vent them discolouring or shrinking. Dissolve in the
tub a handful of melted soap in as much warm water
as will melt it ; add a little washing powder and cold
water till there is enough for the purpose. Put in one
flannel garment at a time, and wash it quickly, not
rubbing if it can be avoided, but knocking up and
down, and from side to side, as rubbing flannel works its
fibres into each other, and gradually gathers it thick.
Squeeze out tightly rather than wring. (A wringing
machine is particularly good for flannels.)
When all are washed out— always beginning with the
best — put more water, and very little soap this time, into
the tub. The water should be no more than tepid. Wash
well with a sort of rinsing motion, and squeeze out well
and tightly ; shake, fold, and put aside to dry.
All flannels, particularly, but all body clothes as well,
ought to be turned before they ai'e wrung out the last
time before drying.
Stockings should be turned and washed well on the wrong
side, folded nicely and clapped before hanging up to dry.
Flannels must be quickly dried either in the hot sun or
before a good fire, frequently shaken, and drawn to a shape
during the process of drying — the larger articles shaken
by two people to set up the pile of the flannel To dry
flannels slowly causes them to shrink.
Coloured dresses, prints, chintzes, come next in order.
They are washed in the same way as flannels, only no
washing powder must be used, and they ought to be
quickly washed and dried. The water should not be hot
— only warm a little. Wash them quickly and well, and
wring out hai*d. Then put more melted soap and warm
water in the tub, and wash again. Afterwards rinse in
pure cold water, and hang up to dry. Chintzes are better
washed in this way, but a lump of ammonia dissolved
WASHING AND IRONING.
133
in the water improves and preserves the colour; then rinse
well, and hang up to dry.
Dresses or cotton stockings, with black or loose coloui's,
should be rinsed in water with some salt in it, to prevent
the colour running. Flannels after being well dried in
the sun, if possible, should be toasted before a good fire,
then folded up and put away ; stockings put aside to be
darned, if necessary, sorted in pairs and put past; all the
other linen taken down and folded before they are per-
fectly dry, to be ready for mangling and ironing. Body
linen does not need to be mangled. Bed and table linen
must be carefully folded and drawn ready to be mangled,
and afterwards ironed dry.
HOW TO MAKE AND USE COLD WATER
STARCH.
Have some white soap cut down thinly, and melt it
with a little hot water.
Have powdered borax, or lump borax powdered down.
The propoi-tions given below are for Coleman’s starch,
but any good starch suits, and the proportions can easily
be ascertained by a single trial.
Put in a basin 3 small table-spoonfuls of starch, and
wet it to a paste with a large teacupful of cold water.
Put into a cup a teaspoonful of the melted white
soap, and a tea-spoonful of the borax, and dissolve them
in half a teacupful of boiling water✪ Cold Water Starch. Pour this now into
the basin with the starch, and mix them well together
till a nice froth gathers on the top.
Have fine collars, cuffs, and other articles wrung
tightly from the blue water. Take a few at a time, and
wash them in this starch, rubbing them well all over,
134
WASHING AND IRONING.
Page 56 · 1 recipe record on this page
Presented as published in 1882. 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
vent them discolouring or shrinking. Dissolve in the tub a handful of melted soap in as much warm water as will melt it ; add a little washing powder and cold water till there is enough for the purpose. Put in one flannel garment at a time, and wash it quickly, not rubbing if it can be avoided, but knocking up and down, and from side to side, as rubbing flannel works its fibres into each other, and gradually gathers it thick. Squeeze out tightly rather than wring. (A wringing machine is particularly good for flannels.)
When all are washed out— always beginning with the best — put more water, and very little soap this time, into the tub. The water should be no more than tepid. Wash well with a sort of rinsing motion, and squeeze out well and tightly ; shake, fold, and put aside to dry.
All flannels, particularly, but all body clothes as well, ought to be turned before they are wrung out the last time before drying.
Stockings should be turned and washed well on the wrong side, folded nicely and clapped before hanging up to dry. Flannels must be quickly dried either in the hot sun or before a good fire, frequently shaken, and drawn to a shape during the process of drying — the larger articles shaken by two people to set up the pile of the flannel To dry flannels slowly causes them to shrink.
Coloured dresses, prints, chintzes, come next in order. They are washed in the same way as flannels, only no washing powder must be used, and they ought to be quickly washed and dried. The water should not be hot — only warm a little. Wash them quickly and well, and wring out hard. Then put more melted soap and warm water in the tub, and wash again. Afterwards rinse in pure cold water, and hang up to dry. Chintzes are better washed in this way, but a lump of ammonia dissolved
in the water improves and preserves the colour; then rinse well, and hang up to dry.
Dresses or cotton stockings, with black or loose colours, should be rinsed in water with some salt in it, to prevent the colour running. Flannels after being well dried in the sun, if possible, should be toasted before a good fire, then folded up and put away ; stockings put aside to be darned, if necessary, sorted in pairs and put past; all the other linen taken down and folded before they are perfectly dry, to be ready for mangling and ironing. Body linen does not need to be mangled. Bed and table linen must be carefully folded and drawn ready to be mangled, and afterwards ironed dry.
HOW TO MAKE AND USE COLD WATER
STARCH.
Have some white soap cut down thinly, and melt it with a little hot water.
Have powdered borax, or lump borax powdered down.
The proportions given below are for Coleman’s starch, but any good starch suits, and the proportions can easily be ascertained by a single trial.
Put in a basin 3 small table-spoonfuls of starch, and wet it to a paste with a large teacupful of cold water.
Put into a cup a teaspoonful of the melted white soap, and a teaspoonful of the borax, and dissolve them in half a teacupful of boiling water. Pour this now into the basin with the starch, and mix them well together till a nice froth gathers on the top.
Have fine collars, cuffs, and other articles wrung tightly from the blue water. Take a few at a time, and wash them in this starch, rubbing them well all over,
Records on this page
Cold Water Starch