas shoes may be cleaned with soap and water, if one works quickly, so that the moisture does not penetrate the canvas. Make a thick lather with pure white soap and warm water. Kid Renovator. Boil an old kid shoe or pair of old kid gloves, making a jelly, whiqh is to be used as a dressing. Patent Leather Shoes. (a) Remove the dust and wash uppers with sweet milk; wipe off with a soft, dry cloth. (b) Dry patent ' leather shoes by filling with dry warm bran; wipe the outside with a dry cloth and rub in vaseline or sweet oil, and let stand until dry. When patent leather shoes are first worn, as soon as warmed by the natural heat of the foot, rub in with the palm of the hand, a few drops of neat's-foot oil, rubbing thoroughly until completely taken up by the leather. This will prevent cracking and make the leather wear twice as long. Tan Shoes. (a) When mud-stained, clean with a cut raw potato ; when dry, apply boot cream or bees- wax and turpentine ; polish. 123 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME (b) Wipe with a banana skin ; polish with a cloth. (c) Rub evenly with a woollen rag on which are a few drops of turpentine; polish. (d) Wash with a woollen rag and white soap lather; wipe off with rag and clean water; wipe dry, and put in the air. (e) Remove stains with methylated spirits, then rub with lemon juice and milk; polish. (f) Use one ounce of muriatic acid, half an ounce of alum, half an ounce of spirits of lavender, half an ounce of gum arabic, half an ounce of skim milk; polish. Suede Shoes. Rub chloroform quickly over the shoes and keep rubbing until they are dry, putting it on until the suede is clean. Then brush with a clothes brush. Stain for White Kids. When white shoes begin to look gray and shabby they- can be transformed into tan shoes by the use of tincture of saffron. Mix ten drops with three tablespoonfuls of olive oil ; clean the shoes well as soiled places will make a bad spot ; then rub in the mixture with a flannel cloth. Two coats will be sufficient. 124 CHAPTER XIX CLEANING AND RENOVATING RIBBONS WHITE Silk Ribbons. These should be washed in water, as benzine turns them yellow, (a) Soak in warm suds of Castile soap; then scrub them on a smooth surface with a soft nail brush; rinse in clear water and press out water between towels ; iron between towels with a moderate iron. A few drops of vinegar in the rinse water will keep them stiff. Colored Silk Ribbons and Sashes. (a) Soak in benzine in a fruit jar; leave several hours or over night ; dry in open , air and smooth with a warm iron. (b) When only slightly soiled, rub with hot flour. (c) Apply alcohol and benzine with a clean sponge. China Silk. Sponge lightly with clean cold water; iron on wrong side with tissue paper between the silk and the iron. Stains. Remove with French chalk process. 125 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME Creased Silk Ribbons. (a) Lay them evenly on a table ; dampen slightly with clear water ; then wind them tightly and smoothly around a wine bottle. (b) Take a bottle filled with boiling hot water. First put a paper around the bottle ; then roll the silk as in (a). Set aside for twenty-four hours. White Satin. Pin to a board covered with a clean cloth and scrub with white flannel from end to end, using cold water with a little ammonia; dry on the board in the sun, bleaching finally if necessary with peroxide of hydrogen ; then lay in the sun. When al- most dry, cover with thin muslin and iron. Velvet. Hold over a pan of boiling water and brush the nap with a stiff brush. This will remove wrinkles. Renovating Old Ribbons. Milliners smooth them gently and then sponge them with weak ammonia water, then shake them briskly in the air before lay- ing them between towels for a few minutes. Press quickly with hot irons between fresh layers of tissue paper. After ironing sponge out any tiny streaks with alcohol. 126 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME Care of Silks. Ribbons and delicately figured silks are preserved better in brown paper wrappings, as the chloride of lime in white paper would bleach the colors very soon. The best way is to slip ribbons in brown paper bags pasted shut at the end. 127 CHAPTER XX CLEANING AND RENOVATING SATINS CLEANING. Satins are cleaned (a) with an ap- plication of the following solvent: Mix forty parts borax and ten parts soap in seventy parts alco- hol and thirty parts ether ; then add yolks of two eggs and ten parts carbonate of magnesia ; shake and apply to stains ; wash in lukewarm water ; rinse in cold water, and dry in a moderate heat. (b) Benzine will not take grease spots out of satin. Sponge with household ammonia and rub dry. (c) If the above (b) does not clean, rub in French chalk on the wrong side, leave over night, and next day put blotting paper over the chalk and set a warm iron on the paper. (d) If very much soiled, pour into about three quarts of soapsuds nearly two tablespoonfuls of kero- sene and soak the satin in this for about one or two hours. Work the fabric up and down in warm water and soap and rinse thoroughly. When the satin is almost dry press carefully. Colored Satins. To clean satins of delicate colors (or white) : (a) apply a weak solution of borax, (b) Rub with dry bread crumbs. 128 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME Renovating Black Satin. Take equal proportions of spirits of wine and warm water and sponge on the right side, working with the grain, not across, and while still damp iron on the wrong side. (b) Scour with the following: Take four ounces honey, four ounces soft soap, mix with an egg and a wineglassful of gin, and apply with a stiff brush. When the fabric appears to be clean, rinse in cold water, press between clean towels or hang up to drain. Iron while still damp and let it be thoroughly dry before folding. Satin must be sponged with the grain always, not across it. Satin Shoes. To clean, use (a) spirits of wine and new flannel ; rub the shoes lengthwise (with the grain), keeping a clean flannel surface to rub with. (b) If but slightly soiled, rub with stale bread or kneaded rubber. Tinting Satin Shoes. Stock colors of satin shoes may be purchased; to match dresses of other colors resort to : (a) Pastel pencils or colored chalks, or rouge for pink shoes. (b) To restore colors and give them darker shades, use liquid dyes. 129 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME (c) Suede pumps and slippers may be given a good black color by rubbing with charcoal. In cleaning all satin and kid shoes and slippers, use shoe-trees. 130 CHAPTER XXI CLEANING AND RENOVATING SILKS /CLEANING Fluid. The English Society of Arts ^^ some years ago offered a prize for the best process of cleaning silk, woollen, and cotton fabrics one that woul,d not change their color or injure them in any way. The winning recipe was as follows : Grate two good sized potatoes into a pint of clear, clean, soft water. Strain through a coarse sieve into a gal- lon of water and let the liquid settle. Pour the starchy fluid from the sediment, and it is ready for use. Rub the articles gently in the liquid, rinse thor- oughly in clear water, dry, and press. Following are directions for removing various stains : Coffee and Tea. Take five parts glycerin, five parts water, and one part ammonia (on colored silk omit ammonia) ; apply with a brush and leave for six or eight hours ; then brush with a clean cloth. If any substance remains, remove with a knife and brush the spot with clear water and press between towels to dry. If spot still remains, rub with stale bread. Work gently. 131 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME Grease. (a) Split a visiting card and rub spot with the soft side of the card. (b) Rub with hot bran, or rub French chalk on the wrong side. (c) Try blotting paper and a hot iron. Hair Stains. Take equal parts of alcohol and ether and two teaspoonfuls of ammonia (except on colored silks) to each pint of mixture; shake well and apply with a clean sponge. Mud and Dust. (a) Rub with flannel, or flannel saturated with spirits of alcohol. (b) If a skirt, go over it with a cloth well wrung out in vinegar and warm water. (c) Sponge with a mixture of equal parts of tepid water and pure alcohol, a piece of the same silk as the petticoat being used for the purpose, or, if this is im- possible, a piece of soft white silk may be employed as a substitute. The skirt should afterward be dried in the open air and ironed with a moderately hot iron, the silk of the petticoat being protected by a piece of muslin. Perspiration. (Very difficult to remove, being a combination of both acid and alkali.) Try a mixture 132 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME of alcohol, ether, and ammonia. (See "Coffee and Tea," in this Chapter.) In applying lay several thick- nesses of white blotting paper under the soiled place to prevent the ring forming, which may remain when the fabric is dry. Paint. Saturate in equal parts of turpentine and ammonia; then wash in soapsuds and dry between blotting papers under a weight. Rain Spots. Iron on wrong side with a moderately hot iron, laying muslin over the silk to prevent a shiny appearance. If silk merely needs sponging, no iron should touch the surface. If rolled while damp, on a broomstick, it will dry in a day or so. Following are directions for special silk applica- tions : Cleaning Black Silk. (a) First pare and slice very thin one medium-sized white potato ; pour over it a gill of boiling water, cover and let stand all night. Next day strain; add enough pure alcohol to make it about the consistency of a thin water starch; then quickly sponge the right side of the silk with the liquid, carefully rubbing each spot, but wetting the 133 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME whole goods. Then turn and iron with cool irons on the wrong side, always lengthwise of the goods. (b) Sponge with household ammonia and press while damp on the wrong side of the goods. (c) To a quart of water add two tablespoonfuls of powdered alum, immerse the silk, and iron with a hot iron. This is excellent for old petticoats, as it gives a lustre and the desired stiffness. Stiffening Black Silk. Boil an old pair of black kid gloves in a quart of water for half an hour; when cool, squeeze the kid hard in the water; strain, and add this to the rinse water. This will stiffen without leaving any trace of starch or gtim. Cleaning China Silks. (a) Wash in benzine and finish by putting through suds of pure white soap and warm water ; rinse thoroughly. (b) Wash in cold water, as hot water soon turns them yellow. Make lather of white soap; rinse in warm water with a little ammonia added ; add a little bluing to the last rinse water. Washing Chiffon. Use plenty of warm water in which a little borax is dissolved, and Castile soap. Rub gently with the hands and squeeze the dirt out, 134 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME afterwards rinsing in clear water. Shake the garment gently and dry it in the following manner : Stretch a clean sheet over a bed, pinning it down tightly. With plenty of steel pins, pin the chiffon to this, stretching it into shape and seeing that it is quite smooth every- where. The process is easy with veils and scarfs, and not impossible with waists. Before washing ac- cordion plaitings run a basting thread firmly through the lower edge of all the plaits, gathering them in a bunch. After washing hang the plaitings in a draft with a weight attached to the edge to keep the plaits straight. Dry-cleaning Chiffon. Use two parts finely pow- dered starch to one of fine borax. Spread on a clean muslin and rub the mixture well in. Shake out and sprinkle liberally with clean flour and borax; cover and lay over night. Next day brush and shake out the powder. Wrinkles in Chiffon. Freshen by passing a hot iron over the wrong side. This will give the tucks the raised appearance they had when new. Stains in Crepe de Chine. (a) For colored crepe de chine, first try warm water without soap. If stain 135 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME remains try ether, using a bit of silk as a sponge and brushing off the stained spot with the liquid. (b) Sponge soot stains with clear alcohol and rub dry with soft flannel. (c) Wash coffee stains, if fresh and moist, in clear, warm water; if old and dry, use alcohol, then suds of white soap and warm water; rub dry. Messaline. To freshen black messaline boil three or four pairs of old black kid gloves for half an hour. Let them get cold in the water and squeeze each glove dry to get all the color and stiffening. Dip the goods in this liquid several times. It will freshen the black and restore body to the material. Dry quickly, ironing through a thin cloth while damp. Pongee. Natural pongee may be washed in warm soap water and ironed when dry. If it is ironed on the wrong side it will keep its new look. If the pon- gee is embroidered in colors, it may be washed with excellent result in gasoline. Cleaning Taffeta. The professional method is to sponge first with benzine and a second time with ben- zine and Castile soap; easily sponge with benzine and hang up until dry. Any spots that remain are grease, and may be removed with French chalk. 