THE ART OF. DRY CLEANING

Dominion, Volume 18, Issue 117, 9 February 1924, Page 15

THE ART OF. DRY CLEANING

BRAN; PETROL AND SALT

The renovation and cleaing of various materials used in the home is a branch of housewifery which should not be neglected. Both in the case of clothes and furnishing fabrics much can be done to restore freshness when necessary without incurring the expense of Bending the article in need of renovation to the professional . cleaners. , , ... ' Used dry, bran is a splendid medium . for cleaning furs. The bran should be placed in two tin pains and made thoroughly hot in the oven or on the top of the stove. While one pan is in use the other should be kept hot. Sheets of newspaper or a dust-sheet should be spread under the fur garment to be cleaned as bran is very lio-ht and easily scattered (writes 1 “M.G.H.” in the “Manchester Guardian”). A handful of hot bran should be rubbed into the fur and then shaken out again. This process should be repeated until the portion treated is clean. The bran must be kept quite hot to be really effective, and should be gathered up and reheated iwien a quantity has been used. The results of such bran cleaning are quite astonishing. The same method of treatment is suitable for rough tweed costumes, suits, etc. A Bran Bath. Bran is used in liquid form for the renovation of chintz and cretonne and other such washing fabrics which i& quire special treatment. Bran water for this purpose is prepared by tying half a pint of bran loosely in a square of muslin, leaving plenty of room for the bran to swell. Put this in a saucepan with a quart of cold water and let it simmer for half an hour. This first bran water should then be poured off and allowed to cool, while another quart of cold water is added to the saucepan and the bran stewed once more. The quantities should, of course, be. increased where there are several pieces of material to be cleaned. The bran water is then added to two tubs of warm, soapy water and the cretonnes etc., washed by kneading and squeezing, first in one tub and then in the second. The bran brings up the tones of colour in the pattern in a remarkable way. A final rinsing in clear, cold water, to which salt _ has been added, clears the fabric, which should then be passed through the wringer, dried in a cool place, starched or not according to its texture. £-nd finally ironed. Bran can also be used to renovate a shabby serge skirt in the following manner:—Place a handful of bran in a basin and pour over it about half a pint of boiling water. Let this cool a little, then dip a clothes brush into the bowl, and brush the skirt vigorously Hang in the air to dry. Any pieces of bran should then bo brushed off and the skirt pressed thoroughly on the wrong side with a hot iron. The skirt -will be entirely renovated with this treatment. Petrol. Another useful medium in household cleaning is petrol. Silk jumpers, blouses, etc , can be njquq loaded u Xq papmaanlai e;inb

The article should first be examined and. any spots rubbed with a rag dipped in petrol. After.this the whole garViont should be immersed in petrol and squeezed, but not rubbed. When all the dirt is out the garment should bo squeezed gently out of the petrol bath and rinsca in a fresh bowl <f petrol. The jumper or blouse should then bo hung out of doors until petrol has evaporated. It must ce remembered that petrol is highly inflammable, and should never be used anywhere near a fire or gas jets. M lien the weather allows it is bc*t to do all the petrol cleaning out of doors, but failing this a fireless room should bo used. Skin gloves can also be cleaned in a petrol bath, several pairs being done in a small amount of petrol. □ry Salt. Light-coloured cloth can be cleaned very satisfactorily with dry salt. 'flie garment should be laid on a table or other hard surface and salt scattered liberally over it. It should Le spread evenly over the surface of the material. ■ A pad should then be made of a piece of linen folded; everal times. With this the salt should be rubbed into the cloth by means of long sweeps, always in the same direction. Care must be taken not to rub in circles, as this would be liable to affect the surface of the cloth. When the whole garment has been thus treated the salt should be brushed out, and a wonderful freshness of appearance will be the result. In the case of collars, cuffs and other much-soiled parts a second application of salt may be necessary, but after this treatment the garment should be quite clean. “Shine.” When dealing with the subject of the renovation of wearing apparel the removal of “shine” from skirts, suits, coats, etc., must not be omitted. Very often the garment is absolute y intact except for one or more shiny patches caused by friction and wear. These patches are most annoying, as they entirely spoil the appearance _ of, an otherwise attractive whole. The “shine” can, however, he effectually removed by the following treatmentDissolve a little powdered alum in water in the proportion of one j art cf alum to sixteen parts of water. Sponge the “shiny” parts of the garment with this prenaration. If the whole garment looks shabby sponge it all over, rubbing any very, bad patches vigorously. While the garment is still damp it, should be steamed and pressed ’ ery lightly. If there is still any sign of shine the patch should be rubbed very gently with the finest grade cf emery paper, rubbing the way of the pile and being very careful not to overdo it. This treatment will raise new pile to replace the hap which has been worn away. As a final treatment the garment should be well brushed with a stiff clothes brush. My throat was sore, my lunes were strained, _ . , Whate’er I tried no ease I gained. Until a friend whose aid I sought Tn four charmed words salvation brought. T promptly bought what J was bid The wisest thing I ever did. One bottle gave me comfort sureWoods’ Great Pepperrfunt Cure—Advt.