Soap Jelly

Ingredients

• A quarter lb. soap (odds and ends may be used)
• One pint water

Method

1. 1

   Shred soap, add the hot water, place on side of stove until dissolved.

2. 2

   Do not boil it.

3. 3

   Add sufficient water to make a slight lather.

4. 4

   Soap jelly for woollens, silks and coloured goods should be made with a mild, not strong soap.

As published

This recipe was extracted from Girl's home manual of cookery, home management, home nursing and laundry (1913) by Annie Bessie Juniper, British Columbia. Ministry of Education, page 93. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

soap jelly and starch, 60c. Pegs in linen bag, to hang round neck of laundress, 40c. Cloth stick, to stir and lift clothes from boiler, 10c. Scrubbing brush, 25c. Beeswax, 5c. Bathbrick in box, 5c. Iron stand: A brick or the rim of a preserve jar do well for this purpose. Iron Holder: Cut a stocking down the back seam, fold it in four, invert a saucer on it and cut around. Baste the pieces of stocking together and cover with two circles of white cotton. 156 GIRLS’ HOME MANUAL CHAPTER II. —— LAUNDRY MATERIALS Water. Pure water is composed of two gases, two parts of hydrogen to one part of oxygen, and is expressed thus: HzO. Water is used in laundry work because of its great solvent power, that is, its power of dissolving substances. It dissolves and carries away the dirt on soiled clothing. Water will not dissolve grease. There are two kinds of water: Soft Water, which falls as rain or snow. Hard Water, which contains mineral matter, and sometimes organic matter, which it has dissolved out of the ground over which it has passed. If the ground over which the water passes does not.contain these mineral matters the water is soft. Hard water uses more soap, labor and time than soft, therefore hard water for laundry purposes should be softened. Methods of Softening Water. (1.) Boil it. The carbonic acid gas is sent off and one kind of mineral matter (carbonate of calcium) is deposited. This is seen on the inside of kettles, a white, chalky substance. (2.) Expose it to air, collected in barrels. The carbonic acid gas passes off into the air and the carbonate of calcium falls to the bottom. These two methods remove only one kind of mineral matter and the water may still need to be further softened. (3.) Add Soap to it until a lather appears. ‘This is expensive. (4.) Add Lime Water. Dissolve quicklime in cold water. When it has settled, strain. Quantity, one gallon of lime water to ten of water. This may be done in barrels. (S.) Add Washing Soda. This is a cheap and easy method. Method: Dissolve one pound of washing soda in one quart of boiling water. Bottle and label soda solution. Quantity: Use to one gallon of water two tablespoonfuls of soda solution, or more for very hard water. (6.) Add Borax. This is expensive, and is used for delicate materials. Quantity: One tablespoonful dissolved in a cup of boiling water to each gallon of water. (7.) Add Lye. This method is useful for the hard: waters of the prairies. Quantity: One teaspoonful dissolved in a cup of boiling water to each gallon of water. To Remove Iron from Water. Collect water in barrels, add washing soda in the above proportion, allow to stand a week to settle before drawing off water. — HOME NURSING | 157 To Remove Organic Matter from Water. Collectin (barrels, “To-each gallon add one teaspoonful alum and two tea- spoonfuls borax dissolved in a cup of boiling water. Allow water to stand a week to settle before drawing any off. SOAP AND SOAP SUBSTITUTES Soap is made of fat, water, and an alkali, either caustic soda or potash. The alkali unites with the fatty acid to form soap, and glycerine is set free and removed. Use in Laundry Work. A good soap contains a small excess of alkali suffi- cient to remove grease, which water will not do, hence it assists water in cleansing clothing. A poor soap contains too much free alkali, and is hurtful to hands and delicate fabrics. Soap may be adulterated by the addition of: (a) Too much water, which causes it to quickly waste. (b) Too much alkali, which makes it hard on the hands, (c) Resin. This makes the soap very yellow, but in small quantities resin whitens clothes. Care of Soap. Soap should be bought some weeks before it is to be used, cut up and put to dry, as when dry it wastes must less in the water. Soap Jelly. A quarter lb. soap (odds and ends may be used). One pint water

Cook this with the app: pantry check, scaling, and the assistant.