136 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME Renovating Taffeta. If wrinkled and lacking crisp- ness, lay. over an ironing board and go over it with alcohol and hang in the air to dry. i Silk Handkerchiefs. Wash in a lather of boiled soap and warm water; rinse thoroughly, adding a lit- tle methylated spirits to the last rinse water to brighten the silk; iron while still damp. Bleaching Silk. Pour one pint of boiling water over one tablespoonful of borax; add three pints of cold water. Dip the silk into this and hang wet on a line or lay on the grass ; when dry repeat the process until the color improves. Restoring Color of Silk. (a) To restore the color of silk articles that have become yellow from wash- ing, dip in tepid soft water containing a tablespoon- ful of ammonia to each quart of water, and add a few drops of bluing. Wring them out and if still yellow add more bluing. Hang in the shade to dry; press with a hot iron white still damp. (b) To make silk that has been washed look like new, put a teaspoonful of methylated spirits in the rinse water and iron while damp. (c) To restore color taken out by acid, use am- 137 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME monia (sal volatile, or hartshorn) ; drop on the faded spot. (d) To correct yellow tinge, sponge with perox- ide of hydrogen and 'lay in the sun. Removing Shine. (a) To remove shine from black silk, stretch the silk smoothly over an ironing board. Then wrap a damp cloth over a hot iron and pass this slowly over the silk, not, however, touching the goods but holding the iron so close to the silk that the steam will reach it. {b) Use one ox gall in a bowl of cold water, which will become black as ink. Sponge the silk with the solution, using black cloth. Stiffening. Flimsy silk that has become wrinkled may be restored to nearly its original freshness by sponging with gum arabic water. Sponge on the right side and iron on the same side while still damp but almost dry. A piece of velveteen is excellent for brushing silk, removing the dust without injuring the silk. 138 CHAPTER XXII CLEANING AND RENOVATING VELVET AND VELVETEEN HE secret of longevity in velvet lies in the brush- A ing. Use a hat brush that is not too soft but whose bristles are elastic enough to be resilient; hold firmly in the hand in the direction of the arm. Press the bristles gently into the velvet, then twist the arm, hand, and brush all together as on an axis, without moving them forward or backward. The dust will be drawn up and flirted out without injury to the velvet and the brush must be lifted up and placed in a similar manner over every part required to be brushed. Cleaning. The treatment of velvet consists of clean- ing and finishing. Remove the dust by beating the article; then rub with benzine. After drying rub with alcohol on a soft rag, working especially the spots caused by rain. Then steam the article to raise the nap. The steaming of velvet is best done by an expert, but as a substitute the article may be hung by the top on the line stretched in a bath room ; close 139 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME the door and window and turn on the hot water until the room is full of steam. Let the velvet hang until the steam has cooled ; then open the win- dow. The article should be quite dry before being handled. Small pieces may be steamed over a ket- tle spout. White Velvet. Freshen by applying chloroform, after freeing the velvet of dust. Stains. Remove stains from velvet by brushing with ether and water, ether and alcohol, and pure al- cohol, working against the grain while wet, and when dry iron it. Grease. Remove with benzine, or by the chalk, dry starch, or powdered method; or by brushing with turpentine rubbed on briskly with a bit of flannel. Two or three applications may be necessary. Paint. Loosen with butter or lard and remove the latter with benzine. Freshening Velvet. Sponge on the wrong side with warm water and pass this wrong side taut over the flat surface of a hot iron. The steam rising 140 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME through the nap of the velvet will raise it and remove the creases. Be careful not to touch the right side until the velvet is perfectly dry. The process is best done by two, one to hold the velvet and one the iron. Velvet trimmings, collars, etc., may be cleaned and steamed by the above processes. Washing Velveteen. dean velveteen by washing, which the fabric will stand many times if done prop- erly. Put the goods through two lathers of warm soapy water, using a moderately stiff brush along the grain of the pile as it lies stretched on the wash board, until all the dirt is removed; rinse in clean cold water but do not squeeze or wring the goods; hang in a shady place to dry. Salt is sometimes added to the last rinse water. After drying it may be drawn over a hot iron like velvet, but this is not necessary. 141 CHAPTER XXIII TREATMENTS FOR VARIOUS FABRICS CORDUROY. (a) Clean like Bedford cord. (See Chapter IX.) (b) Use turpentine (be sure it is pure) ; use plen- ty of cloth, sponging and wiping with one or more cloths; afterwards hanging out in the air, and then if possible in heated air. Corsets. To clean corsets at home, first take out all steels (whalebones may be left in) ; lay corset flat on a table and scrub with a nail brush or small scrub- bing brush, using white soap until clean ; then put under a tap of running cold water and rinse out all soap, squeeze out, and hang in the sun to dry quickly. Or, after the soap scrubbing, brush with ammonia or soda-lye, rinse and pass through a bath soured with hydrochloric acid, and rinse. Starch if desired, and smooth with an iron. Hot water will not spoil whale- bone or celluloid ; if it draws the stays crooked, iron with a warm (not hot) iron. Rebind if necessary with new tape. 142 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME Embroidery. Linen with silk embroidery: (a) Wash with borax soap ; rinse in borax water, and wring well. Have ready writing paper on which has been traced the pattern by laying it over the embroid- ery; then cut out the spaces between the patterns. Baste lightly over the piece and lay in the hot sun, dampening the linen now and then. (b) A delicate piece of embroidery, not sufficient- ly soiled to be washed and yet not without soil, should be covered with French chalk, rolled, and left for sev- eral days. When the chalk is whipped out the em- broidery will be fresh and clean. (c) The heavy embroideries of raised gold and silver work should never be brushed in the ordinary way. If rubbed gently with a piece of crimson vel- vet a good result will be obtained. (d) Many embroideries may be freshened by paint- ing with dyes. Lace Fans. (a) Spread the fan on a towel and cover thickly with block magnesia; put a fold of the towel over it and whip lightly with the hands ; then reverse to clean opposite side. If badly soiled, clean with benzine and dry talcum powder. (b) Place in a vessel and cover with benzine ; press until the dirt comes out, then immerse again in clean 143 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME benzine to which a drop of bluing has been added; spread out and fasten the points to stretch the fan, and cover with scented talcum powder, and leave it for twenty-four hours. Do not try to rub the dirt out. If edges are worn bind with chiffon ribbon, lace beading, frill of lace, etc., to match. Flowers. Faded artificial roses may be made fresh looking by coloring with a French rouge that is like a rather dry paste. Dip an old handkerchief or small brush in rouge, apply to each petal, and rub toward the edge to so blend the color that the deepest tints are in the heart of rose. If one understands water color paints, or can work with dyes with an artist's brush, most silk or cotton flowers may have their bloom restored. If the flowers are considered valu- able, do not attempt it if a novice, as it requires skilful coloring. To Clean Neckties. Take eighteen grains powdered white Castile soap, five fluid drachms strong aqua am- monia, twenty-four grains granulated saltpetre. Dis- solve the soap in a pint of warm soft water ; then add the saltpetre, and when this is dissolved add the am- monia. After ten hours it is ready for use. Take a cloth or small sponge and after wringing it out of this 144 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME mixture, gently rub the tie until the dirt disappears. This process can also be used for white or dark ties, and fine silk and wool goods. Mackintoshes. (a) Clean with soap and soft water. Lay out smoothly on a table and scrub the spot until the mud is removed. Rinse with clean water and hang in the air to dry. Do not use hot water at any time. Stains that do not yield to soap and water may be re- moved by brushing them with ammonia. (b) Mackintosh coats which have become hard and rigid may be easily cleaned with lime and water. A handful of the best gray lime should be dissolved in half a bucketful of water, and the mixture applied to the stiffened parts by means of a piece of sponge. This should be repeated at the end of three or four hours. Grease Stains. Remove grease and paint with tur- pentine. To Mend. Make a cement by dissolving shreds of pure rubber in naphtha to make a stiff paste. Apply it to each edge to be joined; lay the mackintosh on a table, bring the torn edges together, and place a weight on them until the cement has hardened. 145 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME Mattresses. Remove stains with a paste of starch and household ammonia. Wash the dust out of the spots, and coat them thickly with this paste. Leave it on for two days. Brush out. If there be any sign of the stain, sponge with peroxide of hydrogen and lay in the sun. An excellent detersive is made by sub- stituting peroxide of hydrogen for ammonia in the starch paste. To Clean Rain Coats. Sponge with a mixture of alcohol and ether, to which is added a tablespoonful of ammonia to a pint of the liquid. Silk Parasols. (a) To remove rain spots : sponge all over with a mixture of alcohol and ether in equal parts, keeping the parasol open ; then sponge with am- monia and wipe dry with a soft linen cloth. (b) If only slightly soiled, clean with benzine and when dry brush with alcohol and distilled water. (c) Wash (raised) in cold soapsuds, scrubbing the crease streaks with a soft brush ; rinse in warm water and pour over it a dilute solution of sulphuric acid and rinse in clear water to remove all acid. Polish with chamois skin, a piece of paper being put between the goods and the frame. Dry in the air, while still raised. 146 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME Colored Silk Parasols. These may be cleaned in the same way, except that black checks should not be treated with acids but with common salt. Embroidered Parasols. Clean in the same way if the colors do not run, but it is safer to take these to a professional. Dark Parasols. These are best cleaned with ben- zine and brushed with quillaia bark decoction when, the benzine has evaporated. Dry by whirling and hanging in the air. A good sponging with a gelatine solution and alcohol will improve their appearance. Being dried while open, no ironing is necessary, except fringes. Ornaments of different fabric from the goods must be removed. Cotton Parasols. White cotton parasols may be cleaned like silk ones, but treated with warm Javelle water instead of the acid. Plush. Freshen by sponging with chloroform. Washing Plush. Plush velvet may be changed to the crinkled kind that looks like a caracul fur by soak- ing in water. If soiled wash with soap and water. 147 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME Rinse thoroughly and then twist it lengthwise of the goods into a tight rope; wring as hard and dry as possible; then shake out and hang in the air to dry. If stiff soften by rubbing. White Chiffon Veils. (a) When soiled, make a strong lather of white soap and simmer the veil in it for quarter of an hour; rinse in cold water with a lit- tte liquid bluing. Then pass the veil through a thin gum. arabic water, or water in which rice has been boiled, and clear by shaking. When dry, lay between pieces of thin muslin and iron on the wrong side. (b) By some Pearline is preferred to soap, being less likely to turn the veil yellow. Put the veil into the tepid suds and rub gently. After flapping in and out until thoroughly cleaned, rinse in clear, tepid water, after which process remove, catch by the ends and flap several times. While still moist stretch out upon a bed, pinning down, here and there, at each end and securing in like manner all around the length of the veil. This takes the place of pressing, and at the same time does not affect or alter the natural wrinkle of the filmy material. (c) Cleaning by steaming: Get a piece of an old broom-handle or a roller, wind the veils carefully round it, being very careful that the edges are even. 148 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME Lay across a boiler or saucepan of boiling water, and steam for three-quarters of an hour. Leave on the wood till dry. Crepe is even more satisfactory when treated in this manner, the steam giving it the stiffness of new ma- terial, and also taking out all the dirt and dust. In removing veils from hats after wearing, fold in breadths and hang on a ribbon tacked across an inner wardrobe door. This precaution prevents creasing and prolongs the use and freshness of a veil. Colored Veils. Place colored veils (not chiffon) in a small glass of alcohol, rinse them through this to make them clean, lay them upon a folded sheet, and pin in shape. When dry, press with a warm iron, un- less they are covered with chenille dots. At least iron the border edge. Dyeing Chiffon Veils. Wash and dry; then dye. Black Chiffon Veils. Wash by passing through hot water containing a small quantity of ox gall and per- fume. Squeeze out, do no rub ; rinse in cold water with bluing in the last water. Stiffen by dipping in a thin glue water. Squeeze and shake out to dry; iron like a white veil. 149 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME To Clean Coat Collars. Apply turpentine to the soiled places ; let the fluid dry ; apply several times and scrape off the dirt ; repeat until clean, then sponge with alcohol or chloroform and wipe dry. 150 CHAPTER XXIV CLEANING JEWELRY A PRACTICAL jeweller says that jewelry and diamonds should be first washed in benzine and then in a suds of Castile soap to which ammonia has been added. Rinse in clean water, dip in alcohol, and dry in jeweller's sawdust (or bran). This holds good for all precious jewelry except pearls. Transparent gems should never be wiped, but twice a week is none too often to give them the cleaning above described. The beauty of a gem is its sparkle, and this is not seen at its best when the setting is not clean and bright. Pearls. (a) May be washed as above except that benzine and soap must be omitted and the operation must be performed very quickly so as to allow as lit- tle time as possible to intervene between the first wet- ting of the article and the placing of it on sawdust. Pearls are often cemented in places, and fluids have a tendency to soften the cement. Pearls absorb grease more than any other jewels, and it is this which so often causes them to become dull and discolored. 