PREPARATIONS FOR WASH DAY The custom of this country has es tablished Monday as wash day. Many families, however, prefer Tuesday, in order to have an opportunity on Monday to sort over the different ar ticles, mend tears, remove stains, and the like.
Bed clothing is usually changed on Saturday, and body clothing on Sat urday or Sunday, so that all clothes may be readily collected and at hand early Monday morning.
Laundry Bags.—Each person in the family should have a laundry bag in his or her own room in which soiled garments may be kept in preparation for the weekly wash. A separate laun dry bag for soiled table linen and napkins should be hung on the back of the pantry door or some other clean, dry place where mice cannot get at it. If these articles are not kept out of the way they will scent the spots of grease in table linen and gnaw their way to them.
Laundry bags may be made of heavy unbleached muslin, or worn-out pillowcases may be used, by facing them to hold a draw string.
Ordinary crash toweling, folded across and sewed at the sides, makes a convenient laundry bag.
Or ornamental bags may be made in the form of a double pocket having one opening across the middle with two baglike receptacles.
Clothes Hamper. — In addition to these laundry bags a clothes hamper located conveniently near the laundry will be found very handy to receive soiled towels and bed linen. Covered basket hampers may be obtained at the stores.
Or a cheap clothes hamper may be made from a small barrel, by lining it inside with cambric or calico and covering the outside with cretonne or other material arranged in plaits. The lid may be covered with the same ma terial and supplied with a covered knob in the center. The lining should be sewed together in breadths like a skirt.
Or a hamper may be made of a dry goods box by lining and covering it in the same manner with any suitable material. By padding the top this
box may be used as a seat and may be placed where a barrel would be in convenient.
Sorting the Laundry. — Spread a white sheet on the floor and empty on this the contents of the laundry bags and hamper. Sort the small and delicate pieces of fine linen, as laces, fine waists, aprons, and petticoats, in one pile. It is a good plan to have one or two wash bags of cotton, about two feet square, in which to place these pieces to soak and boil them. Or they can be boiled separately in a kettle or small boiler.
Put the table linen, linen towels, and doilies in one pile; the bed and body linen, kitchen towels, and bath towels in another; the colored clothes, hosiery, and coarser articles in a third; and the flannels and woolens by them selves. These lots should be kept sep arate throughout the washing, the fine linen and table linen going into the first tub and the first boiler; bed and body linen into the second tub and second boiler ; colored clothes being washed separately, but not boiled; and flannels being reserved for sepa rate treatment. By this plan the same suds may be used in the boiler if desired, although changing the water is much to be preferred.
Laundry — To Remove Stains. While sorting the clothes, they should be carefully looked over for stains from fruit, grass, acids, pencil marks, ink, etc., as these may be much more readily eradicated before they are touched by soap or boiling water. Pencil marks especially should ' be erased carefully with a rubber eraser, as the hot water will make them in delible.