WOOLENS, WORSTEDS, AND FLAN NELS To Wash Woolen Goods and Flan nels. — Washing woolen goods and flannels without shrinking them or causing them to lose their natural softness and delicate colors is one of the best tests of the skillful laun dress.
Cautions for Woolen Goods.—Wool en and flannel goods must not be soaked, boiled, scalded, or wrung out by twisting. They must not be dried near a hot fire. The fibers of wool are hooked and curled, and when they are crushed together by rubbing they form knots, which thicken the fiber and shrink it in both dimensions. This is one of the principal causes of the shrinking that is so much feared. Or the expansion and contraction caused by alternate beat and cold may cause the fibers to interlace. Flannels may be shrunk, if desired, before they are made up by first placing them in cold and afterwards in hot water. But they can be washed without shrinking if proper precautions are observed.
To Suds Woolens and Flannels.— Prepare suds by dissolving 1 bar of hard white soap shaved fine in a boil erful of water and adding 2 table spoonfuls of aqua ammonia. Do not use yellow soap which contains borax or soda in any form, or washing fluids and powders of the composition of which you know nothing. Pour the suds into a tub and allow them to be come cool enough to bear the hands comfortably before putting in the flannels. Wash these articles one at a time as quickly as possible. Do not rub soap on them or rub them on the washboard. Souse them up and down in the water and rub them together with the hands until cleaned. Do not put them through the wringer or wring by twisting, but squeeze out the soapsuds with the hands, shake out carefully, stretch, and wash in a second lather prepared like the first, but not so strong. Rinse in warm water as near the temperature of the suds as possible, to which a little bluing may be added, press out the rinsing water, shake vigorously, and stretch the articles to prevent shrink ing.
Pull each piece as nearly as possi ble into its proper shape and hang up carefully in such a way that the shape may be preserved. A clear, bright day with sunshine and a light breeze is desirable. Flannels should
be taken down while still slightly damp and rolled up in a dry cloth. If the weather is not clear they may be dried indoors, but not near the stove. The object should be to avoid extreme changes of temperature, as these cause flannels to shrink and be come hard.
To Wash Colored Woolens and Flannels.—Wash colored woolens and flannels same as other colored goods, adding oxgall or alum to the suds to set the colors, and salt or vinegar, or both, to the rinsing water. Omit the use of ammonia or borax. Dry deli cate colored flannels in the shade.
To Wash Colored Woolen Dress Goods. — Cashmere, merino, alpaca, and llama dresses and colored worst ed and flannel waists and blouses may be washed in suds prepared as for other colored woolen goods, provid ed the same cautions are observed. Do not soak, boil, or scald any woolen goods. Do not use any form of soda, lye, or unknown washing fluids or pow ders. Do not use borax or ammonia for delicate colored articles. Use pure neutral white or yellow soap shaved and dissolved in boiling water until it will bear the hands comfortably, and keep the suds and rinsing water at the same lukewarm temperature. Rub and wring as lightly as possible, rather sousing the garments up and down and squeezing out the water with the hands. Add oxgall or alum to the suds, and salt or vinegar to the rinsing water to set the colors. delicate colors in the shade. Avoid direct sunlight or proximity to a hot fire. Take down before dry and iron while damp, but without sprin kling.
Soap jelly for Woolen Goods.—To avoid preparing suds by shaving soap and boiling each time, it is convenient to prepare in advance a soap jelly, as follows: shave any amount of neutral white or yellow soap in the propor tion of / pound of soap to 1 quart of boiling water and simmer until dis solved. When cold it will jell. Use this jelly in the proportion of 1 heap ing tablespoonful to / gallon of warm water to prepare suds for washing all flannel or woolen goods. This saves the time required to bring the water to a boil.