Fine cotton goods, as lawns, cam brics, and muslins, should not be washed with linen, especially un bleached linen, as the latter has a tendency to discolor them.
Delicate dresses of lawn, muslin, cambric, and print goods should not be boiled or rubbed with soap. They should be washed in tepid water in which soap has been previously dis solved, rinsed quickly, and dried in the shade.
A quart of bran sewed into a tight bag and boiled in the wash boiler will assist in cleansing delicate gar ments.
The addition of a handful of salt helps to set the colors of light cam brics and dotted lawns.
A little beef gall will brighten yel low, purple, or green tints.
Handkerchiefs. — Handkerchiefs used by persons who have affections of the nose, throat, and lungs, as grippe, catarrh, bronchitis, and the like, should not be put in laundry bags or clothes hampers containing the family wash. The easiest and most sanitary method of handling these articles is to keep for the pur pose a large tin or enameled-ware pan containing a strong solution of com mon salt. Drop the handkerchiefs into this, place the pan on the stove when clear from cooking, and bring to a boil. They may now be rinsed with clean water and put into the rest of the laundry, or the pan may be filled with boiling water containing a table spoonful of any good washing pow der, the handkerchiefs returned to it and boiled from twenty minutes to half an hour, then removed, rinsed, and laid aside for ironing.
To Wash Corsets.—Choose a clear, sunny day; make a strong solution of good soapsuds and a small amount of ammonia, spread the corsets on a clean board or table and scrub with a good stiff brush until thoroughly clean. Apply clear water in the same way to rinse them and hang immedi ately in the sun. Do not wring out. Let them drip dry, and the shape will not be changed, Or make good warm suds, lay the corsets on a washboard and scrub thoroughly on both sides with a stiff brush. Then scald a little, rinse thor oughly, starch slightly, and dry. When ironed they look much better than when rubbed on a washboard.
Special Pieces.—In addition to the regular wash day it is often advisable to lay aside small muslins, laces, rib bons, and other delicate articles to be washed at other times when they can have special attention, rather than to put them into the weekly wash. Blan kets and other heavy articles can also be washed to better advantage by themselves, and in the season when the days are long and bright.