151 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME When not in use pearls should be kept in a box con- taining powdered rice flour. This will absorb the grease and be much better for them than if they were kept in their proper cases. (b) Clean pearls with cotton wool also, and "lily white" powder, polishing with a very soft brush. (c) A mother-of-pearl buckle should be cleaned by covering the buckle with a paste made of whiting and water, and when quite dry brushing it off and polishing with a dry cloth. Gold. (a) If the gold has lost its lustre through use or is tarnished, make a solution of one quart of water and one ounce of cyanide of potassium and dip the jewelry in it. Then rinse in cold water and proceed as below from this point. (It must be remembered that the potassium is a deadly poison, and therefore too much care cannot be taken when it is being used.) (b) If gold is dull and requires polishing, rub with a piece of chamois or leather upon which has been placed a small quantity of jeweller's rouge. Wash off the rouge with Castile soap and water ; then rinse in clear water, dip in alcohol, and dry in jeweller's saw- dust. Brooches, etc. Brooches, rings, and such things as are in constant use, should be brushed at intervals 152 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME with a toothbrush that has been dipped in eau de cologne. If the setting is open, it must be done from the back, and carefully, so as not to loosen the stones. Then lay the things in a box of jeweller's sawdust which has been slightly heated beforehand, and leave for an hour. Chains. Wash gold chains in warm soapsuds, dry- ing them on a soft towel by pulling back and forward. They may also be dried in sawdust and the particles blown or dusted out afterward. Be sure to get them dry, as they will be apt to become worn between the links if any dampness remains. Dull Gold. Clean dull gold jewelry without re- moving jewels, etc., and without injuring either the dull gilding or the gem, by rubbing it gently with a soft brush moistened in bicarbonate of soda and water, to which have been added a few drops of ammonia. Then rinse thoroughly and dry in pure, warm saw- dust. Silver Filigree. (a) When filigree silver has be- come dull and black it may be cleaned by thoroughly washing in a bath of potash water. Rub with a soft toothbrush wherever a flat surface is presented, then 153 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME set the silver in the following solution : One part of common table salt, one of alum, two of saltpetre, and four of water. Soak for five minutes, then rinse out in cold water, wipe dry and polish with chamois leather. (b) Old pieces of silver filigree may be perfectly cleaned with cream of tartar. Make into a pa^te with a little water and spread thickly on the silver, rubbing into the crevices. Wrap each piece in flannel rags and let lie for five or six days. Then wash off the paste in warm water, and the ornaments will be found quite clean and bright. Diamonds. Diamonds set without pearl or tur- quoises may be cleaned by a brushing with methyl- ated spirits. It will greatly enhance their brilliancy. Nickel Silver. To clean nickel silver ornaments, dip a piece of flannel in ammonia and rub the article. Jet. To keep jet in condition, (a) saturate cotton with oil and rub on carefully ; after this, polish with a piece of soft chamois skin. (b) Brush dust from the jet with a small soft brush, not stiff enough to scratch, yet firm enough to get into the crevices. After the dust is gone immerse 154 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME the ornament in alcohol and rub dry with a silk cloth, later polishing with chamois. (c) A large piece of jet can be brightened by rub- bing it with a very finely powdered rotten stone mixed with a little olive oil. Sift the rotten stone through a fine muslin before mixing with the oil. Rub until blur or marks are removed, then polish with* a chamois. Rhinestones. (a) The cleaning of rhinestones is a difficult task for an amateur; but once they begin to turn black, nothing can restore their brilliancy, and they need attention from time to time. If the silver in which they are set begins to tarnish, remove this tar- nish by a vigorous scrubbing in lukewarm water with suds from Castile or any other pure toilet soap and a stiff brush. Care should be taken that the water is not too hot or it may soften trie cement around the stones. Have the water clear and without grit. Immerse the pieces for not over two minutes and then begin scrub- bing with the stiff brush ; plunge each piece into a bowl of clear water to rinse off the soap, and then place in a box filled with jeweller's sawdust and leave for half an hour until all the water is absorbed. When dry whisk off any fine pieces of the wood with a soft brush and rub gently with a soft cotton or silk cloth. This 155 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME cleansing should brighten the silver and unless the stones are turned the pieces should be as bright as if new. If the silver is still 'discolored after the bath, plunge the piece into a bowl of cyanide of potassium, using rubber gloves so that the poison acid will not touch the flesh. The ornament must be merely dipped in this fluid and immediately withdrawn, for the liquid is so powerful that the jewelry would be destroyed if left in it for more than a few seconds. The moment the piece is taken from this brightening fluid it must be plunged into a bowl of lukewarm water so that the cyanide will be washed off. Such treatment, even the water bath, is only possible where the rhinestones are set in silver, platinum, or gold, for when the stones are not entirely surrounded by some metal the only way they can be cleaned is by careful brushing with a soft, dry earners hair brush. (b) To clean rhinestone buckles, moisten a small portion of prepared chalk with cold water ; dip into this a dry, clean toothbrush and rub the stones until all dirt is removed. Then brush with a dry brush. Tortoise-shell. (a) Tortoise-shell pins, combs, and other articles which have become dirty and dingy- looking from wear should be wiped with a soft cloth, then rubbed well with a paste made of rotten stone 156 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME and sweet oil, then with jeweller's rouge, and finally with a piece of clean chamois leather. This treatment will not, however, be required if the articles are rubbed fairly often with a chamois leather. (b) Brighten tortoise-shell combs and pins by rub- bing them with alcohol, and after drying with a soft rag use bismuth powder to render them bright. (c) Polish tortoise-shell with rouge powder or pul- verized borax ; put on dry and rub with tissue paper. Passementerie. Jet passementerie may be cleaned by rubbing it with a cloth dipped in equal parts of alcohol and water. Dry it immediately with a clean cloth. Steel Ornaments. (a) Steel ornaments may be cleaned from rust and discoloration by rubbing them with a brush dipped in paraffin oil and then in emery powder. Polish with dry, chamois. (b) Put the article into a box three-quarters full of fine emery dust. Close the box and shake violently up and down and to and fro for several minutes. Now and then turn the box upside down and shake again to leave no part of the article untouched. (c) Rub steel jewelry with unslacked lime. It may be kept bright by storing it in an air-tight box with this substance in powder. 157 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME (d) Cut-steel buttons may be polished with pow- dered pumice stone, slightly moistened and applied with a soft brush or cloth. A lump of camphor placed in the clothespress will keep steel ornaments bright. Ivory. To clean ivory ornaments brush them with an old toothbrush and soap. Rinse in lukewarm water and dry thoroughly. Then brush the ornaments again till the lustre appears. It will be increased if a little alcohol be poured on the brush. If the ivory is very yellow set it in the sun to bleach. Toilet Articles. Toilet articles, vinaigrettes and other small trinkets may be easily brightened without the use of powder by placing them in an aluminum re- ceptacle and pouring boiling water over them. Polish- ing should be done by means of a piece of clean cha- mois leather, but in adopting this treatment it must be remembered that the silver should never be allowed to become tarnished. 158 CHAPTER XXV THE LAUNDRY THE purpose of washing clothes is to remove the dirt from fabrics in personal use and to so pre- pare them for use that they will catch and retain as lit- tle dirt as possible. The first essential of the laundry is soft water or water that can be made so. The utensils are: stand for tubs, or stationary tubs, tubs, washing machine (electric if practicable), washboard, wringer, stove for boiling water and heating irons, boiler, clothes lines and poles, stock of pins, ironing table and boards, including sleeve and shirt boards, flatirons, a household mangle, and clothes horse for the ironed garments or pieces. Gas irons are not very practical for the household ; electric irons are, but need care and cause many fires in careless hands. Polishing irons are needed if the home work includes any fine work. All of these things may be as simple as economy may dictate or as elaborate as taste with purse may call for. Supplies include borax, soda, soap, starch, bluing, ammonia, kerosene. The Water. Soft (rain) water is preferable, because it combines easily with soap to make a lather. If black- 159 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME ened by soot put in a boiler one pail hard water and four of rainwater; when lukewarm, add 1 heaping teaspoon powdered lye, which will cause soot to come to the surface and can be removed. If water is tem- porarily hard, it can be made soft by drawing some time before using and letting it stand in the air, or by boiling, which will precipitate the mineral (the crust found in kettles). If permanently hard, it can be softened by the use of washing soda. Use only enough in the form of a solution to make a lasting suds. It will injure colored fabrics and woollens. A little ammonia will help to soften water, but must not be used for colored goods. For small and delicate articles use boiled water. Contra: To harden soft water, add one tablespoonful salt per gallon. Soap. Brown soaps usually contain rosin and soda and are good for washing white clothes, but they should not be use'd for colored cloths or flannels as soda bleaches the one and rosin injures the other. For coarse clothes soft soap will go farther. Soap jelly is very convenient. Save scraps of soap or cut bar soap into bits and heat until a clear, smooth jelly results. Hint : If bar soap is cured and seasoned for some time it will not melt so rapidly. (2) To economize soap, a little pipe clay may be used for kitchen cloths and 160 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME i much-soiled articles ; dissolved in water it has a cleans- ing effect. Bluing. Bluing is used to remove the yellowish tint of white goods acquired in washing, and for tint- ing dark goods. Ultramarine blue is the best and the powder gives better results than the liquid. Starch. Use the products of reliable makers. It should be pure white in color and after being put into cold water and dried after the water is drawn off, the dried cake should break crispy. Washing Fluids. Many laundresses who have ex- tra difficult clothes to handle, use washing compounds of various sorts for loosening dirt. Following are for- mulae : (1) One box potash; one ounce salts tartar; one ounce pulverized ammonia; one ounce pulverized bo- rax ; two quarts water. Dissolve ; add four quarts water. Use one cupful to boiler of clothes. Keep in glass jars ; must not freeze ; keep from children. (2) One ounce quicklime, four and one-half gal- lons water; stir thoroughly and allow to settle; pour off clear solution which is enough for four barrels of hard water. (3) One gallon common soft soap, four ounces sal- 161 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME soda, one-half gallon soft (rain) water, one and one- half gills spirits of turpentine. Place over fire and allow to boil a few minutes ; is then ready for use. (4) To boiler water add one teacupful kerosene, one tablespoonful spirits of turpentine, soap; boil the fabrics. (5) To each pail of water add one tablespoonful aqua ammonia, half usual amount of soap ; soak goods over night ; use in the boiling water. Paraffin Formulae. Cut a bar of soap into pieces with piece of paraffin wax about two inches square ; add two quarts water; put on fire until melted; put half the amount into the first boiler, the other half into the second boiler. (2) To boiler water add one teacupful kerosene and one teacupful gasoline ; usual amount of soap ; boil fabrics one half hour. (3) One tablespoonful paraffin to one gallon water ; use in boiler water. (4) Melt bar of soap by heat, add four teaspoonfuls kerosene; when hot pour into half tub of water; soak white clothes over night; boil. (5) Equal parts of kerosene, clear lime water and turpentine ; shake until creamy ; add cupful to boilerful of clothes; boil (recommended for very yellow and 162 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME grimy articles, overalls, working shirts, children's trou- sers). Use with very hot, strong suds; have second suds and rinse water as hot as the first water. Borax. Borax is useful in the laundry. Being a mineral, it does not injure most fabrics, and is one of best germicides, cleansers and bleachers known and is grateful to the hands. CARE OF UTENSILS Wringer. Loosen spring and clean wringer rolls with kerosene oil on a cloth. Wipe clean of oil as oil injures the rubber. Put away with a piece of muslin between the rolls (2) Clean with water in which is ammonia, one teaspoonful to one cupful water. Tubs. Dry tubs after using if fibre or metal ; kero- sene oil will remove stains from metal tubs. Covered tubs should be opened once or twice a week to air. Boiler. Dry carefully after using to prevent rust. Rust may be prevented by coating the inside while still warm with good soap, or by wiping with a rag moist- ened with kerosene. Line. Clothes lines are improved by boiling fif- teen minutes before using the first time. To clean, boil in soapsuds with soda; rinse and dry in the air. 163 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME Have lines drawn taut when in use. Wipe carefully before using. Take in at end of wash and put in bag to keep clean. Washboards. Glass are the best. If wood or zinc- faced are used, scald carefully with soda water and chloride of lime and dry at end of washing, otherwise they become unsanitary and dangerous in case of con- tagious disease. Ordinarily, clothes need but little rubbing. * Ironing Boards. Have an ironing board for shirts, about twelve inches long by eight wide, covered with flannel for polishing fronts ; sleeve board for shirt waist sleeves; on sale at stores. An ironing board is better than a table, being adjustable as to height; have covering drawn tight to prevent wrinkling. 