Wash same as other colored goods, using alum or oxgall in the suds and salt in the rinsing water. Use alum preferably for green.
Black calico may be washed in an infusion of potato starch. Peel two or three potatoes, scrape them, boil, and strain, washing the calico in the pure liquid.
Or wash in an infusion of wheat bran as hereinafter suggested.
Colored Goods—To Fix Their Color. —Substances recommended for fixing the colors of calicoes and other col ored articles vary with the colors and the nature of the fabric. They in clude oxgall, salt, infusion of hay, alum, and lemon juice or vinegar ; for red articles, borax, and for black goods lye and black pepper.
Of these, oxgall and salt are the most popular. The gall of an ox can be obtained from the butcher. It may be preserved by adding to it a hand ful of salt, and keeping it corked tightly. A bottle of this preparation should be always kept on hand in the laundry. Use 1 teacupful to 5 gal lons of water.
Common salt may be used in the proportion of 4 cupful to 2 gallons of water; alum, 1 ounce to each gal lon of water; borax, 1 tablespoonful to the gallon; vinegar or lemon juice, the same. Add these substances in the above proportion to both suds and rinsing water.
Or use a large tablespoonful of ox gall in the suds and a teaspoonful of vinegar in each rinsing water.
Or use alum in the suds and vine gar in the rinsing water.
Do not use both oxgall and alum.
To Fix Light, Solid Colors. — To permanently fix blue, slate, and stone colors in cotton fabrics, dissolve 1 ounce of sugar of lead in gallons of hot water. Stir with a wooden stick, and let stand until lukewarm. Immerse the garments in this solu tion for 1 to 2 hours, and hang up to drip dry in the shade before wash ing. Remember that sugar of lead is poisonous; hence, after being dried, these articles should be washed thor oughly and rinsed in plenty of clear water.
To Fix Dark, Solid Colors.—To fix black and other dark colors, dissolve 2 cupfuls of salt in 2i gallons of water, immerse the articles until they are thoroughly saturated, and hang them up to drip dry in a shady place. Add a tablespoonful of salt to the rinsing water.
Or, to prevent black goods and hosiery from turning brown, use very strong bluing in the water. For black goods, also, add a teacupful of lye to each pailful of soapsuds in which the articles are washed. They must be washed quickly and the excess of lye thoroughly rinsed out in clear cold water to which salt has been added.
Or, for black goods, prepare an in fusion of 1 tablespoonful of powdered black pepper with sufficient water to cover the articles, and steep them in it for a half hour before washing.
To Fix Pinks, Reds, and Greens.— Vinegar is especially recommended for pink, red, or green goods to brighten the color; salt for black, blue, and green colors. Hence, to fix pink or green, add cupful of strong vinegar to 2i gallons of water, im merse the articles, and let them drip dry in the shade.
To Fix Red or Scarlet.—For red or scarlet table napkins add 1 table spoonful of borax to each gallon of soapsuds when washing.
To Fix Solid-colored Linens. — A strong infusion of common hay made by boiling the hay and straining off the clear liquor is recommended for French linens; black pepper, 1 tea spoonful for each pailful of water, for gray and brown linens.
To Wash Colored Goods with Bran. —Delicate lawn and muslin dresses, also chintz and cretonne, may be washed without soap in an infusion of wheat bran. This process cannot possibly harm the most delicate fab rics. Boil 1 quart of wheat bran in 3 quarts of water for about 15 min utes, and strain off the clear liquor into the wash water. Boil the bran again for 15 minutes in an equal quantity of water, and strain off the resulting infusion into the rinsing water.
For the wash water add to the in fusion of bran about an equal quan tity of clear soft water. Add also, to set the colors, a tablespoonful of oxgall or a small lump of alum. Use no soap, as the bran itself possesses sufficient cleansing properties. Wash with as little rubbing and wringing as possible.
Rinse first in the lukewarm bran water, adding salt, and afterwards in clear water containing a little gum arable. No starch will be required. The bran after having been strained may be fed to pigs or chickens.
To Clean Colored Goods with Raw Potatoes. — Grate the potatoes to a fine pulp and mix with 1 pint of water for each pound of grated potato. Sift with a coarse sieve and let the liquid settle until the starch accumulates at the bottom. The clear liquid remain ing may be bottled for future use. To apply, lay a linen towel over the wash board and spread the soiled garment upon it. Sponge with the clear liquid and afterwards rinse with clear cold water.