Page:Domestic economy, or, General recipe book.pdf/2

 To Clean Black Clothes.

Brush the dust well out of the clothes—remove the grease from the collar with a brush, warm water, and soap, then boil one ounce of logwood in a quart of water, add a bit of bluestone about the size of a horse bean, lay the clothes on a table and brush them well with it till they are wet; let them dry, then brush them again with hot water, on the surface of which, put a few drops of olive oil, care must be taken not to put too much oil on the water at once; when wasted, add a few drops more. This operation must be done uniformly and in direction of the nap or grain of the cloth, hang them to dry, and they will be a beautiful black, particularly if the nap is not wore off.

To Clean Blue Clothes.

Pound some indigo and dissolve it in a little sulphuric acid when properly melted, dilute it with eight times its weight of water: add to it a small piece of soda; give the clothes a good brushing with this liquid, finishing as directed for Black Clothes.

To Clean Drab Clothes.

Take pearl ashes 7 oz. quick lime 12 oz mix them together with boiling water, then pour upon the mixture 7 quarts of cold water; stir it up and let it stand