TO REMOVE STAINS FROM VEGE TABLE FIBERS To Remove Stains from Linen.— All tea, coffee, milk, and other stains or spots on linen should be removed as quickly as possible. If they ap pear on a clean tablecloth slip be neath the spot a small dish contain ing hot water. Let the stain rest in the water, and rub gently with the fingers until it disappears. Smooth the cloth by putting a folded napkin underneath and applying a warm iron, and, without having been re moved from the table, it will appear as fresh as when first laundered.
For strong tea stains, put a spoon ful of sugar on the stain, dip into the water, and let it stand for a few min utes. Afterwards rinse with clear water.
Or, if not convenient to treat in this way, cover the stain with a quan tity of powdered starch, let dry, and remove by brushing.
When dried tea, coffee, or milk stains are found in table linen, rub the stains with butter and afterwards rub in hot soapsuds before launder ing.
Or apply the yolk of an egg mixed with a teaspoonful of glycerin.
Or take 10 teaspoonfuls of water, I teaspoonful of glycerin, and tea spoonful of aqua ammonia. Dip the stain in this and allow it to dry. Repeat several times. Afterwards rub the spot between the fingers, and before sending the article to the laun dry brush or scrub away the dry resi due with the edge of a knife.
Mildew on Linen.—Mildew may be removed from linen as from other fabrics with powdered chalk, lemon juice, salt, and pipe clay, and after wards exposing to sunlight. Wash the spots in soapsuds made of hard white or yellow soap. Rub in pow dered chalk with a flannel cloth, cov er the spot with more chalk, and lay in the sun. Repeat if necessary.
Or soak the spots in lemon juice and apply common salt. Afterwards cover with pipe clay or powdered chalk, or use equal parts powdered starch and salt.
To Remove Ink from Linen.— Treatment depends upon the nature of the ink. Stretch the linen before the steam of a teakettle and brush with a strong solution of salts of lemon.
Or use acetic or muriatic acid, not too strong. Rinse as soon as the ink disappears. Or apply salt and lemon juice. Or use the juice of a ripe to mato. Squeeze the juice upon the
ink and rub with the fingers. Rinse and apply the juice again, until the stain disappears.
Linen, Marking Ink.—Apply a saturated solution of cyanide of po tassium, rubbing with a glass rod. Rinse as soon as the ink disappears.
Linen, Iron Rust and Mold.—Cov er the stain with salts of lemon and stretch it across the steam of a tea kettle or a saucepan full of boiling water, so that the salts of lemon will be gradually dissolved by the steam and soaked into the fabric.
Or put a common dinner plate on top of a saucepan containing boiling water. Lay the linen over this, cover the stain with salts of lemon, and keep wet with hot water until, the stain is removed. Afterwards rinse carefully in cold water.
Or rub the spot with butter, then add a small quantity of potash lye, and again rub the spot until the stain has disappeared. Rinse quickly in cold water.
Linen, Yellow Stains.—If linen has faded yellow or become stained from perspiration, dissolve about one table spoonful of pipe clay in the water in which it is boiled.
Linen, Acid Stains.—Wet the arti cle, and cover it with salts of worm wood. Rub the dry salt into the wet fabric until the stain disappears. Afterwards rinse thoroughly.
Or form a cone by twisting and pinning together a piece of paper, and under this light a number of old fashioned brimstone matches or burn a bit of sulphur. Hold the stain so that the sulphurous-acid gas escaping through the cone will pass through it.
Linen, Iodine Stains.—Dip the spot in cold water and hold it by the fire until dry. Repeat until the stain is removed.
Linen, Fruit and Wine Stains.— While fresh put a little baking soda or washing soda on the stain, stretch it tightly over a bowl or pan, and pour boiling water upon the stain so as to dissolve the soda. No fresh fruit, wine, tea, coffee, or other com mon stain is likely to withstand this treatment. Let the spot sink into the water and soak until the water cools, dipping it up and down and rubbing with the fingers. When the water cools repeat, if necessary, until the stain disappears.