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Wash Day: Water

WATER FOR THE LAUNDRY Laundry Water Supply.-All water for laundry purposes must be soft or else the clothes cannot be made clean.

Hard water that contains lime and other mineral substances, or that is brackish from its vicinity to the sea, will cause the soap to curdle and float on its surface. In limestone regions and other localities where the water is hard, perhaps the best method is to collect rain water in a cis- WASH DAY tern or rain-water barrel, but hard water can be softened in various ways for laundry purposes.

To Test Water. - To find out whether or not water is fit for laundry purposes, dissolve a little good white soap in alcohol and put a few drops of this solution into a glassful of water. If the water is pure the soap solution will be dissolved and the water will continue limpid, but if it is impure the soap will form into white flakes which will tend to float on the surface.

To Soften Hard Water. Bring the water to a boil and expose it to the air, which may be done by pouring it from some little height into a tub or other vessel, and afterwards letting it stand over night.

Or boil it with the addition of a little baking soda, and afterwards expose it to the air. Or place a quantity of clean wood ashes in a tightly closed woolen bag and immerse the bag in a tub of water. The required amount of ashes can be ascertained by experiment.

Or use chalk, which may be put into the spring or well or used in a tub or bucket, the proper amount depending upon the extent of the impurities, and to be determined in each locality by experiment.

Or add a small quantity of borax or potash or soda lye, but care must be taken not to use too much, as otherwise the alkali they contain will injure the fabrics. Or add 1 to 2 tablespoonfuls of quicklime to each tubful of water.

Slake the lime with a little warm water, stirring it to a cream, pour it into a tubful or boilerful of water, and let stand over night or long enough to settle to the bottom. Pour off the clear water, taking care not to disturb the sediment.

Rain-water Barrel. A cask to hold rain water should be provided with a hinged lid or other cover to prevent dust and dirt from getting in, and to keep out insects that would use it as a breeding place. It should be raised above the ground by stone or brick, and be furnished with a spigot to draw off the water for use.

To Cleanse Soapsuds. - The water supply in some localities is exceedingly limited, and periods of drought sometimes occur when it is almost impossible to obtain sufficient water for laundry purposes. Under such circumstances a tubful or boilerful of water may be made to serve for an entire washing by cleansing it when necessary. This may be done by dissolving a teaspoonful of powdered alum in half a cup of boiling water and stirring it into a tub or wash boiler of soapsuds. The soap will curdle and sink with the other impurities to the bottom, leaving the water entirely clear and free from odor. The clear water may then be poured off, taking care not to disturb the sediment, and used again.

LABOR-SAVING METHODS, WASHING FLUIDS, ETC. are Certain compounds added to the water in which the clothes are boiled recommended as labor savers.

Washing fluids and powders contain two kinds of ingredients: volatile substances, such as kerosene, turpentine, alcohol, ammonia, and camphor gum; and alkaline substances, as potash and soda lyes from wood ashes, sal soda, and various brands of commercial lye.

These powerful chemicals must be used with the most intelligent caution.