A good way to brighten a carpet is to put a half tumbler of spirits of tur-
pentine in a basin of water, and dip your broom in it and sweep over the
carpet once or twice and it will restore the color and brighten it up until
you would think it new. Another good way to clean old carpets is to rub
them over with meal ; just dampen it a very little and rub the carpet with
it and when perfectly dry, sweep over with meal. After a carpet is
MISCELLANEOUS RECIPES.
521
thoroughly swept, rub it with a cloth dipped in water and ammonia ; it
will brighten the colors and make it look like new.
TO TAKE OUT MACHINE GREASE.
Cold water, a tablespoonful of ammonia and soap, will take out
machine grease where other means would not answer on account of colors
running, etc.
f
. TO WASH FLANNELS.
The first thing to consider in washing flannels so that they retain their
size, is that the article be washed and rinsed in water of the same temperature,
that is, about as warm as the hands can bear, and not allowed to cool
between. The water should be a strong suds. Rub through two soapy
waters ; wring them out, and put into plenty of clear, clean, warm water
to rinse. Then into another of the same temperature, blued a little.
Wring, shake them well and hang up. Do not take out of this warm
water and hang out in a freezing air, as that certainly tends to shrink
them. It is better to dry them in the house, unless the sun shines.
They should dry quickly. Colored flannels should never be washed
in the same water after white clothes, or they will be covered, when dry,
with lint ; better be washed in a water for themselves. In washing
worsted, such as merino dress goods, pursue the same course, only do not
wring them hard; shake, hang them up and let drain. While a little
damp, bring in and press smoothly on the wrong side with as hot an iron
as can be used without scorching the goods.
Flannels that have become yellow from being badly washed, may be
nicely whitened by soaking them two or three hours in a lather made of
one-quarter of a pound of soft soap, two tablespoonfuls of powdered borax
and two tablespoonfuls of carbonate of ammonia, dissolved in five or six
gallons of water✪ Whitening Flannels.
TO STARCH, FOLD AND IRON SHIRTS.
To THREE tablespoonfuls of dry, fine starch allow a quart of water.
First wet the starch smooth in a little cold water in a tin pan, put into it
a little pinch of salt and a piece of enamel, or shirt polish the size of a
bean, or a piece of clean tallow, or a piece of butter the size of a cranberry✪ Starch for Shirts;
pour over this a quart of boiling water, stirring rapidly, placing it over the
fire. Cook until clear, then remove it from the fire and set the pan in
another of warm water to keep the starch warm.
522
MISCELLANEOUS RECIPES.
Turn the shirt wrong side out and dip the bosom in the hot starch as
warm as the hands can bear the heat ; rub the starch evenly through the
linen, saturating it thoroughly ; wring hard to make dry as possible.
Starch the collar and wristbands the same way, then hang them out to
dry. Three hours before ironing them, wet the bosoms and cuffs in cold
water, wring out, shake and fold, roll up tightly, wrap in a towel and let
remain two or three hours.
Page 347 · 2 recipe records on this page
Presented as published in 1887. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
A good way to brighten a carpet is to put a half tumbler of spirits of turpentine in a basin of water, and dip your broom in it and sweep over the carpet once or twice and it will restore the color and brighten it up until you would think it new. Another good way to clean old carpets is to rub them over with meal ; just dampen it a very little and rub the carpet with it and when perfectly dry, sweep over with meal. After a carpet is
thoroughly swept, rub it with a cloth dipped in water and ammonia ; it will brighten the colors and make it look like new.
TO TAKE OUT MACHINE GREASE.
Cold water, a tablespoonful of ammonia and soap, will take out machine grease where other means would not answer on account of colors running, etc.
f
. TO WASH FLANNELS.
The first thing to consider in washing flannels so that they retain their size, is that the article be washed and rinsed in water of the same temperature, that is, about as warm as the hands can bear, and not allowed to cool between. The water should be a strong suds. Rub through two soapy waters ; wring them out, and put into plenty of clear, clean, warm water to rinse. Then into another of the same temperature, blued a little. Wring, shake them well and hang up. Do not take out of this warm water and hang out in a freezing air, as that certainly tends to shrink them. It is better to dry them in the house, unless the sun shines. They should dry quickly. Colored flannels should never be washed in the same water after white clothes, or they will be covered, when dry, with lint ; better be washed in a water for themselves. In washing worsted, such as merino dress goods, pursue the same course, only do not wring them hard; shake, hang them up and let drain. While a little damp, bring in and press smoothly on the wrong side with as hot an iron as can be used without scorching the goods.
Flannels that have become yellow from being badly washed, may be nicely whitened by soaking them two or three hours in a lather made of one-quarter of a pound of soft soap, two tablespoonfuls of powdered borax and two tablespoonfuls of carbonate of ammonia, dissolved in five or six gallons of water.
TO STARCH, FOLD AND IRON SHIRTS.
To THREE tablespoonfuls of dry, fine starch allow a quart of water. First wet the starch smooth in a little cold water in a tin pan, put into it a little pinch of salt and a piece of enamel, or shirt polish the size of a bean, or a piece of clean tallow, or a piece of butter the size of a cranberry; pour over this a quart of boiling water, stirring rapidly, placing it over the fire. Cook until clear, then remove it from the fire and set the pan in another of warm water to keep the starch warm.
Turn the shirt wrong side out and dip the bosom in the hot starch as warm as the hands can bear the heat ; rub the starch evenly through the linen, saturating it thoroughly ; wring hard to make dry as possible. Starch the collar and wristbands the same way, then hang them out to dry. Three hours before ironing them, wet the bosoms and cuffs in cold water, wring out, shake and fold, roll up tightly, wrap in a towel and let remain two or three hours.
Records on this page
Whitening FlannelsStarch for Shirts