164 CHAPTER XXVI THE PROCESS BEGIN by carefully sorting "the wash" : all personal linens and fine starched goods ; (2) all body linen and pillow slips ; (3) all table linens ; (4) sheets, towels, etc.; (5) flannels; (6) woollens; (7) colored garments. Each lot should be washed separately if best results are desired. Look all over to find articles needing re- pairs, which should be made at once, and to remove stains. As to the latter, when in doubt try to remove with cold water. If white goods are soaked, let it be in lukewarm water without soap, except that body linen may be soaked with a little soap if very dirty. Hint : Hot water sets stains, and washing powders by overnight soaking may damage the goods. Make a strong suds of warm water and soap cut into bits. Wash first the table linens ; then the fine white goods, adding only a little more soap. The wrist-bands and collar bands and bottoms of skirts and the most-soiled spots should be first well soaped. The boiling is designed to sterilize the fabrics and to loosen the dirt ; hence it is not necessary to cook the goods but only to give them a good scalding, stirring 165 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME in the boiler frequently. Too much boiling makes the goods tender and is apt to yellow them. Half an hour's boiling' after the bubbles begin is enough. After the clothes have been scalded they are drained and put into clean, cold water. Thorough rinsing is most important; it can hardly be overdone. Coarse clothes and towels should be in the boiler twenty minutes. Small articles, such as handkerchiefs, collars, cuffs, etc., can be boiled in a sack to save much handling. Colored fabrics should be rubbed to loosen and re- move the dirt, using clean water not too hot with plenty of soap ; rinse until all soap is removed. Rinsing must be thorough. Rinse before boiling, and again after boiling. It can't be overdone. By rinsing, the clothes are made free of soap and soapy odors, and soap and blue often combine to cause spot- ting like iron-rust. Handle all the articles loosely so that the water will go through them freely. Badly rinsed clothes do not iron well and sooner or later they become discolored. Such articles as towels, napkins, pillow slips, should not be run through the wringer widthwise but lifted from the rinse water lengthwise and put through the wringer in the same way evenly, pillow slips from the closed end; it will save trouble later in the ironing. 166 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME All articles should be wrapped and pulled smooth and even and hung up wrong side out. The thickest parts, the waist or neck bands should be at the line ; a sheet or tablecloth with the hems at the bottom, and be pulled slightly on the line to prevent stretching ; tow- els, napkins, pillow slips in the same way; night dresses by the shoulders ; skirts from the hems ; stock- ings from the toes. Hang starched clothes in the sun- niest places. In freezing weather if a handful of salt is put in the last rinse water, the clothes will not freeze or stiffen until after they are hung on the line ; and it is possible even to change the position of a lineful of clothes if necessary, before they freeze. If hung in the sun they will have commenced to dry before the freezing be- gins, and they are easier to remove from the line. In cool weather the goods may be dampened at night, folded carefully and rolled tightly to distribute the moisture, the starched things being ironed first in the morning; but in summer they should not foe sprinkled over night, as they may sour before morn- ing, and there is danger of mildew. Bluing. Bluing calls for carefulness. Streaks are caused by unskilful mixing or by hanging the fabric when too wet. When bluing is put into the starch, 167 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME beat the bluing water into the starch as the white of an egg is folded into a souffle and then strain through cheese cloth. A bluing bag is recommended by many to prevent streaking and over-bluing. It is good prac- tice to measure and not to guess at quantities. If too much bluing has been put into the rinse water it can be corrected by adding a little household ammonia. Blu- ing is a poison and should be used sparingly. It is also recommended that to give fabrics the desired bluish whiteness they be soaked over night in bluing water and no bluing used next day. In the absence of bluing a teaspoonful of turpentine in the boiling water will aid the whitening process. In practice blue one article at a time and wring out at once. As some fabrics take the blue more easily than others, watch- fulness is called for. Soft and loose fabrics take color more easily and should go into more diluted color, or after other articles have been blued. Fine articles need but little tinting and many others of loose tex- ture like Turkish (rough) towels the merest shade and easily become discolored by too much bluing. Sprinkling. House furnishers have a sprinkler that is a rubber bulb with a real sprinkler attached. As good a device is a clean whisk broom kept for this pur- pose only. Cover the basket with a blanket to keep 168 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME the fabrics moist. When sprinkling fabrics that have become too dry for ironing, use warm water; it pene- trates quicker, and less is required, and ironing can begin sooner. Ironing starched articles when too dry breaks the threads and frays the edges. Calicoes should not be sprinkled until the day they are to be ironed. Starch and Starching. Mix two tablespoonfuls laundry starch with a gill of cold water. Pour on that one pint boiling water, stirring it all the time. Add to that half teaspoonful salt, half teaspoonful white sugar and a piece of spermaceti about the size of a thimble. Boil ten minutes, stirring frequently. Should it be- come too thick, beat in hot water to the right consist- ency. If too thick when cool, thin with clear water with a mere dash of bluing. Some make starch with soapy water to produce a gloss. Keep the starch covered while boiling. Strain through a piece of cheese cloth and keep covered while cooling. Have the articles to be starched nearly dry, and dip them into the starch while it is yet warm. Strike the articles between the hands that the starch may be worked into all the threads. Dry them and dampen with cold water. Roll them in a clean, dry cloth and let them remain so a few hours. When ironing keep 169 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME the unironed part damp by covering it with a wet cloth. (2) Mix two quarts cold water with two table- spoonfuls dry starch, and when the clothes are dry dampen them with that instead of wetting them in cold, clear water. To make any clothing extra stiff dry the garments first, then run through starch and dry the second time. When dresses are not to be worn stiffly starched, hav- ing only enough to hang in graceful folds without sticking out, starch them while still wet, but the starch must be allowed to cool a little first, as heat has always a fading tendency. Goods that are closely woven re- quire a thinner starch than loosely woven fabrics ; the latter should be shaken but not wrung too dry when taken out of the starch; if hung up without shaking out carefully, they will be matted when dry, and hard to separate without danger of tearing. Hot Water Starch. Mix with enough cold water to make a cream one tablespoonful of starch, one-half tablespoonful of borax and one-fourth tablespoonful finely shredded tallow candle or spermaceti. Add enough boiling water to cook the starch, and pour on boiling water, mixing thoroughly till the starch is clear. 170 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME Alsatian Starch Luster. Used to give luster to laun- dry starch for special li-nen and cambric lingerie, col- lars, etc. Take two and one-half ounces of borax, two and one-half ounces of gum arabic, two and one-half ounces of spermaceti, six and three-fourth ounces of glycerin, and two and one-fourths pints of distilled water, with either sweet-scented essence, such as rose, thyme, orange flower, etc., to fancy and preferred strength. Use six teaspoonfuls to seven ounces boil- ing laundry starch. Laundry starch employed for the same fabrics is compounded as follows : Blend smoothly one ounce best potato starch with a little cold water, add one tablespoonful pounded loaf sugar, the same of dex- trine, one tablespoonful of much diluted indigo (liquid), strained through fine muslin, and pure paraf- fin the size of a nutmeg. - Then pour on a pint of boil- ing water and cook, constantly stirring not less than half an hour. Strain at once through a linen cloth. Rice Starch. For fine linens, cambrics, lawns, lace handkerchiefs and neckwear. Boil down in two waters in which rice has been washed; or pulverize rice and mix like ordinary laundry starch. A few drops of lavender or orris root gives a delicate scent. 171 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME Gum Arabic Starch. Two ounces fine white gum- arabic powder; put in vessel and pour over it one pint boiling water; cover tight and let stand over night; then strain, bottle and cork. Stir one table- spoonful in one pint starch made in the usual way; gives the beautiful gloss of new linen. Diluted the solution without starch is good for pieces that are stif- fened to dry but not to be ironed. For light summer dresses a few pieces of gum arabic dropped in warm water to soak over night will make enough liquid to dip two or three dresses when thinned with warm water to the same consistency as ordinary starch. Starch Accessories. Either a few drops of kero- sene ; one teaspoonful turpentine ; wine-glass of borax water; few drops of glycerine, added to starch gives a gloss. For starching muslins, ginghams and calicoes, dissolve a piece of alum the size of a hickory nut for every pint of starch ; will keep the colors bright for a long time. For Holland pinafores, a little tea added to starch holds the color. For mourning goods, boil one quart of clean wheat bran in three gallons of water for one hour. While still warm, strain through a cheesecloth, and wash the black muslin or linen in it; use neither soap nor starch; press while damp. For black or dark blue goods, use water in which pota- 172 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME toes have been boiled, or dissolve a little gum arabic in the rinsing water instead ; iron on the wrong side with a piece of black cloth pinned over ironing board. For collars, etc. Use hot starch formula (using lard in place of spermaceti if need be), adding a few drops of kerosene or one tablespoonful turpentine. Set this in a cool place and stir it now and then until quite cool ; then dissolve two tablespoonfuls raw starch in a lit- tle cold water and pour it into the hot starch, which should be cool enough not to scald the cold starch; stir it in thoroughly. The starch should be the con- sistency of thick cream. Now starch the shirts; be sure to run in well with the hand all the starch they will hold ; then dry. Or, use elastic or celluloid starch according to directions. Or, use boiled starch with a pinch of borax ; shirts dipped twice. Cover the shirt bosom, cuffs and collar with a clean piece of muslin until dried and iron is cooled ; the muslin will prevent smutting and scorching. Tack a piece of clean mus- lin tightly and smoothly on a smooth bosom board and polish. For cheviots or coarse shirt waists col- lars and cuffs only cover a few pieces of white cabi- netmaker's glue with water and set on back of range to melt; then add it to cold starch; cover till dry or the iron will stick. Or, a polish for shirt bosoms is made of one ounce each of isinglass and borax, one tea- 173 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME spoonful of white glue, and the white of an egg, cooked well in two quarts of starch. "Wrinkles." (1) When laundering starched arti- cles in winter add borax to the starch and the cuffs and collars will not lose shape. (2) When starching any- thing with a fringe, double the article in four parts, gather fringe tightly in the hand, and hold it while you dip middle in starch. When dry shake the fringe well and comb with a coarse comb. (3) After using cold-water starch let it settle, then pour off the water and allow the starch to dry. When it is dry it can be replaced in the starchbox for future use. (4) A crust forming over starch may be prevented by putting a cover over it soon after making. Laundry Dye. A laundry help is a dye for cotton or linen, dissolved and bottled, ready to use as one would bluing. Pink, blue, red, lilac, green and yellow may be prepared according to the directions that come on each package and used a little at a time in rinse water to brighten faded garments. Tinting Starches. For curtains and laces tinting starches are often desired. Tea and coffee mixed with the starch and allowed to stand and strained before using is effective. (2) Laces may be permanently 174 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME colored by use of permanganate of potash a few grams to one quart hot water. Treat the color first; then dip the lace and rinse in clear warm water to even the color. Depth of tone can be determined at will by quantity of the potash. (3) Saffron put in water and simmer gently for an hour ; strain carefully. Test the color first ; using enough saffron to get the desired color. (4) Cream starch can be had in some markets. Mix in dry state with white starch, dissolving thor- oughly to avoid specks after starching. Use enough to get the shade desired, tentative proportions one ounce cream to four of white starch. Bleaching Bluing. Quantities of about equal values of oxalic acid and Prussian blue, dissolved in a quart of rainwater ; let stand for several days, shaking occasionally; a few drops added to the boiling suds will make the clothes as white as snow. Ironing. Ironing is an art. It can be learned only by practice and observation; but on the skill with which it is done depends in large measure the appar- ent success of much of the work of the laundering. Have the ironing board or table covered perfectly smooth with a good padding under the cover. Have clean irons, just hot enough. Spread the article to be ironed smoothly on the table. Iron hems, bands, 175 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME