CHAPTER 34
CLEANING
Cleaning Woolens—Silks—Velvet—Black Lace—White Lace—Grease-Spots—Machine-Oil Stains—Blood-Stains—Fresh Ink—Copy or India Ink—Iron Rust—Fruit Stains—Mildew—Paint—Chewing-Gum
CLEANING can frequently be done at home with very little trouble and expense.
TO CLEAN WOOLEN GOODS, the simplest method is washing in warm water and soapbark. Get ten cents' worth of soapbark and pour over it two quarts of boiling water. Let it stand until the strength is taken from the bark, strain, and pour into a tub of lukewarm water. Let the goods stand for half an hour in the suds, then rub well and rinse in another water of the same temperature to keep the goods from shrinking. Press on the wrong side before it is thoroughly dry. Experiment first with a small piece of the material to be sitre that it does not change color or shrink badly.
FOR SILKS, mix six ounces of strained honey and four ounces of a pure soap with one pint of pure alcohol.
Lay each piece of silk flat on a table or marble, and with a brush cover the silk with the mixtue, first on one side and then on the other. Brush the silk as little as possible and always straight up and down. Dip the silk in several tepid rinsing waters, the last one mixed with a little honey. Do not wring the silk, but hang it up, and when half-dry iron with a cool iron on the wrong side.
BLACK SILK can be freshened by sponging with strong black coffee, or with glove-water made by boiling an old black kid glove in water for some time.
A French method of cleaning black silk is to sponge the silk on both sides with spirits of wine, and then iron on the wrong side with a piece of muslin between the silk and the iron.
Ribbons may be cleansed in the same way and rolled smoothly over a bottle or round stick to dry.
VELVET is cleaned by steaming. First brush the velvet thoroughly with either a soft or stiff brush until all dust and lint are removed. It is better to use a soft brush if the velvet is not too dirty.
If a milliner's steaming-box is at hand, invert a hot iron in the box and cover the face of the iron with a good-sized piece of muslin which has been thoroughly wet. This produces steam, and the muslin must be moved along as it dries. The velvet is held with its wrong side against the muslin and brushed carefully with a soft brush until the pile of the velvet is raised. Always brush against the nap. The pile may also be raised by holding the velvet tightly over a pan of boiling water.
FOR BLACK LACES, an old-fashioned cleaning mixture is made by boiling an old black kid glove in a pint of water until half the water has evaporated. Strain, and, if necessary, add a little cold water. After brushing the lace, dip it up and down in the liquid. Then roll it over a bottle, or pin smoothly over a covered board to dry.
WHITE LACE may be washed in a suds of pm-e soap, then thoroughly rinsed and pinned over a covered board to dry. Some laces will stand ironing on the wrong side. Let the lace partially dry, and iron over several thicknesses of flannel.
GREASE-SPOTS on woolen or silk are best removed by naphtha, gasoline, ether or
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