Page:Australian enquiry book of household and general information.djvu/110

 till hard and then turn out and cut into bars. You can make any quantity but you must keep to the above proportions.

Soap No. 4.—Take three pounds of washing soda, three pounds slacked lime and 12 quarts of water. Let these boil together half an hour. Then let it settle, strain from the sediment and add to the lye three pounds of clarified fat and four ounces of resin, let it boil very slowly for nearly three hours. Pour into a box and when hard turn out and cut into bars.

I have given several good recipes for making soap because I hold the opinion that in the bush every one should make their own soap. The cost is small and by so doing you will have a use for some of the surplus fat which, as a rule, goes to waste. Candles should also be made. For years I made every bit of soap we used and it really is no more trouble than many other things one is forced to do. To begin with you must have a fat tin, and for this purpose a kerosene tin answers very well. Throw into this all the scraps of fat, or better still if you can spare the time render them down first and then pour into the tin. Mutton fat is really the best, but any sort will make good soap, the only difference being that it is slightly harder when mutton fat is used. When you have enough melt it all down and pour into cold water to clarify it, and when cold lift off the cake of fat and store in another till wanted.

To Make Lye.—Put half a pound of unslacked lime into two gallons of of water, add to that six pounds of washing soda and boil gently for an hour or so. When cold pour off the liquor or lye.

Another Lye.—Ten quarts of water, six pounds of quick lime (shell lime if possible) and six pounds of washing soda. Boil for one hour, let it stand and draw off from the sediment.

Another—Take three pounds of soda, three pounds of slacked lime, and 12 quarts of water. Boil 20 minutes then let it settle and strain.

Many people have said to me, “But we never have any fat.” In every kitchen there must be a certain amount of fat. Unfortunately it is too often thrown out to save the trouble of clarifying. If you have soup there is always some fat to be taken off it. The scraps when trimming a joint all can be rendered down and turned to account. I had only a very small household when I made my own soap and candles, and would advise all young housekeepers who have to economise to try it.

To Wash Boys’ Tweed Clothes.—Cut or shred some common soap and boil it in as much water as necessary to wash the clothes. Let it boil and remove from the fire, now add to it two tablespoonsful of strong ammonia and three of spirits of turpentine, cool the water down by adding about one dipper of cold water to it. Place the suit to be washed in a tub and pour the prepared suds over it, let them lie in it till nearly cold then wash quickly, rinse in two clear waters and hangout to dry without wringing.

To Wash Coloured Fabrics—Make a lather of soap and hot water and according to the colour of the fabric use the following chemicals:—for blue and purple, sugar of lead; black and green, alum. Threepence worth of sugar of lead will do twice, and about a tablespoonful of alum is the quantity required. Mix it in with the water and when about milk warm wash the garments as speedily as possible. Rinse in warm water in which a spoonful of alum has been dissolved, and stiffen with bran water instead of starch. To prepare the latter tie about a pint of bran in a muslin bag and pour boiling water over it, let it stand till lukewarm and then use in place of starch. Borax is often used in washing coloured materials but all require to be rinsed in alum and water afterwards. With some materials in which a number of bright colours appear, it is an excellent plan to soak for 10 or 15 minutes, before washing, in strong alum and water, the alum fixes the colours and