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Wash Day: Utensils

THE LAUNDRY Utensils for Washing. -The list of utensils for the laundry includes wash boiler, wringer, washboard, washing machine, three or four tubs, two or three pails, clothes stick, dipper, and large and small clothes baskets.

Wooden tubs and pails are the most common, but those made of paper or wood pulp are to be preferred, as they are lighter and will not fall to pieces if allowed to dry.

The Boiler. The ordinary tin boilers are commonly used, but a copper or steel boiler enameled white on the inside and painted some suitable color outside is the best. Tubs and boilers should be fitted with faucets to avoid lifting and the liability of accident in carrying hot suds from place to place. With good care a wash boiler should last a lifetime. Hence it is advisable to buy the best.

The Wringer. -The principal cost of a wringer is in the rubber rollers, and it is true economy to buy an article that has rolls made of pure rubber, and that may cost $5 or $6, rather than a cheap article having ** Utensils for the Laundry." rollers made of a composition that will last but a short time. When the rollers begin to wear, wrap them round with straps of strong, unbleached cotton cloth. This will lengthen their usefulness many years.

Washing Machine. - We especially recommend the purchase of a good washing machine. Like the sewing machine this instrument has a very important bearing upon the welfare of the family by lessening the physical labor devolving upon the wife and mother, and thus saving much of her energy for the higher and more elevating duties of the household. We believe that any of the standard makes of washing machines are to be recommended in preference to the ordinary washboard, which is only a relic of barbarism. But we especially recommend the make which contains an inner cylinder in which the clothes are placed, and which is revolved in an outer cylinder containing water. This method tends to cleanse the clothes evenly and with the least possible wear. Other makes accomplish the result by holding the clothes stationary, agitating the water, and squeezing the goods, very much after the fashion of the old-style clothes pounder; and still others revolve the garments in the tub by means of prongs, reversing the motion from time to time. The last method is perhaps the least satisfactory. When the clothes are suddenly stopped and sent backward by the reverse motion they are subjected to a considerable strain. But even this method wears out the garments far less than does rubbing on the washboard, and we strongly recommend some washing machine to every household. If the clothes are first boiled with soap and kerosene, or other good washing fluid, they can be run through the washer in about five minutes. Colored clothes cannot, of course, be boiled, and will require a longer time to wash.

Small Utensils. A small toy washboard is useful for washing dish towels, hand towels, handkerchiefs, hose, and light neckwear; also to take to summer resorts on vacations, as laundry bills in these places are always considerable. A small flatiron is also useful for ironing ruffles, puffings, or laces. Both these articles can be put in the trunk, and the iron can be heated over an alcohol lamp and used to press ribbons and neckwear. A 5-gallon lard can, which can be purchased for 25 cents, is a useful substitute for a boiler in washing small articles that are too dainty to put in the regular wash.

Or small articles may be inclosed in cloth bags before being put in the wash boiler.

NATURE OF THE PROCESS Objects of Washing.-Dirt has been described as "matter which is out of place." The substances which soil WASH DAY garments and household linen are unobjectionable in their proper places, but become dirt when transferred to wearing apparel and linen, and require to be removed by washing. These substances are principally of three classes: fruit, acids, ink, and other things which produce stains; animal oils, grease, or fats from the oily exudations from the body in perspiration; or, in the case of table linen, from foods or from other sources; and particles of earth and other solids, either mixed with grease, or caught in the texture of the fabric. Stains require special treatment according to the nature of the substance which produces them; greasy substances, as oils or fats, require to be decomposed by the use of an alkali, in soaps or otherwise; and particles of earth and other substances, when set free from the grease in which they are usually imbedded, may be removed by the mechanical operations of rubbing and rinsing. Aside from stains, the most difficult part of washing is the decomposition, without injury to the fabrics, of greasy substances by the ac tion of an alkali. Unless this point is clearly understood, good results in washing will come rather from good luck than from good management.

The means employed to remove dirt on fabrics are soaking, boiling, rubbing, and rinsing, with the use of an alkali either in soaps or in the various preparations known as washing powders and washing fluids. Soaking. -The object of soaking garments is to soften the dirt and loosen it by swelling the fabric. There is no objection to soaking the clothes in pure soft water for a reasonable time, but soaking them over night in water with soap and washing fluids or powders is not advisable. The first effect of the alkali contained in soap is to soften the greasy substances which cause dirt to adhere to the fabric, and to render them soluble in water. But if these substances are not immediately removed by washing and rinsing, another chemical action takes place which produces compounds that, while not always visible to the eye, are very much more difficult to remove. This is especially likely to be the case if soap or other detergents are used which contain much alkali. The result is often to give the clothes a heavy or musty smell and a dingy appearance after ironing. Instead, try soaking the garments for about twenty minutes in boiling water containing borax.

Or rub soiled articles with a piece of wet soap on the morning of wash day and soak in cold water for about two hours before washing.