Washing Light Colored Prints and Cambrics

Ingredients

• a tablespoonful of alum
• enough lukewarm water
• a tablespoonful of vinegar

Method

1. 1

   Dissolve alum in lukewarm water, dip the dress, then wash quickly in warm suds.

2. 2

   Rinse in cold water and starch with not too hot starch.

As published

This recipe was extracted from The household (of the Detroit free press) (1886) by Goff, May Perrin,, page 212. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

hot. Light Colored Prints and Cambrics may be washed in this way : Take a tablespoonful of alum and dissolve it in enough lukewarm water to rinse a print dress. Dip the soiled dress into it, taking care to wet thoroughly every part of it, and then ring it out. Have warm — not hot — suds all ready, and wash out the dress quickly ; then rinse it in cold water. (White castile soap is the best for colored cottons, if it can be commanded.) Have the starch ready — but not too hot ; rinse the dress in it, wring it out, and hang it wrong side out to dry, but not in the sun. Place it where the wind will strike it rather than the sun. When dry, iron directly. Prints should never be sprinkled; but if allowed to become rough dry, they should be ironed under a damp cloth. It is 24:0 THE LA UNDR Y. better to wash them some day by themselves, when washing and iron- ing can be done at once. Black Calico — Boil about one dozen potatoes in one gallon of water (do not pare them), wash the goods in this water without soap ; then take four good sized potatoes, pare them and grate into a deep dish, sprinkle about a tablespoonful of salt over this and pour boiling water upon it to make it the consistency of thin starch ; strain, and rinse the goods in this; hang them up to dry; iron on the wrong side. Or this : Wash it in clear soapsuds — put no soap on the garment — or clear water with half an ox-gall dissolved in it, wash on the wrong side and starch with thin starch with a little gum arabic dissolved in it. Dry quickly and iron on the wrong side. Chintz — Make a lather of the best soft soap, add one tablespoonful of vinegar

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