turpentine

nor ammonia in it, and the quantity of camphor and alcohol is so small it will

not be liable to open the pores of the skin, by which means colds are so easily

taken by exposure while hanging out clothes after being over the hot suds in

washing. The Bark Shanty Soap, below, will be just the kind to use with this

£uid; but the common soft soap, such as is usually made from ashes and grease

others, and put into a 2 gallon jug, having 1 gal. of cold rain water in

—

—

DR. CHASE'S RECIPES.

518

of your own saving, is, no doubt, the kind this Pennsylvanian refers to. I trust

that all of our lady readers will be able to find something among these washing

Bluings are kept so generfluids or powders that shall fully meet their wants.

ally now by the grocers and druggists they can be bought for less than they caa

be made.

Plannels, To Wash and Dry, "Without Shrinking.—Flan

8.

nels should be washed with as little rubbing as possible

;

or, better still, pound-

and drying rapidly, and pulling freely, both

length-wise and across the goods, if you would avoid shrinkage.

ing without any rubbing at

all,

Washing Muslins, Cambrics, and Calicoes. — Stir some of

9.

the starch, after

it is

prepared for use, into the water in which any of these

goods are to be washed.

10.

Or, soak them a while in water in which

you have put 1 or 2 table-

spoonfuls of salt to a pail of water.

11.

For Black and White Calicoes. —^Acup or two of weak lye

to a pail of water is best for soaking in.

12.

For Pink or Green. — One or 2 table-spoonfuls of good vinegar

to the pail of water is best.

13.

For Purple or Blue. — Use sal soda, or borax, in powder, 1 or 2

table-spoonfuls to a pail of water; but, now, if you use the washing fluid, above,

Boak them a little in that, and wash out, as usual, it saves all these troubles with

the different colors.

14. Ribbons, to Wash.

and do not rinse.

—Wash ribbons in cold suds—not very strongs

15. Silk, Cashmere and Black Alpaca Dresses, to Cleanse.

—Dissolve a table-spoonful of powdered borax in 1 qt. of warm water (soft

water), and after dusting thoroughly brush such parts as need it, or the whole,

If much worn, and iron on the wrong side.

16.

Over.

Black

Silk, Alpaca,

Serge and

Lawn Dresses, to Do

—The following on the care and manner of doing over black

silk, cash-

mere, alpaca, serge and lawn dresses, which I take from Harper's Bazar, i»

well worth a place here, and will be found worthy of consideration by every

woman into whose hands this book shall come. It says:

" No lady should ever don her alpaca, cashmere or serge without giving it

a thorough dusting with broom or brush. Dust permitted to settle in the folds

of pleat or shirring will soon be impossible to remove entirely, and give the

whole gown that untidy air so much to be deprecated in everything pertaining

to a lady's person.

But after constant use for months, or maybe a year, the most carefully

kept black dress will begin to show the effects of use, in a certain rustiness of

hue and general dinginess of aspect, if no place actually rubbed or worn. Now

is the time to expend a little skill and ingenuity in its renovation, when the

economist may be rewarded by coming out in an old dress made new, sure of

eliciting the admiration of at least all those who are in the secret.

For the

undertaking provide yourself with ten cents' worth of soap bark, procurable

at an herb or drug store, and boil it in 1 qt. of hot water.

Let it steep a while,

and then strain into a basin for use. If the job is to be a perfect and thorough.

'

'

MISGELLANEOUa.

619

one, take the body and sleeves apart and to pieces; rip off the trimming from

skirt and over-skirt.

Brush off all loose dust first, and then, with a sponge

dipped in the soap bark decoction, wipe over each piece thoroughly, folding up

as you proceed.

Have ready a ladies' skirt board, for pressing, and well heated

irons.

Smooth every piece on the wrong side, including even silk trimmings;

and when you have once more put it together you will be amazed to see the

One advantage in taking the whole dress apart

results of the simple process.

is that, by putting the trimming on in some style a little different from what it

was at first, the attraction of novelty is added to make the effect more pleasing.

If one has not time, however, to go through the whole process, a dress may be

greatly improved by being wiped over with this mixture (or the borax water

above), and pressed on the wrong side while damp indeed, for a time, it will

look quite as good as new. The process may be repeated from time to time, as

shall seem advisable.

I have seen a cashmere, which had been worn two whole

winters, taken apart and treated in this way, and the closest observer would

have supposed the dress to have been put on for the first time, such was its soft,

fresh look, and the vividness of its black.

Grenadine may be submitted to the

—

same sort of cleaning with fine results.

" When a black lawn has become limp, tumbled, and generally forlornlooking, the best mode of treatment to subject it to is, first a submersion in a

pan of warm water, colored highly with indigo; then exposure to the air until

just dampness enough is left to enable one to press it to advantage with a hot

iron; and if this is carefully done, always on the wrong side, the lawn will

come forth quite fresh, stiff, and renovated from its blue bath, and again do

good service for another while.

