To Wash Colored Flannel and Woolen Goods—Other Methods.—In addition to soapsuds, flannel and wool en goods may be washed in bran, flour starch, or rice. To use flour starch, take a teacupful of flour and rub it smooth with a little water to form a fine paste. Add boiling water slowly, stirring vigorously to make a smooth starch. Boil five or ten minutes and strain through cheese cloth into half a tubful of warm water, stirring vig orously. This will make good suds without soap.
To Wash Dress Goods with Rice.— Boil 2 pounds of rice in 12 quarts of water for 2 or 3 hours. Pour half of this into a tub, and when cool enough to bear the hands put the garments in and wash them with the soft boiled rice the same as with soap. Strain the other half through cheese cloth. Put the solid part into an other tub of warm water and wash the garments once in this. Rinse in clear warm water, and a second time in warm water in which the clear rice water that was reserved for this pur pose has been added. This will take the place of starch. No soap or starch need be used. The rice should be boiled a day or two in advance and kept in readiness, so that garments may be washed early in the morning and done up the same day.
Woolen Fancy Work—Crochet, etc. —Small and delicate woolen articles may be put into a cotton bag or tied up in a pillowcase and washed the same as other woolen articles. The suds and rinsing water should be plen tiful. The articles need not be taken out of the bag while washing, and they may be hung up in it on the line to dry.
Woolen Table Covers. — First re move all stains and grease spots; next soak thirty minutes in strong salt water. Prepare suds, wash, rinse, and dry same as other colored woolen goods. If much soiled, apply soap and water with tt scrubbing brush, laying the cloth on the washboard placed crosswise upon the tub.
To Wash Knitted Shawls.—Knitted or crocheted shawls may be folded as flat as possible and laid carefully in a pillowcase, run through at inter vals with basting thread to keep flat, and treated like other flannel or wool en goods. If washed separately, ob serve the usual cautions for woolen goods, gently squeezing through the hands and keeping the suds and rins ing water of the same lukewarm tem perature. Do not hang knitted goods up to dry, but put in the oven on a big platter, shaking and turning oc casionally, or lay on tt clean cloth in the bright sunshine.
Woolen Shawls.—The most delicate colored cashmere and other woolen shawls may be washed in soapsuds if proper precautions are observed. Make suds same as for other woolen goods by dissolving 1 pound of hard white soap in 2/ pailfuls of water. Add 1 tablespoonful of oxgall or 2 ounces of alum and wash the articles by sous ing up and down, rubbing as little as possible. Squeeze the water out of them and rinse in two or three waters, each containing a teaspoonful of salt. Place between two dry sheets to wring out and wring lightly. Press while still damp with a warm, not hot, iron.
To Wash Blankets.—Choose a warm, sunny day with a gentle breeze. Pre pare suds by dissolving in hot water bar of any good white hard soap, 1 tablespoonful of borax, and 1 table spoonful of aqua ammonia for each pair of blankets. Let the suds cool
until they will bear the hands. Im merse the blankets and let them stand in the suds for an hour, keeping the temperature about as hot as the hands will bear by frequently adding hot water. Do not rub soap on the blan kets nor scour nor rub them. Lay the washboard flat across the tub, put in one blanket at a time, raise the blan ket on to the washboard and go around the edge, applying the suds with a scrubbing brush and rubbing vigor ously. Meantime heat sufficient water for two more lathers. Remove from the first to a second suds prepared in the same manner, seize the blanket by the middle and souse it up and down. Squeeze and press it between the hands until clean. Rinse in three clear waters, keeping them at the same tem perature as the suds, namely, as hot as the hands will bear, and run through the wringer or squeeze the water out of them rather than wring them in the usual way. Fasten by the edges to the line and frequently shake and stretch them to their proper size while drying. To have the best success in washing blankets two points must be observed, namely: to keep the water at a uniform temperature, neither boil ing hot nor cold enough to chill, but as hot as the hands will bear; and not to wring or rub the blankets in such a way that the fibers will become in terlaced and cause shrinking. When thoroughly dry beat the blankets while on the line with a carpet beater. This will cause the wool to become fluffy like a new blanket.
To Wash, Bedspreads. — If bed spreads are changed quite frequently they will not require soaking, but if very much soiled they may be soaked by putting them in a tub and pour ing over them a boilerful of hot water in which 2 tablespoonfuls of borax has been dissolved. Prepare suds by dissolving 1 bar of hard white or yellow soap in a boilerful of hot water and wash same as other white goods. Do not use, any form of soda, lye, or any washing fluids or com pounds. If washed on a windy day, bedspreads will need no ironing. Fold the edges together and pin them on the line with the wrong side out. This not only prevents the spread from wearing across the middle, but gives it a fresher appearance than ironing.
To Wash Comforters.—Sometimes a heavy comforter can be washed by simply tacking it smoothly on a clean shingle roof and letting the rain fall on it. It is well to previously soak it for half an hour or more in a strong solution of common salt to prevent the colors running.
Or soak the comforter for an hour or two in borax water. Prepare suds as for other colored goods, with the addition of oxgall or alum and salt. Lay the washboard across the top of the tub and apply the suds with a soft scrubbing brush, especially round the edges. Continue as in washing blankets. Those who have a supply of running water may use the garden hose for rinsing blankets, bedspreads, and comforters. Remove from the suds without wringing, hang them on a line, and drench them with water from the hose until they are rinsed thoroughly.