trimmings, etc., first; then the body of the article. Move the iron regularly over the fabric, using some pressure. A constant lifting of the iron and a jerky movement are apt to produce wrinkles. Irons grow smooth and work better with use ; for this reason it is better to iron the large, plain pieces first, then follow with the starched articles. All starched articles must be ironed until perfectly dry. Plain articles, like sheets, pillow-cases, towels and plain underwear, need not be ironed all over. Iron the hems, then fold smoothly and iron one side. All colored goods, lace trimmings and embroidery must be ironed on the wrong side, avoiding a very hot iron which may cause fading. Tablecloths should be folded in the middle lengthwise, and be ironed on both sides until perfectly dry. Nap- kins and handkerchiefs should be ironed singly, then folded and pressed. After ironing hang upon one side of the clotheshorse only such articles as can be put away immediately after airing. In ironing garments, like skirts, it is important to study the grain of the material. The ironing must be so done as not to stretch it in length; the iron moves across the board and not with it. A blouse on the other hand must be ironed to preserve the set of the neck and shoulders, and therefore would be ironed with the grain. In ironing any garment be- 176 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME gin on a straight seam and follow that as a guide to keep the garment even throughout. Goffering is an art in itself and can be only referred to here as one not now practiced a great deal in private homes. The Irons. Besides the usual heavy irons, have small ones for sleeves and delicate fabrics. Have them smooth and not too hot, overheating injures the tem- per of the iron and is apt to cause scorched goods or to fade the fabrics. To Clean. When irons show black specks or rust, wash in soap suds ; when rusty, rub with warm grease and wrap in brown paper ; then dissolve a small piece of soda in hot water, dip, rub dry, and when ready to use rub on brown paper that has a little powdered bath brick on it. To prevent rusting, rub the surface with vaseline and sweet oil.. If rough, rub on fine sand paper, or fine salt on paper ; or on a pad of brown paper; or on the paraffin papers from cracker boxes. When coated with starch, put flakes of beeswax be- tween papers or cloths and rub the irons over the wax. If sticky, rub on grated bath brick and olive oil or kerosene. Finely sifted ashes on newspapers are ex- cellent to clean irons. When not in use, keep in a dry place. A heavy and deep pan or skillet placed over heating irons will save heat and give 177 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME a hotter iron. A clean brick, as an iron stand, will keep irons hotter than the usual iron stand. Asbestos cloth is a good lining for iron holders, and is excellent to rest the iron on and to save the cover of the ironing board. An iron holder can be made from old kid gloves, sewing a pad of kid from the left glove in the palm of the right one. This protection from the heat and weight of the iron will do much to keep the ironer's hands from becoming calloused. A dark calico bag or cover for the ironing board when it is not in use is an excellent thing, as it is essential that the ironing sheet should be kept very clean, and the cover suggested makes it possible to do so. Suggestions. Keep a small new scrubbing brush to brush fringe on doilies when ironing. A small clean sponge and a bowl of water are essential upon the ironing board when fine lingerie garments must frequently be dampened. A bowl of clear starch water is also needed. When ironing a starched gar- ment and a part of it becomes dry do not dampen with water, but with a cloth wet with a little cold starch. This will keep all parts of the garment of equal stiffness. To iron a tucked material, turn to the wrong side, dampened with a damp cloth and iron 178 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME quickly with a moderately hot iron, lengthwise on the tucks. This makes each tuck stand out nicely and is much better than ironing on the right side. Before ironing eyelets open the closed eyelets with a wooden skewer or stiletto and you will have less trouble in bringing out the best effects. The ugly puckering that prevents center pieces from lying flat on the table is prevented by ironing the centre before the edges. Fold kitchen towels in half lengthwise before ironing and they will be more rapidly smoothed out; and ironing in this manner is quite enough for articles which are for use only. When pressing dark linen frocks it is just as well to cover the board for the time with a piece of dark material and thus avoid pressing the white lint into the material. 179 CHAPTER XXVII SPECIAL WORK BEDDING. Comfortables. Soap soiled spots and scrub with small brush; hang on strong line and turn on the hose, forcing the water through the cotton ; treat both sides alike; squeeze corners and ends as dry as possible. Pillow or bolster. Double a sheet and sew side and ends together, leaving 1 an opening on one end a little more than the width of the pillow. Open pillow, sew the two together and shake feathers into the sheet. Wash thoroughly in soapsuds, rinse, wring with ma- chine and dry in the sunshine, shaking often to lighten the feathers. Before returning the feathers to the tick, coat the inside of it with thick flour paste, and let dry ; or, better, rub the surface of the tick with melted beeswax, so the fluff and feathers will not work through. Eiderdown quilt. Mend any little holes in the sateen; then prepare a suds with warm water and boiled soap, and in this plunge the quilt. Squeeze with the hands till the water becomes dirty, then place in fresh suds and repeat the process till clean. Rinse out 180 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME the soap in as many changes of water as necessary; squeeze out the water by hand, shake the quilt, and hang out to dry, squeezing out end and corners. When dry, shake till quite soft and full. Do not use a man- gle or the quilt will be flat looking. Fold sheets across the wide and narrow hems ; bring together, and mangle. This is done quickly and they look as well as if more time and trouble were spent on them. Collars and Cuffs. See "Shirts, Collars and Cuffs." Colored Cottons. Strong soaps and great heat will dull and fade colors. For dark cottons the preference is for washing in starch. Four quarts of boiled starch are made. Half of this is put into two pailfuls of soft warm water and the goods washed until clean ; add water to the remaining half of the starch and rinse; dry and iron on the wnong side. If soap is used let it be of a mild quality and pure. Make a suds of soft water, having the water just tepid. Wash the ar- ticles in this without boiling; rinse in several cold waters, one soft, and one hard water, at least, to which one tablespoonful salt to one pailful is added, and then starch. If the soiled parts do not cleanse in hot water without soap, make a slight suds ; never rub soap directly upon the garments to be cleaned. If 181 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME badly soiled or there is fear of the colors running, soak them in cold water and salt; allow half a cupful of salt to two gallons of water. Have the starch cold and strained. Wring the garment from the starch and hang at once in the shade; sunlight fades the colors when wet. When ready to iron, sprinkle thor- oughly and roll in a cloth for a few minutes, then iron on the wrong side. Prints are better not sprinkled but if too dry may be ironed under a damp cloth, but should be ironed immediately after washing. All colored goods should have a quick washing. For light cam- brics and prints, dissolve a tablespoonful of alum in enough lukewarm water to rinse a dress and dip the dress into it, taking care to wet thoroughly every part of it, and then wring it out before washing as above. Dainty muslin dresses and pinafores, ginghams, cre- tonnes, piques, babies' dresses, and fine linen ties and collars, should be washed in bran water, using no soap. Boil one or two quarts of bran in soft water, tied in a cloth for the purpose, five minutes or more, and leave until the water is cool. Squeeze the bag hard and remove. Wash the garments by dipping up and down in the bran water, and squeezing. Yolk of egg may be rubbed into grease spots or other places where the material is especially soiled. Rinse well in clear water and hang in room without fire or srun- 182 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME light. Make a thin starch, adding thereto a little gum arabic, previously dissolved ; iron before dry with mod- erately heated irons. Muslins so washed and starched retain their stiffness in spite of exposure to dampness, and keep their new look. 'For washing challies, dark muslins and lawns, mus- lins of doubtful color, and chintzes, rice water without soap is best. Boil one pound of rice in five quarts of water; when cool, put the challies in with rice and rice water and wash well, using the rice much as you would soap. If no rinsing is used the rice will have a good effect on the fabric. Cornstarch may be used in place of rice ; the starch is boiled, made very thin and strained. Water tepid, not hot ; use two rice or starch waters ; then rinse and blue. In these cases gum arabic need not be used unless it is desired to make the goods very stiff. The delicate blues wash beautifully if the soap is mild and the water tepid, rinsing in cold salt water. Do not allow the article to stand in any but the salted water, and that only for a minute or two, and the starch should be lukewarm ; dry in the shade, bring the garment in when just damp enough to iron, and iron on the wrong side of garment. If colors seem faded or changed they may often be restored if the garments are still wet by rinsing the articles in a 183 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME fresh tub of water, with a teacupful of vinegar mixed through it. Black lawn must be rinsed in water in which blu- ing has been added liberally, or if starch is used it must be made almost black by the addition of coffee or bluing. The best laAvns are those with just a sils- picion of starch in laundering the goods to restore them to their natural state. Wash black calicoes in hot or cold water ; with every two gallons of water add a handful of table salt, to prevent the color from fading. Cotton gowns with black ground work and white lines or figures wash well if boiled in soapsuds ten minutes. After white clothes are removed, cool, rub quickly and lightly, rinse in tepid water, and starch in coffee starch. Bagdad Portieres and Couch Covers. The stripes should be ripped apart and washed separately, as the colors run a little, although not enough to impair the brightness of the pieces. Do not rub soap on the fabric; wash quickly in warm, soapy water; dry in the air, but not in the direct sunshine. Curtains. Colored curtain colors may run a lit- tle but not much if of good material. Use bran water, handful of bran per gallon of water; boil ten minutes. Into one tub put level teaspoonful soap jelly per gal- 184 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME Ion water. Pour half the water on this and half in another tub, without any soap. When the water is cool enough to bear your hand in quite comfortably, put the curtains into the one with the soap in it. Press well down under the water, and leave for ten minutes. Souse up and down till all the dirt seems to be out, and then, without wringing, put into the other bran water. Empty the first tub and put under cold water tap. Lift the curtains out of the bran water, put them in the cold and, sousing them up and down, let the water run till it looks clear. Then, without wringing, hang on the line, pulling them well into shape. Wringing makes creases that it is almost im- possible to afterwards remove. When they are about half dry give them a good shaking, one person at each end. Lace. Examine and make repairs; then shake the dust out first ; soak over night in plenty of cold water ; in the morning rinse in several waters ; then put into hot suds and wash by sopping and squeezing. Wash in a second tub of suds of warm water, borax and pure white soap ; then put them into a tub of boiling water. After an hour (or after ten minutes' boiling) rinse thoroughly. Do not rub them but dip them up and down until clean. If necessary scrub with a soft 185 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME brush. Squeeze out water with the hands. To have them very white, slightly blue the last water, but if an old look is desired have the water slightly colored with black tea. If a creamy shade is desired add clear, strong coffee to the starch. Dry in the open air, then put them through thin starch. If there are frames put the curtains in them ; if not, tack some old sheets on the floor and put the curtains on them, being care- ful to pull them straight and to have each point drawn out and pinned down. Two persons are almost neces- sary for this part of the work, as upon the careful stretching and pinning depend the perfect hanging and finished look of the curtains. Two or three cur- tains may be placed together. Two days' time is re- quired to dry them when they are doubled in this manner. Too frequent washing is a mistake. In- stead they should be pinned on the clothes lines on a clear, windy day, and allowed to remain until all the dust has been whipped out of them. Then they may be packed away for the summer in a pillow case, which has been dipped in bluing until it is a perfect indigo. By this means they will come out in the fall fresh and crisp. Muslin. To give these a sheer look wash in bran water; boil two quarts of wheat bran in six quarts of 186 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME water for half an hour and strain and mix in the water in which the curtains are to be washed. Unless the curtains are very soiled use no soap with this infusion or starch, either, for it both cleanses and stiffens. Rinse lightly in clear, cold water. Art muslin cur- tains should be washed in a lather made with hot water ; when nearly cold put in the curtains. If there is green, add a little vinegar; if lilac or pink, a little ammonia. Salt will set the color of black and white muslin. Net. If damaged by wear, baste them on sheets before washing. (1) Soak the curtains over night in bran water (two quarts wheat bran, eight