"HE very particle of dust should be removed from a black silk or poplia

every time it is worn, for nothing cuts either out so soon as these often imperceptible little gritty motes with which the air of a city is filled where coal is la

such universal use.

,

17.

Washing or Cleansing Woolen Blankets.— It is quite as

important to have the woolen blankets on our beds clean, as to have our sheets

pure and white. For the emination from our bodies are more quickly absorbed

by them than by the muslin sheets; and as the women look upon the washing

of a pair of blankets as a great undertaking, I will give them the easy way,

recommended by the Boston Journal of Ghemistry, which is about the same as

practiced by my wife, in her lifetime.

It is as follows: Put 2 heaping tablespoonfuls of powdered borax and 1 pt. of soft soap (or its equivalent of dissolved bar soap), into a tub of cold soft water.

Stir well to dissolve and mix;

then put in the blankets, thoroughly wetting, and let them soak over night.

Next day rub (the author says pound), and drain them out, and rinse thoroughly

in two waters, and hang them to dry.

Do not wring them by hand, but press

They may be put through a wringer.

Remarks. This makes light work of washing blankets. It will not be

amiss, however, to say the washing water and the rinsing water should always

be as nearly as possible the same temperature, but only to take the chill off, so

as to avoid taking cold by having the hands in cold water no soap should ever

be rubbed on the flannels, but sudsing be used; and do not hang out on a very

cold day, nor hang close to a hot fire or stove; and iron with a moderately cool

iron not very hot while damp, and there will be but little, if any shrinkage,

Under-skirts,

after moderate pulling even of skirts or other woolen goods.

etc., of wool can be washed in the fluid water, as above given, otherwise as

out the water.

—

—

—

—

nearly like blankets are done as you can.

DB. CHASE'S RECIPES.

530

18. Borax, Its Value Corroborated.

Journal goes on to say, further, of borax:

—In the same connection the

Borax is the Best Roach Exterminator Yet Discov19.

ered. This troublesome insect has a peculiar aversion to borax, and will

And, as this salt (chemists

never return vrhere it has once been scattered.

—

know all these things as a "salt") is perfectly harmless to human beings, it is

much to be preferred for this purpose to the poisonous substances commonly

used.

" Borax is also valuable for laundry use, instead of soda.

Add a handful

powdered, to about ten gallons of boiling water, and you need use only

For laces, cambrics, etc., use an extra

half the ordinary allowance of soap.

quantity of the powder. It will not injure the texture of the cloth in the least.

"For cleansing the hair, nothing is better than a solution of borax water.

of

it,

Wash afterward with pure water, if it leaves the hair too stiff. Borax dissolved

in water is also an excellent dentrifice, or tooth wash."

Remarks.

— See how well this plan agrees with the Holland and Belgium

washerwomen above, as to the use of borax for laundry, or washing purposes.

This writer says, also:

"Dissolved in water, it is also an excellent dentrifice, or

tooth wash, as scientists think it destroys the parasitic mite, or insect that exists

in the fermenting food between the teeth."

—

Borax as a Tooth Powder, or for Washing the Teeth. I use

borax in powder every morning, to cleanse my teeth. Borax in powder, 3^ oz.,

with precipitated chalk, 3 ozs., with a few drops oi. oil of winter-green, which

keeps my teeth clean and white, by rubbing the brush first on soap, then into

Soap is essential once a day in cleaning teeth. Borax is, indeed,

the powder.

one of the most valuable salts we have for washing and cleaning purposes; but

as we have now had a pretty thorough course of instruction in the various

methods of washing, we will take up the question of soaps, for domestic purposes. Our first one, however, claims also, to make washing easy, which I very

well know it will do. If you use any of the white bar soaps, your soft soap

will be white if any of the rosin-colored or yellow soaps, to make it with, such

—

will be the color when done.

1.

41bs. ;

Bark Shanty Soap, or Washing Made Easy. — Good bar soap,

washing (sal) soda, 3 lbs.

"quick-lime"), lib.;

salt,

;

freshly burned stone-lime (which is also called

2 ozs.; soft water, 5 gals.

—

Directions

First, put'

the stone-lime into one gal. of the water, which is boiling hot; and, after stirring it a few times within an hour or two, let it settle, then pour off the clear

liquid into a suitable sized kettle to hold all, and add the balance of the water;

cut the bar soap into thin slices, and put it with the soda, into the kettle, and

boil until the soda and soap are fully dissolved, then stir in the salt, and pour

when a little cool, into suitable jars (a pine half-barrel will do very nicely), and

keep covered for use.

Remarks.

—This soap will save much of the rubbing of the clothing

if

a

cup or two of it, according to the size of the washing, is dissolved by stirring it

into cold water enough to cover the clothes, and they are soaked over night ia

MISCELLANEOUS.

