Directions For Washing White Cotton Clothes Recipe

Table-cloths, or any white clothes that have coffee or fruit stains on

them, before being put into soap-suds, should have boiling water turned

on them, and remain in it till the water is cold--the spots should be

then rubbed out in it. If they are put into soap-suds with the stains

in, they will be set by it, so that no subsequent washing will remove

them. Table-cloths will be less likely to get stained up, if they are

always rinsed in thin starch water, as it tends to keep coffee and fruit

from sinking into the texture of the cloth. White clothes that are very

dirty, will come clean easily if put into strong, cool suds and hung on

the fire the night previous to the day in which they are to be washed.

If they get to boiling, it will not do them any harm, provided the suds

is cool when they are put in; if it is hot at first, it will set the

dirt in. The following method of washing clothes is a saving of a great

deal of labor: Soak the clothes in lukewarm soap-suds; if they are quite

dirty, soak them over night. To every three pails of water put a pint of

soft soap, and a table-spoonful of the salts of soda. Heat it till

mildly warm, then put in the clothes without any rubbing, and boil them

an hour. Drain the suds out of them as much as possible, as it is bad

for the hands; then add water till cool enough for the hands. The dirt

will be loose, so that they will require but a little rubbing. Rinse

them thoroughly in clear water, then in indigo water. The soda can be

procured cheap, by purchasing it in large quantities--soda is an

excellent thing to soften hard water. The soda suds will not do to wash

calicoes in. It is a good plan to save your suds, after washing, to

water your garden, if you have one, or to harden cellars and yards, when

sandy.