quarts water, boil one-half hour, when cold strain) ; thin bran water with cold water to the consistency of "starch water/' wash the curtains, using no soap; while damp pin to the floor and stretch gently into shape along the edges. Cover with a thin damp cloth and press with a warm iron. (2) Place half a curtain at a time loosely in a large, strong, paper bag, and sprinkle in a pint of cornmeal; then shake hard for about ten minutes ; then shake curtain in the open air and allow to hang there awhile. Use fresh meal for each cur- tain. 187 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME Suggestion. Very thin curtains or those whose day of service is very nearly over will stand the ordeal of washing much better if care be taken to baste them upon sheets of cheesecloth first. This relieves them of much of the strain of wringing and prevents them from being whipped to pieces by the wind in dry- ing. Embroidery. For doilies and small centre pieces use any pure white soap. After washing and rinsing in slightly blued water, stretch them upon a window, taking care that every scallop and petal is well smoothed, and let them dry; they require no ironing. Wash embroidered linens for the first time before cut- ting it out. After washing stretch on a smooth board, which has been covered first with a piece of plain linen, tacking the embroidery quite smoothly and se- curely. Leave overnight, laying the board flat, lest the colors run. For colored pieces use pure white soap, making a strong lather of warm suds and wash quickly, not rubbing hard, and paying special attention to soiled spots. Rinse four times through cold water; squeeze out most of the moisture without wringing and iron while still damp. If the piece is too heavy to iron without long drying put within a thick Turkish towel 188 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME and press out most of the moisture. Sometimes owing to poor .rinsing after a first washing, the color of the silk will stain the foundation material ; overcome this by keeping on rinsing in an abundance of water. When colored embroidery is done on washing silk it should be put through a soft and tepid water, dry- ing quickly and instead of ironing the material should be pulled and stretched into smoothness and tacked when tightly stretched into position ; with threads of material in right direction, leave until entirely dry. If the embroidery itself needs pressing run a moder- ately hot iron over the back of work. If the foundation materials are too dead white after laundering" give them a creamy tint by dipping in water to which tea or coffee has been added. Iron on the wrong side, with the work face down into a thick flannel covered with fine linen, using a moder- ately hot iron and pressing each part until dry. The work is improved by making a pad of fine organdie, wringing it out of hot water until no drops can fall from it ; then press it on back of embroidery and iron at once, moving the iron slowly and not taking off un- til all moisture from the pad is evaporated. As tatting cannot be properly washed to look as good as new, because it is almost impossible to re- store the picots to their natural shape, soak the pieces 189 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME in gasoline and while wet dust them with cornstarch. Wrap in a clean towel and leave for several hours; beat the towel lightly, lift out the lace and shake it free of starch; press the picots into shape and iron lightly on the wrong side. Suggestion. The introduction of a delicate green thread into all white embroidery, according to a profes- sional embroiderer, will prevent white silk from turn- ing yellow during the process of laundering. The work must be skilfully done. If wrapped in blue pa- per, linen will keep in good condition. With cheaper grade material it is wise to set the color by soaking in cold salt water or in a little sugar of lead. Never hang colored embroideries in the sun to dry. Noth- ing fades them more quickly. Fancy work laid away for the, winter should be rinsed in very blue water and dried, but not ironed. If the pieces are placed in black or blue wrapping paper they will not turn yel- low. Handkerchiefs. Soaking over night in well salted water will make washing easier. Dip them in warm water. Soap each one on both sides, fold loosely and put them in a pile in a basin, without water, to soak for an hour or longer. Rub them on a washboard with a large nailbrush dipped in hot water, boil for a few minutes, rinse in clear water, adding a little borax 190 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME to the last water; only when the day is windy and there is frost put them with other small articles to dry in a pillow case ; the fabric is spared whipping by the wind, they will freeze dry and be quickly gath- ered for ironing. Those that have become discolored may be whitened by soaking them over night in a solution of pipe clay, water, or of cream of tartar, and warm water; wash in usual way. Iron handker- chief from the center. Lay flat on the board, make a fold two inches deep across the handkerchief, press it in lightly with the iron, and then make another fold across the first. If this is done, each handker- chief should look as it did when purchased. To starch handkerchiefs put six drops bluing in two quarts water, adding raw starch the size of a walnut; let it dissolve, with none settling to the bot- tom of the bowl. The 'handkerchiefs having been washed and dried in the usual way, dip each one sepa- rately, making it thoroughly wet, and squeeze it as nearly dry as possible with the hand. When all have been treated in this way, lay them smoothly in a towel ; then iron. Lace handkerchiefs are washed in warm water with pure white soap and a little ammonia. Do not iron but spread out smoothly on marble or glass, gently 191 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME shaping the lace ; before it is entirely dry, fold evenly and smoothly, and place under a weight. Silk handkerchiefs should be washed by themselves. Soak in cold water for an hour or so, then regularly wash them until any stains have disappeared. When clear rinse in soft, cold water, in which about half a cup of salt has been dissolved. Rinse again in water that contains a little bluing. Under necessity a few fancy handkerchiefs can be washed in one's room, drying them on the bedroom mirror. Put on a glass evenly. L aces . Laces, chiffons, crepe de chine, mousseline de soie, etc., should be rubbed, not squeezed. Use a suds of white soap and warm water; soak for one- half hour; squeeze, rinse, dry in air and not by the fire and iron, while still damp, the chiffon and very delicate articles between layers of clean tissue pa- per. (2) Or, add a little borax or ammonia to the suds. Ruffles and laces may be dipped in very thin starch, rolled carefully with starched portions .in- side and laid aside for an hour before ironing. When goffering, redampen the edges before passing through the rollers after first ironing the garments. If cream color is wanted, rinse in water and coffee one part coffee, two parts water. Ribbon ruches may be washed 192 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME by merely dipping them in ammonia and water, not squeezing or wringing, but patting and dipping until clean. Wash Battenberg work in warm water and starch in hot starch. Then pin the lace and each corner of the fancy work to clean white cloth and fasten while the piece dries. If center is linen, iron with flat- iron. Shirts, Collars and Cuffs. Starch collars the even- ing before; have a hot iron; pull the collar into shape, lay flat on the table, and iron on the wrong side until about half dry. If the iron sticks, either it is too hot or too cold, or the collar is too damp. Turn over, pull into shape, and iron on the right side with strong quick strokes until quite dry. If it is pulled properly into shape jthere should not be a sin- gle crease. After finishing on right side a hot iron can be run along the wrong side to round it into shape. A polishing board is one covered with one thickness of muslin only. Lay the collar on this, wring a clean piece of muslin out of cold water, rub lightly over the right side of the collar and iron again, pressing hard till it is dry and glossy. A proper polishing iron is much better for this than an ordinary one. If collars get too dry, sponge them lightly with cold 193 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME water on the right side before beginning to iron. Iron cuffs in the same way, on the right side until nearly dry, then iron the wrong side. When dry go over the right side with a damp cloth and polish with a hot iron. To iron a shirt: Fold it lengthways from the gathers of the yoke to the tail, and iron both sides of the back. After this the wristbands should be ironed, being polished if necessary; the sleeves should then be taken in hand and finished, care being taken to press them in proper shape. When this is done take the shirt by the shoulders and turn it front uppermost on the board, with the collar to the left hand; after putting in any necessary plaits in the back insert the shirt-board and proceed with the front. Before commencing to iron, the front should be pulled into shape, after which it should be ironed until thoroughly dry, doing one side at a time and being careful to avoid making creases. When both sides are done pin the collar or neckband together and run the iron down the centre and across the base of the front, afterward ironing the remaining unstarched portions of the garment. When this is done carefully turn the shirt front downward on the board and fold pinning the shoulders together to round the front somewhat. Then hang before the fire to thoroughly dry and harden the work. When the fronts have to 194 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME be polished the convex iron should be made as hot as possible short of scorching the goods, and at the point previously mentioned, instead of pinning the collar together take out the flannel and put in a board cov- ered with one thickness of linen only, and after damp- ing the surface of one-half the front, polish with the convex iron by quickly passing it across from side to side, and then from base to collar, using consider- able pressure and working with the back of the iron as far as possible. Treat the other half of the front in a similar manner; pin the collar and proceed to finish as before of course, removing the board. When properly polished the fronts should be as smooth and shiny as china, and the polish should stand without dulling off. Shirts or front having raised patterns are ironed to the polishing point, then damped down on the surface and covered with a fine linen cloth, after which they are ironed until dry. After ironing place by the fire till perfectly dry; this quick dry in- sures their being as stiff as possible. Silks. White and colored silks must be washed separately. If there is danger of colors running, col- ored silks should be soaked thirty minutes in salted water to set the color. The druggists carry chemi- 195 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME cals for the same purpose. Different colors should be washed separately. The following points are to be remembered: 1. The water for washing must be tepid, never hot. 2. Never rub soap on the silk; instead, melt a mild soap in the water. Use a little borax in the first water if fabric is very dirty. 3. Never use washing pow- der or soda, and never use ammonia except for white silks. 4. Never twist or wring the garment in the hands; put through a wringer. 5. Use plenty of cold water for the rinsing, using a little salt in water for light colors and vinegar for dark. Generally it is not necessary to starch silks but if stiffness is wanted they may be put into very thin hot starch; or put through gum arabic water (one ounce dissolved in boiling water, used in proportion of one teaspoonful to one-half pint water). Don't sprinkle. Iron at once while wet on right side first with a dry cloth between it and the iron and then without, using a cool (not hot) iron. If the silk should feel in the least stiff or hard, shake it out, rub it between the hands and iron again. Some silks such as the corded silks, are better kept covered all the time, as the iron gives them a glaze which is not suitable; discretion must be used. To gloss silk wash as above adding two tablespoonfuls of methylated spirits to a basin 196 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME of water; fold smooth and pass through wringer sev- eral times between folds of thin cloth ; shake out and wrap in a dry towel for one hour before ironing. White silk underwear may be pinned on a towel and hung on the line. Special Hints. Pongee. Make a mild suds of white soap and lukewarm water (dissolve one-half cake soap in two quarts boiling water; dissolve and strain to avoid lumps) ; don't rub, squeeze the goods ; rinse in three or more tepid waters; wring with moderate pressure, shake out and hang in the shade. Don't starch or blue; iron on the wrong side while still damp, using as cool an iron as will remove the wrinkles and have ironing board well padded: reiron if any streaks appear. If the garment is embroidered in colors it may be cleaned. with gasoline. White Chiffon. Let chiffon soak in the suds one hour. After rinsing and squeezing out the water dissolve a little gum in a teacupful of water and dip the chiffon into it; then lay it between the folds of a clean cloth and pat it with the hand. Cover with a piece of tissue paper and iron while still damp with a warm iron. Colored chiffons may be washed in the same way, but for them add a few drops of vinegar to the gum water to set the color. 