521

then dirty places are soaped with this before boiling; 15 or 20 minutes will

be long enough to boil them, and slight rubbing of soiled places will be all that

This amount of soap will do four

is needed, rinsing, bluing, etc., as usual.

times as much washing as the bar soap would have done by itself, and that, even

it;

if the

money paid for the soda and the lime, which ought not to be above 15 or

The lime, espe-

20 cents, at most, had been added to the purchase of bar soap.

cially, costs a mere nothing, but adds greatly, as well as the soda, to

gent or cleansing properties of the soap.

the deter-

I call this " Bark Shanty Soap," from

the name of the place where we lived one season, and

where I obtained this

Lake Huron, 31 miles above Port Huron, where

the timber is chiefly pine, and hence the ashes were not good for making soap;

we, therefore, had to get the best substitute we could, and this being in

use there, we soon learned its value, and will only add that although it will be

found a great help and saving to those living in shanties, yet it will also be

tecipe.

It is on the shore of

just as satisfactory to

those living in cities,

if

they will give it a trial.

It

makes a half -solid soap very convenient to use.

—

There are

2. Soft Soap for "Washing and House Cleaning.

many other ways of making soap, nearly all of which contain some of the

improvements or newer articles which have been introduced within the last few

years in soap making, such as sal soda, lime, borax, etc. but few of them conThe next, although it has only one

tain more than one or two of these.

the sal soda yet you will at once see that Mrs. J. Lute, of Liberty, O., who

sends it to the Blade, thinks very highly of it; and I give it to show the

value of the sal soda mixed with soap which, in my own as well as in

Mrs. Lute's opinion, will be a great help in washing clothes or house cleaning, as the case may be.

She says:

" Take 4 lbs. of white, bar soap, cut it fine, and dissolve by heating in

5 gals, of soft water, adding 2 lbs. of sal soda. When all is dissolved and

well mixed, it is done. Yellow soap does very well, but I think the white

;

—

is

the best.

This makes a very nice, white soft soap.

fraud when you

first

take

it

off

the fire, but

when

You will think it a

it

gets cool

you will

change your mind, and after one trial of it you will have no other.

I have

used it for three years, and am not afraid to recommend it to your readers."

Remarks. If this is thus good, where the lime can be got, will not the

following be considerably better?— I think so.

—

3.

Hard Soap, Fifteen or Twenty Pounds from Seven.— Take

7 lbs. of good hard soap

stone) lime, 1 lb.

;

;

cut it in thin slices sal soda, 2 lbs.

alum, 1 oz.

;

;

borax, 2 ozs.

;

benzine, 1 oz.

;

;

unslacked (that is

soft water, 2 gals.

Directions— Put the sal soda and lime into a dish and pour over them the

water, boiling hot, (what is better, is to use a kettle which you can boil these

and the lime all slacked), stirring well a few times,

and let settle; then (or in the morning, if done over night,) pour off the clear

solution into the kettle containing the slices of soap, put on the fire and let it

remain until the soap is dissolved; then, having dissolved the alum and borax

in a little water, pour them in just as the soap comes off of the fire; and when a

in till the soda is dissolved

—

I>R'

522

CEASE'S RECIPES.

in the benzine, stirring well, and when it gets perfectly cold it

and can be cut in pieces to dry.

Remarks. I have this from a Mrs. Baldwin, who has done a great deal of

washing in her life, at Put-in-Bay, Ohio, and who has used this soap and knows

And this recipe, I am well

its value, and hence recommends it very highly.

satisfied, has had a wide range, for I found, when I come to look over ^he items

on hand for this department, I had the same recipe from a friend who lived

in the southern part of the state, and his family prized it highly.

Of

course, this could be made into a soft soap by adding 5 to 10 gals, more of

water, according to whether you would have it quite firm, or more easily taken

up with the hand, and I will say here, too, I think if %to\ cup of salt was

put in with the alum and borax, it would be a little firmer, as a hard soap, and

also dry a little quicker.

Rosin is also put into hard soap for the purpose of

making it tougher, so it will not rub oil quite so fast when rubbing it upon the

little cool put

will be hard,

—

Some persons think the rosin is detergent, that is it helps to cleanse

away the dirt, but this is a mistake, if not wholly, it certainly has but very little

power to do this. A table-spoonful of spirits of turpentine, has more of this

cleansing power than a pound of rosin, but it does make the soap wear or last

clothing.

longer.

4,

See next recipe for using rosin.

Hard Soap with Concentrated Lye.— "Take 2 boxes (2 lbs.) of

concentrated lye; soft water, 5 gals.; grease, 9 lbs.; rosin and borax, each, J^

lb.; salt as

below.

Directions— Dissolve the lye in the water, and add the

rosin, broken finely, and boil till dissolved, stirring well; then add the grease

and the borax, in small pieces, and boil about 2 hours, or till the grease is taken

up, and it becomes soapy. If the grease was salty, stir in 3^ tumbler of salt;

if it was not salty, a full tumbler of salt, dissolved in J^ gal. of warm water,

and stir in, and continue the boiling 3^ an hour longer. Soak a tub well in

cold water, and pour in the soap, and let it stand till cold. Cut out in cakes

and put in a cool dry place to dry. You may leave out the rosin, if you desire,

I do not always use it." Keystone, Cannonsburg, Pa.

