Hard or hot water should never be used in washing or rinsing any woollen goods. Moderately warm suds — never using any soap directly on the goods if possible — with several rinsings in lukewarm water, will cleanse sufficiently. Press and squeeze woollen goods, but do not wring them. When squeezed dry, shake them out so as to avoid wrinkles. The Virtues of Borax. — The washerwomen of Holland and Bel- gium, so proverbially clean, and who get up their linen so beautifully white, use refined borax as washing-powder, instead of soda, in the proportion of one large handful of borax powder to about ten gal- lons of boiling water; they save in soap nearly half All of the large washing establishments adopt the same mode. For laces, cambrics, etc., an extra quantity of the powder is used, and for crinolines (re- quiring to be made stiff) a strong solution is necessary. Borax, being a neutral salt, does not in the slightest degree injure the texture of the linen. Its effect is to soften the hardest water. Old boot-tops lined make excellent iron-holders. Use wire rope for clothes-line. It saves annoyance, is cheaper in the long run, and much more convenient. In putting tubs away set them so that no two handles will come together, and keep them in a damp place, or you will find only a pile of staves when you go to use them in the Monday's wash. To Remove Mildew. — Soak the parts of the cloth that are mil- dewed in two parts of chloride of lime to four parts of water for about two hours, or till the mildew has disappeared ; then thoroughly rinse it in clear water. Sour milk removes iron rust from white goods. To make silk which has been wrinkled appear exactly like new, sponge it on the surface with a weak solution of gum-arabic or white glue, and iron on the wrong side. To DO up Black Silk. — Boil an old kid glove, cut up in small 298 THE hearthstone; or, life at home. shreds, in a pint of water, till the water is reduced to a half-pint, then sponge the silk with it ; fold it down tight, and, ten minutes after, iron it on the wrong side, while wet. The silk will retain its soft- ness and lustre, and yet at the same time have the " body " of new silk. To Keep Silk. — Silk goods should not be folded in white paper, as the chloride of lime used in bleaching the paper will impair the color of the silk. Brown or blue paper is better. White satin dresses should be pinned up in blue paper, with coarse brown paper on the outside, sewed together on the edge. Silk intended for dresses should not be kept in the piece long, as lying in folds causes it to crack or split, particularly if thickened with gum. To Renovate Silks. — Sponge faded silks with warm water and soap ; then rub them with a dry cloth on a flat board ; afterward iron them on the inside with a smoothing-iron. Old black silks may be improved by sponging them with spirits. In this case the ironing may be done on the right side, thin paper being spread over to pre- vent glazing. Try pure benzine to remove stains from hair-cloth furniture. To take out Scorch. — If any article has been scorched in iron- ing, lay it where bright sunshine will fall directly upon it. It will take it out entirely.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

Hard or hot water should never be used in washing or rinsing any woollen goods. Moderately warm suds — never using any soap directly on the goods if possible — with several rinsings in lukewarm water, will cleanse sufficiently. Press and squeeze woollen goods, but do not wring them. When squeezed dry, shake them out so as to avoid wrinkles. The Virtues of Borax. — The washerwomen of Holland and Belgium, so proverbially clean, and who get up their linen so beautifully white, use refined borax as washing-powder, instead of soda, in the proportion of one large handful of borax powder to about ten gallons of boiling water; they save in soap nearly half All of the large washing establishments adopt the same mode. For laces, cambrics, etc., an extra quantity of the powder is used, and for crinolines (requiring to be made stiff) a strong solution is necessary. Borax, being a neutral salt, does not in the slightest degree injure the texture of the linen. Its effect is to soften the hardest water. Old boot-tops lined make excellent iron-holders. Use wire rope for clothes-line. It saves annoyance, is cheaper in the long run, and much more convenient. In putting tubs away set them so that no two handles will come together, and keep them in a damp place, or you will find only a pile of staves when you go to use them in the Monday's wash. To Remove Mildew. — Soak the parts of the cloth that are mildewed in two parts of chloride of lime to four parts of water for about two hours, or till the mildew has disappeared ; then thoroughly rinse it in clear water. Sour milk removes iron rust from white goods. To make silk which has been wrinkled appear exactly like new, sponge it on the surface with a weak solution of gum-arabic or white glue, and iron on the wrong side. To DO up Black Silk. — Boil an old kid glove, cut up in small 298 THE hearthstone; or, life at home. shreds, in a pint of water, till the water is reduced to a half-pint, then sponge the silk with it ; fold it down tight, and, ten minutes after, iron it on the wrong side, while wet. The silk will retain its softness and lustre, and yet at the same time have the " body " of new silk. To Keep Silk. — Silk goods should not be folded in white paper, as the chloride of lime used in bleaching the paper will impair the color of the silk. Brown or blue paper is better. White satin dresses should be pinned up in blue paper, with coarse brown paper on the outside, sewed together on the edge. Silk intended for dresses should not be kept in the piece long, as lying in folds causes it to crack or split, particularly if thickened with gum. To Renovate Silks. — Sponge faded silks with warm water and soap ; then rub them with a dry cloth on a flat board ; afterward iron them on the inside with a smoothing-iron. Old black silks may be improved by sponging them with spirits. In this case the ironing may be done on the right side, thin paper being spread over to prevent glazing. Try pure benzine to remove stains from hair-cloth furniture. To take out Scorch. — If any article has been scorched in ironing, lay it where bright sunshine will fall directly upon it. It will take it out entirely.

The hearthstone; or, Life at home