Things Learned From Experience in the Family Laundry
1. SHAKE the bath towels well, and hang straight on the line to dry. Fold once lengthwise and roll them into a snug roll. In this shape they fit nicely into the available space in chest or drawer, and are readily separated when one is required for use. 2. Beware of starch. Lighter starching on wash day gives better results with lighter labor on ironing day. 3. Ginghams and lawns look fresh and new if starched lightly and ironed on the wrong side. Any rough places may be pressed on the right side when the iron is cooler. 4. Tucks are ironed almost as easily as plain material if first smoothed into shape on the board, and then pressed with a moderately hot iron on the wrong side. A very hot iron scorches and weakens the single fabric between the tucks, and so shortens the durability of the garment. Tucks, laces, and embroideries ironed on the wrong side over a well-padded board retain the effect of detail in design and the freshness in appearance of new goods. 5. Iron the drop under the ruffle of slips and skirts and the bottom hems of dresses on the wrong side. This presses the hem and seams flat, and leaves a polished surface to shed the dust where most exposed to the boot tops and other things liable to soil. 6. To clarify muddy water for laundry or bath, draw sufficient water into a cask or convenient receptacle. Take a large lump of alum and for one minute pass it around through the top of the water, rubbing to dissolve some of the chemical in the water. The alum in the top will precipitate the foreign matter, leaving the water clear and white. A bit of borax for the toilet, or of Javelle water for the laundry, will counteract the influence or tendency of the alum to harden the water, and will render it as soft as rain water. — Selected.