WASHING HAND-KNITTED WOOLLIES.

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume LVIII, Issue 70, 3 September 1937, Page 3

WASHING HAND-KNITTED WOOLLIES.

The most satisfactory way of washing woollies is to run them through a borax bath of nearly cold water, using one ounce of dissolved borax to one gallon of water. Have ready a bath of nearly cold, soapy water, using a soap powder, and as you take the woollens from the borax bath, put them into the soapy water and squeeze them until they are clean. Never rub or twist the woollies, as it makes the wool felted. Rinse the woollies in soft water and put half a cup of vinegar in the last rinsing water to make the wool soft and silky.

Squeeze the water out of the garments very gently and then wrap them in a towel and put them through the wringer. Take the woollies from the towel, shake them well and hang them up out-of-doors or in a draught inside the house. They should not be placed near enough to a fire to make them steam.

Never leave woollen garments lying about wet, but carry the work through without delay. Heavy garments, like woollen frocks and jumpers, should not be hung up until they are half-dry. First of all, they should be laid flat on a folded towel, after going through the wringer.

One of the chief mistakes made in washing woollens is to hang them up wet and allow them to drip. Drying them slowly like this is very likely to make the jumpers lose their shape and also to shrink. But even this is better than drying in front of a fire.

Another cause of shrinking is hot water. Borax is a great aid for softening hard water, but it cannot prevent shrinking if the water is too hot.