197 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME Dark Silks. To wash black and fast colored China and taffeta silks, put one quart household ammonia into twelve quarts warm water, in which suds have been made with pure white soap. Wash the fadeless silks in this and rinse thoroughly in clear, soft water ; iron before material is quite dry on the wrong side with a moderately hot iron. A little ammonia in the rinse water is good for brown or black silks. Silk Ribbons. Make carefully a thick suds of warm water and pure white soap and wash the ribbons lengthwise, lifting them up and down in the water, changing waters if necessary ; hang up to dry and iron when well dried between sheets of tissue paper. (2) Or, while still wet, iron on the right side with a hot iron and when dry rub between the hands, as if wash- ing it, until all the stiffness is out of it, then iron again to remove the wrinkles. (3) Lay white ribbon on a table and scrub it using soap and water and a brush with stiff bristles. When cleaned, rinse beneath the spigot, squeezing out the water between the fingers without creasing the material, and hang over a line. Suggestion When washing white or colored ribbons, add one teaspoonful of methylated spirits to a pint of cold water and rinse the ribbon through to make it look like new. 198 GLEAMING AND RENOVATING AT HOME Table Linens. First remove all stains. Use only the cleanest waters. First immerse articles in cold water; don't rub; rinse carefully and boil fifteen min- utes in a rich suds; rinse thoroughly in at least two waters; wring by hand or with rollers fairly loose; dry in the open air, hanging all pieces evenly with weight on warp threads. Fine table cloths should be hung to prevent whipping in the wind. Two parallel lines may be used, throwing the selvage end over one (toward the other), allowing it to hang down about a quarter of a yard and being careful to pin it a short distance from the ends. Take the opposite side and throw it over the other line, facing the first line, and pin it in the same manner. This will form a sort of bag, and will prevent, to a considerable extent, the wild blowing of the table cloth in windy weather. A washing fluid may be used, made by adding to the water in the boiler one and one-half dessertspoon- fuls of turpentine and one dessertspoonful of ammonia. (2) Or, a little refined borax may be used instead of this fluid. But pure soap, clean water and lots of it and air and sunshine are the best. (3) Some authori- ties recommend for fine linens and embroidered doi- lies no boiling, only cold water, white soap, and borax, if not a borax soap. (4) Or, boiling lemon peel with white tea towels. (5) If linen has become yellow, 199 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME pour into a good hot suds a quart of milk about nearly sour and stir well. Put the linen into the mixture, and leave it there four hours; then wash and boil in the usual way. If quick washing is needed to be done to provide for immediate use wash the linen as usual, then dip it in hot water and shake it well ; fold as well as pos- sible and run it through the wringer ; then wrap it in a dry, white cloth, and iron at once without starch- ing. Or, take a sponge of good size, or cloth, wet and wring nearly dry, press the sponge over the surface of the linen and then follow up with the iron. It will give a smooth, glossy surface not excelled even by that found in long-sprinkled linens. Table linen is not starched, starching yellows it, and the pieces will mildew readily in warm weather. As a substitute, dissolve one ounce of gum arabic in half a pint of warm water. Add one tablespoonful of the solution to a quart of water and wring out the linens in the mixture. In order to bring out the bright gloss that makes table linen so attractive, it should be dampened very considerably. Sprinkle ta- ble-cloths very freely, being sure that the selvage ends or hemstitched borders are thoroughly damp. Roll "up tightly to spread the dampness 1 . The napkins and doilies may be arranged alternately one upon the 200 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME other first a napkin dry from the line, then one which has been wrung out in warm water, then a dry napkin, and following it another wrung out in hot water, and so on; then roll tightly together. Iron while still wet with a hot iron first on the wrong side to throw up the pattern, and then on the right to pol- ish. If ironed dry the linen will get fuzzy. The linen should be perfectly dry when finished. The ironing should begin down the middle folding table- cloths exactly opposite from the way they hung on the line to make them wear longer, or for the same purpose they may be folded each time in a different way to vary the creases. If a distinct crease is desired fold the cloth so that the edges meet and the crease is exactly down the middle, and iron to crease it. To keep a cloth in this- condition it must be pulled very even before ironing, and ironed very carefully and very dry on both sides. Then, with a fold once, not creased, it may be rolled around rolls of paper kept for the purpose. To stiffen serviettes without starch : Wash and dry them in the ordinary way. Immediately before iron- ing dip them into boiling water, and wring out be- tween two cloths that have been starched; then iron with as hot irons as can be used without scorching. 201 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME They will have a beautiful gloss and be just stiff enough. Wash embroidered linen in a strong suds of Castile or good white soap and lukewarm water; rinse imme- diately in lukewarm water, then in water slightly blued, and hang them up to dry. When half dry lay them smoothly on a clean cloth doubled, or laid over a piece of white canton flannel, and press them on the wrong side with a hot iron until they are dry. If the linens are fringed carefully comb out the fringe with a coarse comb. If worked in colors, they are too delicate for ordinary washing. It is therefore best to do them separately, and to obtain the best results, they must be dipped up and down in tepid soapsuds, hung to dry indoors, and ironed when half dry. Doilies, tray cloths, etc., should be washed by them- selves, using a better quality of soap. Do not boil ; rinse thoroughly. Then spread them smoothly over a towel or sheet, and roll tightly. Begin at once to iron them on the wrong side with an extremely hot iron. To wash a chenille tablecloth, boil one-half pint bran in two quarts water for half an hour ; to this add cold water to cool to the right heat for holding the hands in comfortably and then wash the cloth in it, using no soap. If the cloth be much soiled, make 202 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME more bran water and use it undiluted when sufficient- ly cool. More or less bran water from same bran will be needed, according to the size of the cloth. If the bran be inclosed in a muslin bag the trouble of strain- ing will be obviated. To wash red table linen, put enough powdered borax into tepid soft water to make it feel slippery. Use no soap. Rinse in warm water containing a small quan- tity of boiled starch. Hang in the shade and iron when nearly dry. Suggestions. Iron rust on linen may be caused by careless rinsing which leaves soap in the linen. Col- ored embroidery should never be put into hot water; it will fade. Waists. Wash lingerie waists like silk ; a little blu- ing in the last rinse water if material is white. Don't boil; rinse carefully; don't put through wringer; if not to be starched, hang in the sun to dry; other- wise, indoors. Iron like silk with moderately hot iron with cloth between waist and iron. Iron sleeves first on sleeve board; tucks and plain part next on right side, then front, starting at the shoulders, back and collar last; iron lace and embroidery on wrong side. When ironing the back plait with the buttons, 203 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME lay on flannel or Turkish towel and the buttons will sink in. Hang to dry on coat hanger. Starch with thin cold starch or a starch made with two teaspoonfuls starch in a little cold water over which is poured one pint boiling water; stir until smooth ; add a drop of bluing ; dip, wring out at once and hang out to dry. Suggestions. For white linen waist pipe clay may be used in place of soap. A variety of colors may be had with the same waist by using colored starch. This is procurable in small packages of pink, light blue and heliotrope, and washes out completely. It is perfectly simple to use and seems to have no par- ticular tendency to streak or spot. White Goods. These should be washed first in a general "wash" clean water and fresh suds both in tubs and boiler. In making the suds it has been rec- ommended to dissolve one bar of good soap in three pints water and then add one-half cupful powdered borax, using this in tubs and boiler. No rubbing should be necessary except for dirtiest pieces. Can be soaked over night before washing. Some South- ern laundresses tie a lump of arrowroot in a thick cotton cloth and boil it with the fine white pieces to 204 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME give them a dainty odor more delightful than from sachet powder. Woollens. Blankets. Make a good lather. Pour one pint boiling water on one-half bar shaved white soap ; put over the fire and stir till thick. After which add to this soap jelly one teaspoonful of borax and two tablespoonfuls of ammonia. Soften a tubful of tepid water with one tablespoonful of borax. Stir into this the soap mixture, then put in blankets, let them soak one hour, occasionally turning them over. Rinse through clear, tepid water, adding a lit- tle ammonia. Rinse through the second tepid water to remove all soap, being careful all through this process never to rub with the hands and using loose rolled wringer, from tub to tub. Before hanging out, shake from the four corners to raise the wool. When half dry turn it over to sun the other side. When nearly dry turn it so the borders hang down. Keep moving until perfectly dry, shaking well each time it is moved. This prevents creasing and the stiff feel- ing. A light beating with clean carpet beater will soften and raise the wool. Before washing look over for spots putting a safety pin in each to mark it ; these places can be lightly rubbed between the hand until the spots disappear. 205 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME To wash a cotton blanket, set the color by sousing the blanket in cold salt water, then washing quickly with white soap and tepid water. Rinse in tepid water, shake and dry in the shade. Flannels. Make wash suds as for wool blankets; don't soap or rub them, and don't soak very long. Use warm or cold water, but to prevent shrinking do not let the temperature of the water change during the process. Rinse in clear water of same tempera- ture as the suds; squeeze out the water; pull into shape and dry quickly in the air or a warm room ; don't let them freeze. (2) Instead of soap a handful of washing soda in a tub of water is used ; it removes body grease and the odor. Very dirty spots may be cleaned with an ordinary brush. (3) Wool skirts and children's dresses may be washed with naphtha soap suds. Press with a warm (not hot) iron before fully dry with cloth between iron and flannel. Wool Garments. Follow above directions as to suds ; rinse well ; squeeze out some of the water but hang out quite wet; taking care to hang on line so they will not be drawn out of shape; don't wring. They do not need ironing; press with cool iron. A little vinegar in the rinse water will brighten the 206 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME color if needed. Colored woollens should not be soaked but washed quickly and no two colors should go into the same water. Wash sweaters like flannels. Fixing Colors. Blue color is fixed by adding one gill vinegar to two gallons water; used before washing. Or, soak blue fabrics two hours in one part water with one ounce sugar of lead; let fabric dry perfectly before washing and ironing. Or, salt as below. Salt dissolved in water will set nearly all colors in cotton and linen 1 cup salt to one gallon water. Give garments fast washing in the solution. Silks may be soaked for some time. Organdies, chambrays, fine cambrics, wash fast in clear water with salt. Ginghams and calicos should be put into hot salt water and left until cold; then wash. Light colors, soak ten to fifteen minutes ; hanging in shade to dry ; then wash. For silk a solution of less salt will an- swer. Alum. Two ounces to two gallons water will pre- vent green from fading. Use cold and soak six hours. In rinse water will restore faded color. Piece size of a hickory nut dissolved in a pint of starch, will brighten the colors on colored muslins and ginghams, after washing. 207 CLEANING AND RENOVATING AT HOME Sugar of lead (above) will set colors in wash goods. A spoonful of oxgall to a pail of water will set the color of almost any material if soaked in it before washing. Vinegar in the rinsing water of pink and green goods will set and brighten the color. Soda will set and brighten violet, blue, lavender, purple and mauve prints and muslins. A spoonful of oxgall to a gallon of water will set the colors of almost any goods soaked in it previous to washing. It is good for gray and brown. Vinegar and also ammonia in the wash water will preserve color of black stockings. Vinegar in the rinse water for pink or green cali- cos will brighten them. Strong tea and also hay-water, made by pouring boiling water over hay, is excellent for washing tan or brown linen and will preserve the color of French linens also. Ammonia and borax will set colors of wash goods. One tablespoonful of black pepper stirred into the first water in which gray or buff linen is washed will prevent its spotting; and also prevent colors running in cambrics and muslins. It will not affect the soft- ness of the water. 208 INDEX INDEX Acetic acid, 19, 31 Acid stains, 31, 36, 52 Acids, effect on cotton, 18, 34 Alcohol and chloroform mixture, 19 Alcohol, use of, 19 Alkalies, stains from, 20 Alkaline liquids and animal fibre fabrics, 18, 32 Alsatian starch luster, 171 Ammonia, soap, etc., mixture, 20 Ammonia, use of, 18-20, 32 Animal fibre fabrics, cleaning of, 18-20, 31-33 e Antibenzinpyrin, 12, 14 Arts, English Society of, cleaning fluid for silks given prize by, 131 B Bags, leather, to clean, 118, 119 Battenberg lace, to clean, 108 Battenberg lace, to wash, 193 Bedding, to wash, 180 Bed linens, to cleanse, 34 Bedford cord, to clean, 60 Belts, leather, to clean, 119 Benzine, gelatinized, 13 Benzine soaps, 14 Benzine solvents, 13 Benzine, use of, 10-19 Benzinized magnesia, 14 Benzol, use of, 10, 13, 14 Black cottons, to wash, 184 Black fabrics, to remove spots,. grease, and stains from, 21, 28 Black lace, to freshen, 112 Black lace, to wash, 112 Black lawn, to wash, 184 Black leathers, restorative and pre- servative for, 121 Black messaline, to freshen, 136 Black satin, to renovate, 129 Black silk, to clean, 133 Black silk, to stiffen, 134 Blankets, to wash, 205 Bleaching, bluing, 175 Bleaching curtains, 60 Bleaching feathers, 91 Bleaching lace, 109 Bleaching linens, 35, 60 'Bleaching muslins, faded, 60 Bleaching silk, 137 Bleaching straw hats, 106 Bleaching white flannel, 64 Bleaching white goods, 60, 61 Blood stains, 36. 