THE WASHING OF BLANKETS.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 94, 21 April 1928, Page 4 (Supplement)

THE WASHING OF BLANKETS.

(By HELEN A. TREES, Lecturer at King's

College for Women.)

One of the chief considerations in blanket washing is the weather. There are many excellent water softeners on the market, and washing soda will soften water cheaply and well. Such a very small quantity of it is required that it will not barm wool.

To 4oz of washing soda add one pint of cold water. Heat it slowly till the soda is Add two teaspoonfuls of this s, .ition to every gallon of water. Add this to the washing water before you add the soap, and less soap will be required.

One tablespoonful of ammonia to a gallon of water can be used instead, but it is a more expensive way of softening water.

Tlie soap to use should be a good laundry variety. Cheap soap contains impurities which spoil the wooL Soap flakes also should be of good quality. They are very useful and make a lather easily. To Make Soap-Jelly. Shred two cakes of white soap, add 1 quart of warm water. Heat slowly till melted. Overheating discolours the soap and turns it brown. AlloW loz to 1 quart of boiling water —add water gradually to the soap flakes. Beat well with an egg whisk or old wooden spoon. It is easier to add soap flakes to the washing water if they are melted first. Method of Washing. Having made a good lather with the soap, shake the blankets thoroughly and get rid of some dust. Immerse them in the washing water and use a small hand vacuum washer for Ihe actual washing. This makes the work easier, for it sucks up the dirt and kneads the wool at the same time. If one of these is not available, knead well with the hands, but do not wring or twist. If the blankets require it, use a second soapy water. Quantity of water: 10 gallons of water to one pair of blankets. Temperature of water: flfideg. F. to lOOdeg. F., i.e., tepid to warm. Soap for hard water: loz of soap flakes to 1 gallon water, or \ pint of soap jelly to 1 gallon water. Soap for soft water: foz of soap flakes to 1 gallon water, or £ pint of soap jelly to 1 gallon water.

Rinsing.

Soften the as usual. Use cooler water, as hot water without soap causes shrinkage. The temperature should be Hist tepid. Use plenty of water to get rid of the soap. Use two rinsing waters. It is not satisfactory to "blue" white blankets. "White" wool is always creamcoloured. Blue and cream shade make grey, so that the colour of the blanket! is not improved. Coloured Blankets.— Wash these in exactly the same way, only never use ammonia in the water! If the colour is apt to run, add vinegar —two tablespoonfuls to the gallon °of water in botli washing and rinsing waters. c

Never wrin* Wankets by hand. It twists the fibres ti the wool and matts them.

Fold evenly and put through the wringer. Wring several times. This is well worth the trouble and will make the blankets dry more quickly. _ When the blankets are perfectly dry either brush the surface or beat it with •v stick. This gives the fluffy appearance which denotes a good blakent well washed.

Why Blankets Shrink. The Effect of Heat and Wringing.— A square of flannel of lOin wide wnp soaked i n water at 160deg. Fahr. for half an hour. It- was then wrung out and dried in an atmosphere of 60deg. Fahr. Result: The flannel had shrunk 2fin all round.

The Effect of Washing Soda and Heat. —A square of flannel of lOin side was washed in water at 120deg. Fahr., using a soap powder which contained a large percentage of washing soda. It was dried in an atmosphere of 60deg. Fahr. Result: It had shrunk 1 Jin by the weft thread pnd Jin by the warp. The Effect of Rubbing.—A square of flannel of lOin side was washed in water at lOOdeg. Fahr, in a good lather soap flakes. It was rubbed for five minutes during washing. The drying took place at 60deg. Fahr. Result: *The square had shrunk lin all round.

Decanters are best cleaned by filling them with strips of brown paper and cold water. They should be quite full. Shake the paper about and leave for a time. Then empty.