Remarks. As I said in last recipe, above, the rosin makes the soap wear

longer, when rubbing upon the clothes, if it rubs off too slow, so you have to

rub too long to get on soap enough, use less rosin, or none at all, as you prefer,

—

5.

etc.

Hard Soap -with Soda, Lime and Accumulating Grease,

—Mrs. C W. Phillips, of Glencoe, Minn., informs us through the Blade,

how to use the accumulating grease, by making a

lent and economical. "

'

'

hard soap which is excel-

She says:

"Nearly every family accumulates, through the winter, drippings from

These can all be utilized by boiling the grease in water,

allowing it to cool, then removing it from the water, and boiling by itself again

till all the water is expelled.

Of course, the whiter the grease, the nicer will be

beef, mutton, ham, etc.

the soap."

Then take 6 lbs. of this grease, 6 lbs. of sal-soda, and 3^^ lbs. of newly

burned or good stone-lime, with 4 gals, of soft water, and J^ lb. of borax; or

in these proportions.

Put soda, lime and water into an iron kettle and boU;

MISCELLANEOUS.

523

and the lime is all slacked; then, when it is well

wash out the kettle and put in the liquid,

grease and borax, and boil till it comes to soap, and pour into a well-soaked tub

to cool, and when sufficiently hard, cut into bars and put on boards to dry.

It

is very nice, even for washing white flannels and calicoes; and, if a little perfume is put in it is nice enough for the toilet."

Remarks. The old Windsor soap, as it used to be made, was flavored with,

oil of caraway, but more recently the oil of sassafras, which is cheap, has been

used for perfuming soaps; 3^ to 1 oz. would be enough for a " batch of soap"

of 5 to 10 gals., according to whether a little or a considerably strong perfume

is preferred.

It should not be put in until the soap is pretty cool, then stirred

stir till the soda is dissolved,

settled; pour off the clear liquid;

—

in thoroughly.

The Rural Home, under the head of "Home-Made Soap," gives the same

recipe as this last, except it used only 3 lbs. of lime and no borax— otherwise

just the same

—and makes these remarks about

it:

"Were the good qualities of

this inexpensive soap more generally known no family would go without it.

is valuable for washing clothes,

It

making them very clean and white, without in

the least injuring them, and is excellent for flannels and petticoats.

also, for the hands, making them soft

and smooth."

miums or better recommendation be asked or given?

It is good,

Could any higher encoI think not.

And the

only reason I give them is that the people may have confidence enough in these

soaps to give them a fair trial, as they positively do not injure the clothing, but

save much labor and expense, as compared with using only bar soap kept by

I had also another recipe from the Inter Ocean, but

grocers.

this, except a caution to

it

was just like

"be very careful not to get any sediment in from the

lime. "

Simply be careful to pour off the liquid clear of sediment in any recipe

using the stone lime, as the lime will not dissolve, but simply slacks, yielding

up its caustic power, for which purpose only it is used, except for the hand-

washing soap below, and there it is used only upon the hands; for clothing it is

best not to get in any lime lest it spot some colored goods.

I will give you one

more of these hard soaps from soda, lime and grease, as the amount is smaller,

and is from a lady who is not afraid to give her name, and address also. It is

as follows:

6.

Hard Soap, With Soda, Lime and Grease Only.— Soft water,

lb.

clean grease, 3 lbs. Direcand boil to dissolve the soda and

slack the lirne; then let settle and pour off the clear liquid and put on the fire

again with the grease and boil to proper consistence. One oz. of any flavored

oil may be added, if desired.

Mrs. W. W. Morse, of Lann, D. T., in Inter

IJ^ gals.

tions

;

sal soda, 3 lbs, ;

—Put the three

first

unslacked lime, 1

;

articles together

Ocean.

—

Remarks. As named in another place, any of these hard soaps may be

made soft by using the proper amount of water to give the right consistence.

7.

"Why is Lime Used in Making Soap ? "—Explanation.— Feo^\e

seem to be so afraid of using lime in making soaps, like the foregoing; the

question is often asked: "Why is the lime used?" and hence I will take the

—

;

I>R-

534

Yankee way of answering it:

CEASE'S RECIPES.

"Why does everybody that makes soap from

Simply because if he does not

he will have great trouble, even if he can make it at all, unless he does put the

lime in, is about all the reason they can give. But lime causes the absorption

of carbonic acid in the lye from the ashes, and also gives the lye a caustic property that enables it to combine with the grease, and thereby makes the soap,

ashes put lime in the bottom of the leach?"

which it could not do, or at least not well do, except for the lime. The lime,

then, does not hurt soap, but makes a better soap than can be made without it.

"Well, then, if it is good to assist in making soap from ashes, or potash, which

comes from the ashes, why should it be thought injurious to combine it with

The one question answers the other, and ought

sal soda for the same purpose?

to satisfy every reasonable person that lime is good and not injurious, as some

suppose, for soap-making purposes. The manufacturers make soap by the use

of potash, or soda, in the form or what is known as soda-ash, which is caustic,

by means of its process of manufacture; but this article (soda-ash) cannot

always be obtained, while the sal soda, which is a carbonate, can always be got;

then we combine the lime with it, which gives it the same causticity that sodaash has, and we thereby get just as good a soap. So have no fears in using

them.

8.

Soft Soap From Concentrated Lye.

—To make soft soap with

concentrated lye, take 1 lb. of it and dissolve it in 2 gallons of soft water; and,

when it boils, add tallow, or clear grease, 4 lbs. Let it boil till it becomes

clear; then add 2 gallons

more of rain water.

Mix well and set it by to cool;

then take a cup of it, and add as much cold water as it will take, and still be

as thick and ropy as you wish it, then add water in the same proportions to the

whole.

Prairie Farmefr.

9. Soft

Soap for House Cleaning, "Washing Clothes, etc.—It

is well to have two or three strings to one's bow; hence I give one

or two more

This one I take from the Medical Brief, of St. Louis: Hard

soap, 3 lbs. sal soda, 1 lb. aqua ammonia and spirits of turpentine, each 1 oz.

Boil the water and dissolve in it the soap and soda;

soft water, 3 gallons.

soft soap recipes.

;

;

remove from the fire and stir in the others.

for flavoring, if

\.o \ oz., may be used

Bemarks.—OVi of sassafras,

desired, in this amount of any soaps.

A lady editress of one of the "Household Departments" of an agricultural paper makes it as follows, using less soda, and no ammonia nor turpentine, still it will be found excellent for the purposes named

%

10. Soft Soap, for

— Sal soda, ^^

Removing Grease from Floors, Shelves,

bar soap, 1 lb. cut into small pieces; put them into a

stone jar on the back of the stove, or range, when not very hot, and pour over

etc.

it a pailful

lb. ;

;

of cold water; stir it once in a while, and after some hours, when

thoroughly dissolved, put it away to cool.

lent to remove grease on floors or shelves.

Remarks.

It forms a sort of jelly, and is excel-

—The author will say good for cleaning

general washing too.

all

wood-work, and for

MISCELLANEOUS.

11.

535

Soap from Refuse Grease.—Another lady says: The best way

to use up small lots of refuse grease, is to buy a box of concentrated lye (for

by all grocers) and follow the directions on the box.

sale

Nothing can be

simpler, and we have never failed in getting the soap to come.

—

Remarks. This lady's instruction is sound common sense, and confirms

what I have said heretofore. A little judgment will enable any one to succeed,

by simply modifying, or changing, sometimes, to meet different conditions which

may arise, in not always being able to get just what is called for in one recipe,

by taking up another, the articles for which can be obtained.

—

12. Pearline, Soapine, etc., to Make. The Scientific Americarit

which is one of our most reliable papers, informs us that these articles are made

of powdered soap, and powdered sal soda, equal, or about equal parts of each.

Thus you see for a few cents you can make what they ask much more for; and

it shows, too, what is thought by scientific men of sal soda as an aid in washing.

13. Soap for Machine-Sliop Men, Blacksmiths, Engineers,

Printers, Scouring, etc. Take 10 lbs. of hard, yellow soap; sal soda, 3

borax and tallow, each 1 lb. fresh slacked lime, as below; soft water, 3

lbs.

Directions Put the water, soda and borax into the kettle, and when

gals.

dissolved add the tallow and the soap, shaved fine; and when these are dissolved

stir in as much freshly slacked, sifted lime as you can stir in well.

The lime is

—

;

;

—

to be sifted through a common kitchen sieve to avoid coarse lumps.

—The lime thus stirred in greatly helps

its scouring and cleansing

roughness also helps greatly in washing hands covered with

It makes a good washing soap without the lime, but that adds

grease, ink, etc.

Remarks.

properties;

its

more than half to its power of removing grease, ink, tar, etc., from the hands

of machinists, where iron is worn into the grease on journals and by filing, etc.

Without the lime it would make about 10 gals of splendid soft soap, if preferred in place of the hard; and in this case the tallow need not be put in.

14. Medicated, or Sulphur and Tar Soaps, To Make.— So

much is being said about sulphur soap, in skin diseases and for toilet purposes,

it will be a satisfaction to many people, no doubt, to know that if you take a 1

lb.

bar of any good, hard white soap, cut it fine and put it into a small jar and

set that into a basin or pan of

water and set on the stove till the soap is melted,

then stir in, thoroughly, 1 oz. of the flour of sulphur and pour into a paper or

wooden box to cool, after which you can cut it into squares and dry it, and your

sulphur soap will be as good as any you buy. For the tar soap, do the same as

above, except stir in 3^ oz, of creosote, which is the same in action as tar contains the active principle of tar.

No harm in combining them in one soap the

combination would work very mildly on any irritable skin.

—

;

Remarks.

—Renovation, or general cleansing of clothes of

all kinds, gloves,

boots, shoes, etc., very properly follows the foregoing soaps, washing fluids, etc.

—

Renovation, Clothes Cleaning, etc., Explanation of. Renovamaking new after injury or partial decay — re-making, from

the Latin re, again, and novare, to make new. This word, then, may very

tion is the art of

I>B.

526

CHASE'S RECIPES.

properly be applied to the cleansing of wearing apparel of all kinds, gloves,

boots and shoes, paint and grease about the house; ink, paint, tar and grease

spots upon clothing; also re-coloring faded and worn garments

—in

thing in the line of cleaning or renewal may come under this head.

fact, everyIt will

be

my purpose, then, to so explain as I proceed, the art of renovation that those

who desire to do so may restore their faded or injured or soiled garments to be

nearly equal to new. In the cities there are those who follow the various

branches of this art with great success and profit.

The following recipes and

it at home just as

instructions will give the people the secrets of doing

well as to pay for doing it away from home, and, no doubt, also give some of

new to themselves. The following

compound or soap will, probably, clean a greater variety of colored garments,

without injuring the cloth, than any preparation in use. Of course, I have not

practiced this art myself, but I obtained these recipes from a woman who lived

for a year or two in a house owned by me at the time, and who practiced the

art, and had renovated clothing for myself and other members of the family,

so I know their reliability. And I may be excused for saying I paid more for

the professional renovators some things

these recipes alone ($5) than I get for the book.

1.

Renovating Soap. — Marseilles (French) or Parker's best soap, such

as used by barbers (I have seen Babbitt's common soap used, but the above was

the original recipe), J^

lb. ;

alcohol, 1 oz.

;

beef's gall, 2 ozs. ; saltpeter, borax,

honey, sulphuric ether and spirits of turpentine, of each, J^ oz. camphor gum,

3 drs. pipe clay, 1 dr. common salt, 1 small tea-spoonful. Directions Put

;

—

;

;

the camphor into the alcohol, the powdered pipe clay into the beef's gall, pul-

After

verize the saltpeter and borax and put them and the salt into the honey.

2 or 3 hours slice the soap into a porcelain kettle, with the gall mixture, and

place over a slow fire, stirring till melted take off and let stand until a little

cool; then add all the other articles, stir well together and put into a glass fruit

jar as soon as possible, as it soon hardens; then screw on the top, to prevent the

evaporation of the strength, keeping in a dark closet, ready for use, as light

decomposes or injures it.

Remarks. Those desiring to engage in the business permanently can take

double or four times these quantities, according to the amount of work they

;

—

may expect to do.

—

2. Clothes Cleaning.— GENERAii Directions To clean a pair of

pants or coat (any color) that has been considerably soiled, open the jar, and

with a stiff spoon loosen up some of the renovating soap and take out i^ an oz.

<a rounding table-spoonful) and dissolve it in 1 qt. of boiling soft water in a

porcelain kettle, so as to keep

cleaned thoroughly, to remove

it

hot.

all

Now whip and brush the article to be

the dust; then, with a scouring brush (a

partly worn, consequently stiff, broom brush will do very well), saturate, or wet

the soiled spots thoroughly with the hot solution from the kettle; and, as a general thing, it will be best to saturate the whole garment, else a part will look

new (that which is renovated) and the rest will look old or dirty, except in cases

of getting spots upon new clothing. After thoroughly wetting the garment with

MISCELLANEOUS.

627

the solution, dry as thoroughly, in the open air is best. This wetting of the

garment is best done by drawing it on a press-board, if you have one, as

After

described below, also by spreading on a table or counter to be handy.

being dried, press the garment well, using what is called a "sponge-cloth," of

stout unbleached muslin or drilling.

If this is to be followed for a business,

buy 2 yds. and tear it in two, lengthwise, keeping one for light shades of clothing, the other for dark.

When ready to begin to press the garment take a basin

of soft water and put into it some aqua ammonia, at the rate of 1 table-spoonful to 1 qt. of water, and, with the ammonia water, keep your sponge-cloth wet

while pressing.

Remarks.

—For those following the business, a press-board, which can be

got up by any good joiner, so that a pant's leg may be drawn upon it, and a

smaller one suitable in size to enter a coat-sleeve, will be found more than sufficiently handy to pay their cost, as they will be found almost absolutely necessary in applying dye to black clothing where the color has been spotted or faded^

The press-board referred to has two

as explained under that head further on.

parts, a base, or bottom piece, then the pressing-board proper is supported by

two standards about 5 or 6 inches from the bottom piece, with one end running

out free to allow the leg or sleeve to be drawn upon it 15 to 18 inches for convenience of pressing the single thickness of cloth, instead of double, if the leg

or sleeve is simply spread out on a table or counter.

3.

Alpaca Dresses—To Remove Wrinkles and Brighten their

Luster.

—Dust them nicely with a brush and spread them upon an ironing-

board, or press-board, as referred to above, then, having wet the sponge-cloth

with the ammonia water, as directed for pressing clothing above, pass a moderately warm iron over them quickly a few times, and the work is complete.

4. Renovating Dye for Black Clothing, to be Applied Only

on the Outside — Cheap Ink, etc. — Logwood chips, 1 lb.; soft water,

1 gal.

;

bichromate of potash, 24 grs.

;

prussiate of potash, 13 grs.

Put the log-

wood into the water and let stand 12 hours, then boil % hour, strain while

warm, and having dissolved the potashes in a little boiling water, add them to

This is to be applied to spots

Bottle, cork, and keep in a dark place.

the dye.

on black clothing, coat collars, etc., where the color has been injured or faded

out, the spots having been renovated and dried as given under the head of

renovation; then, first having sponged the spots with suds, or the whole garment, if it is to be applied to the whole, applying the dye with a brush, and dry

again before the pressing is done. This dye may be used also to color worn or

injured spots upon black kid gloves, black kid boots, etc., in place of ink,

spoken of under those heads; in fact, this makes a very good, cheap ink for

school children.

Paint, Tar, Pitch, Ink, Grease Spots, etc., To Remove from

Clothing. Take a little of the renovating soap, above, without water, and

—

rub it into the soiled spots; let it remain a few minutes, then scrape off and

cleanse with the ammonia water, also given for pressing clothing, under the

head of renovation. If this does not fully accomplish it, use the renovating

—

-D-B.

528

CHASE'S RECIPES.

soap "with the ammonia water. The drying, coloring, if needed, pressing, etc.,

Tailors, it is claimed, use equal parts of ammonia and alcohol

to be the same.

for cleaning coat collars, grease spots on pants, etc., and that nothing is better;

but for very nice articles chloroform is better than anything else, removes grease

of all kinds, also paints, varnish, etc.

Paint, Pitch, Oil, and Grease, To Remove from Silk, Linen,

Benzine (purified), also called benzole, 2 ozs. oil of lemon, J|^ oz. Mix

and keep corked. Directions Apply with a cloth or sponge to any spots upon

any of the above named kind of goods, rubbing with the fingers until removed.

etc.

—

;

—

The colors will not be injured.

Remarks.

Indian Domestic Economy.

—For sake of safety in using benzine, or benzole, as one kind

called, see note after Kid Glove Cleaning.

is

The lemon is only for flavor, or to

hide the odor of the benzine.

Priiit Stains, To Remove from Clothing, etc.— To remove fruit

and if this fails

in any case to remove the stain, then dip the table-cloth or other article into hot

water, and place it over burning brimstone, as for bleaching flannels, below.

stains, hold them so you can pour boiling water through them ;

—

Bleaching Flannels. Wet them and place upon a stick over the top of

a barrel, in the bottom of which is an old pan with some burning coals, and

sprinkle on the fire a little, broken bits of brimstone and cover over with a piece

of carpet to retain the smoke. Particularly applicable to children's flannels

which have become yellowish, and which you do not like to wash for fear of

shrinkage.

Silks, To Remove Spots, etc.— Fuller's earth, 1 oz.

;

saleratus, 1 even

tea-spoonful, (if saleratus is not obtainable, get bi-carbonate of potash of a drug-

—

Directions Dry the earth thoroughly,

the same amount); lemon juice.

and mix in the saleratus evenly; then moisten with the lemon juice sufl^ciently

Wet the spots with hot water

to form it into a roll or stick; dry in the sun.

and rub it with the prepared earth. Dry in the sun then cleanse with clear water.

gist,

;

Ink Spots, To Remove From Clothing.—Wet the spots with milk

—

—

sour milk is best if you have no milk, wet with water, and rub a piece of

lemon on some salt, then upon the spot, a few times will always remove it. If

you have no lemon, a little oxalic acid in water, rinsed out with clear water,

except the cheap school inks made with chromates of potash, even

will do it

oxalic acid will not dissolve them; but the better inks, which are set with iron,

—

the above will dissolve out.

Remarks.

—Remember,

rinsing.

away from children,

upon clothing if left without

if oxalic acid is used, to keep it

as it is poisonous, or corrosive upon the flesh, so

A drachm will be enough for any ordinary spot, the size of the hand.

If rinsed out as soon as the spot disappears it will hurt no clothing.

Ink— Printer's, To Remove From Clothing.— Saturate with turpentine, let alone for 2 or 3 hours; then rub well with the hands and dust out.

Saturate

means to wet thoroughly.

It

may be necessary to use some of the

renovating soap, or erasive [compound, or some of the soap for the machine-shop

men to wash away the discoloration.

MISCELLANEOUS.

63d

—

Tar Spots, To Remove. Tar spots may be removed by putting butter

upon them for a few hours; then cleanse with soap and water to remove the

grease, using the renovating soap if needed.

1.

Kid Gloves, To Clean. — Take purified benzine, in a bowl or suit'

able dish, sufficient to cover the gloves.

Put the gloves into the benzine and

saturate or soak to wet thoroughly; then having placed one upon a clean, smooth

way only, from the wrist

board, with a soft brush or soft sponge rub one

towards the fingers, wherever there is any dirt, or all over is best, to make all

look alike clean, dipping them or the brush into the benzine as often as necessary to get out all the dirt and if this can not be done with the first lot, throw

it away and pour in fresh, and rinse and squeeze out in the benzine till perfectly

clean.

White gloves you will suppose, while cleaning, to be spoiled, as it gives

them a dingy appearance. Tinted or light shades will not look quite so dingy;

but, never mind, partially dry them in the sun.

Now, having previously prepared a stick, a foot or more in length, carefully tapered, and rounded at one

end to resemble a finger, insert it into each finger, carefully pulling the glove on

by the wrist until smooth, then rubbing dry with fine soft muslin. "When aU

is,dry, polish with French powder (white), using soft white flannel in polishing.

Use care on the stick, and in all the processes, to keep the gloves smooth, for if

wrinkled the surface would be broken. Keep them from shrinking by putting

upon the hands occasionlly when nearly dry; but if you are cleaning a smaller

glove, for others, than will go upon your own hand, carefully pull them as

—

;

needed to prevent shrinkage.

Benzine, Benzole, Rose Oil, NaptTia, etc.

—Explanation. —Naptha, which

is a

preparation made by the destructive distillation of wood, but now better known,

as "wood alcohol," was formerly used for this purpose; but as this is now

worth 50 cents a quart, at least, and as the purified benzine, which is made from

coal oil or petroleum, does this work just as nicely, and cost not more than

10 or 15 cents a quart, it is now almost wholly used for these purposes. This

purified benzine is also known as "rose oil."

Druggists understand all these

names. Gasoline, even, will do the same work, but it has more of the odor, not

being so thoroughly purified. Remember, it is the purified benzine that should

be obtained; and, remember, too, all these articles are not only inflammable, but

also explosive, if fire gets to them or the vapor arising from them.

So do not

use them near a fire, lamp, or gaslight, to insure safety.

Remarks. — The gentleman from whom obtained

recipe— using naptha

—told me he paid $15 for after he had carried on clothes cleaning for eight

this

I

it,

years, and

he considered it a good investment at that

price.

It will

do the

work nicely, but the benzine is now the cheapest.

2. Or if the gloves are not much soiled, set a saucer of sweet milk, and

a piece of white soap upon the table. Fold a clean towel, 3 or 4 thicknesses,

upon the table, or upon your lap, and spread the glove smoothly upon it. Take

a piece of clean white flannel and dip it in the milk then rub it upon the soap,

then upon the glove, from wrist to fingers, continuing the process until the dirt

is removed, when, if a white glove it will have a yellowish tint, dark shades of

gloves will be darker stilL Be careful to clean every part of the glove thor*

;

S4

DR. CHASE'S RECIPES.

530

oughly, else there will be spots when done. Let dry, or nearly so, then put on

your hands and work soft, and polish as in No. 1 above, and the result will be

very satisfactory.

Or, take a pan of white com meal, sifted; put on the gloves and make

3.

believe washing hands in the meal, carefully, for 10 or 15 minutes, according

Fold in a clean towel, and put a weight upon them

to the extent of soiling.

for a time.

(See also white furs to clean, for the propriety of using corn meal

in removing dirt.)

Kid Gloves, Black, "Worn Spots, to Restore.—When black kid

gloves are soiled, or turned white, in spots, from wear, wet the spots with black

—a

ink

little poured into a

sauce-plate, and apply by means of a bit of flannel,

upon the end of a small stick, is a good way

—

then, leaving a few drops of the

ink in the plate, pour in a tea-spoonful of salad oil or sweet oil, and with the

flannel rub the mixture over the whole gloves, and dry in the sun polish on

the hand with soft flannel.

—

Ladies' Kid Boots—Black, to Re-Color Soiled, or Worn Spots.

—First brush

ofE all dirt,

then color the spots with ink, or with the renovating

dye, then with a little of the ink, or dye, in a little oU, as with black gloves,

polish the whole uppers, so all will look alike.

—Jettine, or liquid blacking,

Remarks

is

much used, of late years, instead

of ink and oil; suit yourself.

Woolen Hoods (White), Nubias, etc., to Cleanse, or Renovate, Without Washing. Dry nice wheat flour in a clean pan in the oven

and rub it thoroughly into the hood, or nubia, until thoroughly cleaned, adding

a very little bluing powder, if you have it, to the last rubbing— cleans them

nicely and saves the shrinkage from washing; although our plans of washing

woolens are excellent, and may be followed with these articles, if preferred.

—

Paint Spots Upon Windows, to Remove.—Dissolve

oz., in soft water, 1 pt.

—in this proportion for as much as needed.

sal

soda, 1

Use it hot,

with a piece of flannel, or sponge, on a stick, not to affect the fingers.

off with hot water, as soon as the paint spots are softened.

Wash

Kid Boots, or Shoes, White and Light Shades, to Clean.—

Use the

same.

purified benzine

and sponge as for gloves, drying and polishing the

admit the hand, stuff them to