37 Blouses, to freshen, 62 Blue duck, to clean, 62 Bluing, bleaching, 175 Bluing clothes, 161, 167 it seq. Bluing stains, 45 'Boiler, wash, care of, 163 Boiling clothes, 165 Bolster, to wash, 180 Bootees, chamois, to cleStt, 122 Borax, camphorate.d, 21 Borax, use of, 21, 163 (Brannt, Wm. T., quoted, 16, 57, 58 Brass stains, 37 Brooches, to clean, 152 Buckskin, to clean, 101 Camphor and borax mixture, 20 Camphorated borax, 21 Carbon tetrachloride, use of, 12, 14 Carpet cleaning compounds, 70-74 Carpet cleaning and renovating, 73 et seq. Carpets, musty, 74 Carpets, sticky spots on, 75 Carpets, to dye, 75 Carpets, to remove stains from, 75 211 INDEX Carpets, to size, 70 Chains, to clean, 153 Chair covers, cretonne, to clean, 86 Challies, to wash, 188 Chamois skin bootees, to clean, 122 Chamois skin gloves, to wash, 10O Chamois skins, to clean, 100, 117, 122 Chest protector, to clean, 117 Chiffon hats, to freshen, 101 Chiffon hats, to remove wrinkles from, 135 Chiffon, to dry-clean, 131 Chiffon, to wash, 131, 197 Chiffon veils, to clean, 148, 149 Chiffon veils, to dye,, 149 Chiffon velvet, to clean felt hats and silk skirts with, 106 China silk, to clean, 125, 134 Chloroform, use of, 21 Chocolate stains, 37-39 Citric acid, 21, 23 Cleaning fluid for silks, 131 Cleaning liquids, bottling and care of, 10, 18 Cleaning paste, 22 Clothes line, care of, 163 Coats, to renovate, 68 Coffee stains, 87-39, 131, 136 Coffee, to sponge with, 22 Collars and cuffs, to iron, 193, 194 Collars, coat, to clean, 69, 150 Collars, to starch, 173 Collars, to wash, 166, 182 Color, stains, 39 Color, test of, 20 Color, to restore, 24, 59, 137 Colored cottons, to wash, 181 et seq. Colored cottons, treating, 35 Colored curtains, to clean, 83 Colors, to brighten, 208 Colors, to fix, 207 et seq. Colors, to restore., 183, X)7 Combustible substances, 9 Comfortables, to wash, 180 Corduroy, to clean, 142 Cornmeal, to clean with, 22 Cornstarch, used in laundering, 183' Corsets, to clean, 142 Cotton, effect of acids on, 18 Cotton fabrics, restoring colors of, 59 Cottons, colored, to wash, 181 et seq. Couch covers, to wash, 184 "Country Life in America," quoted, 79, 80 Cream of tartar and citric acid mix- ture, 23 Creased silk ribbons, to renovate, 126 Crepe de Chine, to remove stains from, 135 Crepe, to clean, 149 Crepe, to renovate, 62 Cretonne chair covers, to clean, 86 Cuffs, to iron, 194 Curtains, bleaching, 82 Curtains, cleaning and renovating, 82 et seq. Curtains, colored, to wash, 184 Curtains, lace, to wash, 185, 186 Curtains, muslin, to wash, 186 Curtains, net, to wash, 187 Curtains, to wash, 184 et seq. Darkest fabric to be cleaned last, 16 Diamonds, to clean, 154 Dresses, muslin, to wash, 182 Dry process of cleaning, 9, 12-17, 65, 88, 103, 109, 115, 135 Dry shampoo, 15 Dust stains, 132 Dye, laundry, 174 Dyed fabrics, 19, 31 "Dyeing and Cleaning," Geo. H. Hurst, la Ecru net curtains, to clean, 83 Egg stains, 39 Egg, to clean with, 23 Eiderdown, 90 Eiderdown quilt, to wash, 180 Embossed leather, to clean, 118 Embroidery, care of, in laundering, 190 212 INDEX Embroidery, to wash, 188, 202 Embroideries, to clean, 143 Erasive fluid, 67 Ether, sulphuric, 23, 24 Ether, use of, 23, 26 Evaporation, to prevent, 10 "Excellent" cleaner, 24 Fabrics for which dry-cleaning is suitable, 16 Fans, lace, to clean, 143 Fat, solvents which dissolve, 13 Feather boas, to clean, 9O Feather boas, to curl, 90 Feathers, bed or pillow, to reno- vate, 91 Feathers, bleaching, 91 Feathers, cleaning and renovating, 91 et seq. Felt hat, to renovate, 103 Felt, to clean, 103 Fibre rugs, 81 Filigree, silver, to clean, 153 Filter paper, 10> Flannels, to remove stains from, 64 Flannels, to wash, 206 Flannels, white, see under White Flour, to clean with, 22 Flowers, artificial, to freshen, 144 Fly paper stains, 39 Fruit stains, 40-41 Fur rugs, 81, 94 Furs, cleaning, 93 et seq. Furs, freshening, 94 Fuse oil, 24 Gloves, chamois skin, to wash, 100 Gloves, gauntlet, 102 Gloves, suggestions concerning, 102 Gloves, to clean, 14, 96 et seq. Gloves, to remove stains from, 99 Gloves, to renovate, dark kid, 99 Gloves, washable kid, 99 Gloves, white, to tint, 96 Gloves, white, to wash, 101 Glycerin, 25 Glycerin and soft soap mixture, 25 Gold, dull, to clean. 153 Gold lace, to dry-clean, 115 Gold lace, to freshen, 113 Gold lace, to wash, 114 Gold, to clean, 152 Grain, alcohol, 19; see Alcohol Grass stains, 41, 42 Grease stains, to remove, 15, 22, 42-45, 63, 76, 117, 132, 140, 145, 182 Grimy appearance of clothes, to re- move, 34 Gum Arabic starch, 172, 183 Gum stains, 45 H Hair stains, 132 Handkerchiefs, to wash and iron, 166, 176, 190, 191 Hanging clothes, 167 Hangings, faded, to clean, 86 Harland, Marion, quoted, 11 Hats, cleaning and renovating, 103 et seq. Hectograph ink stains, 48 Hurst, Geo. H., quoted, 18, 57, 58 Gasoline, benzine not distinguished from, 13 Gasoline; method of dry-cleaning ostrich feathers, 87 Gasoline, repeated use of, 10 Gauntlets, to clean, 102 Gelatinized benzine, see Benzine, gelatinized Gems, transparent, to clean, 151 et seq. Ginghams, to freshen, 61 Ice cream soda stains, 45 Indelible ink stains, 49 India ink stains, 49 Indigo stains, 45 Ink stains, 21, 26, 45-48, 75 Iodine stains, 49 Ironing, 175 et seq. Ironing boards, care of, 164 Ironing clothes f 159 et seq. Ironing suggestions, 178 Ironing tucked material, 178 213 INDEX Iron rust, cause of, 166, 203 Irons, care of, 177 Irons, to clean, 177 Irons, use of, 177 Ivory, to clean, 158 Javelle water, 25, 26 Jet, to clean, 154, 155 Jewelry, cleaning, 151 et seq. Kerosene used in washing clothes, 159, 162 Kid gloves, see Gloves Kid shoes, to clean, 122 Lace curtains, to clean, 82 Lace curtains, to tint, 83 Lace curtains, to wash, 185 Lace handkerchiefs, to wash and iron, 191 Lace, starch for, 115 Lace, to bleach, 109 Lace, to clean and renovate, 107 et seq. Lace, to clean with powder, 109 Lace, to dry-clean, 109 Lace, to restore, 110 Lace, to sponge, 116 Lace, to tint, 111 Lace yokes, to clean, 113 Laces, to wash and iron, 192, 193 Lampblack stains, 50 Laundry dye, 174 Laundry, the, 159 et seq. Laundry, the process of, 165 et seq. Leather, to wash, 117 Leathers and leather goods, clean- ing and renovating, 117 et seq. Leghorn, to clean, 104 Lemon juice and salt mixture, 26 Linen blinds, to clean and stiffen, 84 Linen dresses, spots on, 59 Linens, table, to iron, 201 Linens, table, to wash, 199 et seq. Linens, to bleach, 35, 59 Linens, to wash, 165 Linoleum, to clean, 76-78 Lye, etc., use of, 26 Mackintoshes, to clean, soften, and mend, 145 Magnesia method of dry-cleaning ostrich feathers, 87 Mattings, 76 Mattresses, to remove, stains from, 146 Medicine stains, 50 Men's clothing, renovating, 68 Messaline, black, to freshen, 136 Mildew, 50-61 Milk, use of, 26 Mineral oil or wax spots on wool- lens, 63 Mitts, silk, 101 Morocco leather, to clean, 119 Mother-of-pearl buckle, to clean, 152 Moths, to prevent, 24 Mud stains, 51, 132 Muslin curtains, to wash, 186 Muslins, faded, to bleach, 60 N Nap on cloth, to raise the, 69 Napkins, to iron, 176 Napkins, to wash, 166 Neckties, to clean, 144 Net curtains, to wash, 187 Nickel silver, to clean, 154 Nitric acid stains, 52 Oil stains, 19, 75 Oilcloth, see Linoleum Organdie, to dry-clean, 61 Organdie, to wash, 61 Oriental rugs, se,e Rugs Ostrich feathers, coloring, 90 Ostrich feathers, curling, 88, 90 Ostrich feathers, dry-cleaned by gasoline method, 87 Ostrich feathers, dry-cleaned by magnesia method, 87 214 INDEX Ostrich feathers, redressing, 89 Ostrich feathers, washing, 87 Ox gall, use of, 26 Oxalic acid, 27, 32 Oxalic acid solution, 27 Pad used when removing spots, 10 [Paint stains, 17, 21, 52, 133, 140 Panama hat, to clean, 104 (Paraffin Formulae, 162 Parasols, to clean, 146, 147 Passementerie, jet, to clean, 157 Patent leather, to clean, 119, 123 Pearls, to clean, 151 Permanganate of potash stains, 53 Perspiration stains, 63, 132 Pillow slips, to iron, 176 Pillow slips, to wash, 166 Pillows, to wash, 180 Pipe clay, 28 Plush pile, to raise, 62 Plush, to freshen, 147 Plush, to make crinkle.d, 147 Plush, to wash, 147 Pongee, to wash, 136 Pongee, to wash and iron, 197 Portieres, to wash, 184 Potato cleaner, 28 "Practical Dry-Cleaner, Scourer and General Dyer, The," Wm. T Brannt, 16 Printer's ink stains, 49 Professional cleaners, 9 )uills, to clean, 90 Juilt, eiderdown, to wash, 180 Rain spots on silk, 133 Raincoats, to clean, 145 Real lace, to wash, 108 Rhinestones, to clean, 155, 156 Ribbons, cleaning and renovating, 125 et sea. Ribbons, silk, to wash and iron, 198 Rice starch, 170 et seq. Rice water, used in laundering, 183 Ring left after spot is removed, to take out, 11 Rinsing clothes, 166, 167 Rinsing clothes in winter, 167 Rubber sponges, 76 Rugs, to clean, 79-81 Rugs, to size,, 80 Rust, iron, cause of, 203 Rust stains, 54-56, 76 Salt and lemon juice mixture, 26 Salt, use of, to set colors, 207 Sateen, to impart gloss to, 62 Satin shoes, to clean, 129 Satin shoes, to tint, 129 Satins, cleaning and renovating, 126 et seq. Scorch solvent, 29 Scorch stains, 56 Shades, to clean, 84-85 Shampoo, dry, 15 Sheets, to iron, 176 Sheets, to wash, 165 Shine, to remove, 67, 68, 138 Shirts, to iron, 193 et seq. Shoes, kid, to clean, 122 Shoes, patent leather, to clean, 119, Shoes, satin, to clean, 129 Shoes, satin, to tint, 129 Shoes, suede, to blacken, 130 Shoes, suede, to clean, 124 Shoes, tan, to clean, 123 Shoes, white, kid, stain for, 124 Shoes, white leather or canvas, to clean, 122 Shoe-trees, use of, 130 Silk, carbon tetrachloride on, 14 Silk, care of, 127 Silk, China, to clean, 125, 134 Silk handkerchiefs, 137 Silk handkerchiefs, to wash and iron, 192 Silk lace, to wash, 107 Silk ribbons, to wash and iron, 198 Silk, to bleach, 137 SHk, to brush, 138 Silk, to clean and renovate, 131 et seq. 215 INDEX Silk, to stiffen, 134, 138 Silk, white flannel used to clean, 11 Silks, dark, to wash and iron, 198 Silks, to wash and iron, 195 et seq. Silver filigree, to clean, 153 Silver lace, to dry-clean, 115 Silver lace, to wash, 114 Silver toilet articles, to clean, 158 Sizing carpets and rugs, 80 Skirts, cleaning of, 19 Skirts, to iron, 176 Skirts, to wash, 165 Soap-bark, 29 Soap jelly, use 9f, 160 Soap, to economize, 160 Soaps, benzine. 14 Soaps for washing clothes, 160 Soft soap and glycerin mixture, 25 Solvents used in dry-cleaning, 12 Soot, stains, 56, 75, 89 Special work, laundering, 180 et seq. Sponges, use of, 11 Sponging liquid, 67 Sprinkling clothes, 168 Stain for white kid shoes, 124 Stains, removing, general directions for, 33 et seq., 58 Starch, 161 Starch accessories, 172 Starch for laces, 115 Starch, gum Arabic, 172 Starch, hot water, 170 Starch, laundry, 169 et seq. Starch luster, Alsatian, 171 Starch, rice, 171 et seq. Starch, scenting, 171 Starch : tinting, 174 Starching black or dark blue goods, Starching cheviots or coarse shirt waists, 173 Starching clothes, 169 et seq. Starching collars, 173 Starching in winter, 174 Starching mourning 1 goods, 172 Starching muslins, ginghams, cali- cos, 172 Steel ornaments, to clean, 157 Sticky spots on carpet, 75 Straw hat bleach, 106 Straw hats, to clean, 105 Straw hats, to renovate, 105 Suede shoes, to blacken, 130 Suede shoes, to clean, 124 Table linens, to iron, 176, 201 Table linens, to remove stains from, Table linens, to wash, 165, 199 et seq. Table, ready reference, 58 Taffeta, to clean, 136 Taffeta, to renovate, 136 Tampion, to make, 16 Tan gloves, to clean, 120 Tan leather, to clean, 120 Ian shoes, to clean, 123 Tapestry, to clean, 85 Tar stains, 17, 56 Tartaric acid, 29, 32, 55 Tea stains, 37-39, 59, 131 Tea, use of, in laundering, 208 Tetrachloromethane, see Carbon tetrachloride Thread lace, to clean, 108 Ties, to wash, 182 Tinted goods, cleaning of, 32 Tinting satin shoes, 129 Tinting starches, 174 Tinting various materials, 111, 112 Tinting white gloves, 96 Toilet articles of silver, to clean, 158 Tortoise-shell, to clean, 156, 157 Towels, to iron, 176 Towels, to wash, 165 Trousers, to clean and press, 68 Tubs, laundry, care of, 163 Turpentine, use of, in dry-cleaning, Turpentine, use of, in washing clothes, 162 U "Universal" cleaning fluid, 29, 30 Upholstery leather, to clean and re- vive, 120 Urine stains, 57 216 INDEX Varnish stains, 17 Vegetable fibre fabrics, cleaning of, 18, 31 Veils, to clean, 148-149 Velvet, to brush, 139 Velvet, to clean, 16, 104, 126, 139 et seq. Velvet, to freshen, 140 Velveteen for brushing silk, 138 Velveteen, to wash, 141 Venetian blinds, to clean, 85 Vinegar, use of, in laundering, 208 Volatile substances, use of, 9 W Waists, lingerie, to wash, 203 et Washboards, care of, 164 Washing bedding, 180 Washing blankets, 205 Washing challies, 183 Washing chiffon, 197 Washing clothes, 159 et seq. Washing collars, 193 Washing colored cottons, 181 et seq. Washing couch covers, 184 Washing cuffs, 193 Washing curtains, 184 et seq. Washing dresses, 182 Washing embroidery, 188 et seq. Washing flannels, 206 Washing fluids, 161 Washing handkerchiefs, 190 et seq. Washing laces, 192, 193 Washing portieres, 184 Washing 1 shirts, 193 et seq. Washing silks, 195 et seq. Washing special work, 180 et seq. Washing table linens, 199 et sea. Washing, the process of, 165 et seq. Washing waists, 203 Washing white goods, 204 Washing woollens, 205, 206 Water, hardened, 160 Water, made, soft, 159 Wax spots on woollens, 65 Wet process of cleaning, 9, 10 White cotton curtains, to clean, 83 White flannel blouse, to clean, 65 White flannel for use on delicate, silk, 11 White flannel, to bleach, 64 White gloves, to tint, 101 White goods, bleaching of, 60, 61 White goods, cleaning of, 33 et seq. White goods, to wash, 204 White kid shoes, stain for, 124 White leather or canvas shoes, to clean, 122 White vests, to clean, 60 White woollen fabrics, 25; see un- der Woollens Whitewash, spots and stains of, 75 Wine stains, 57 Wings and quills, to clean, 90 Wood alcohol, 19 Woollens, cleaning and renovating of, 65 et seq. Woollens, to wash, 205 et seq. Workmen's clothes, to whiten, 60, 61 Wringer, care of, 163 Wrinkles, to remove, 67, 135 217 THIS BOOK IS DUE ON THE LAST DATE STAMPED BELOW AN INITIAL FINE OF 25 CENTS WILL BE ASSESSED FOR FAILURE TO RETURN THIS BOOK ON THE DATE DUE. THE PENALTY WILL INCREASE TO 5O CENTS ON THE FOURTH DAY AND TO $1.OO ON THE SEVENTH DAY OVERDUE. REC'D I_D FEB 5 1934 MAR? 196Z " ^/M / \~\"^ 1 " -'" / - 7 ftpR S019& rt **"" JAN 281947 SarT * LD 21-100m-7.'33 o YB I 1215 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRAK*