Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 293, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 December 1912 — BLEACHING LINEN IN HOUSE [ARTICLE]

BLEACHING LINEN IN HOUSE

Good Substitute for Sun and Grass, Which Is, of Course, the Best Way of ( Doing It. The very best and safest plan for bleaching unbleached linen and cotton is the good old method used in our grandmothers’ days Of wetting the material thoroughly and spreading it on the clean grass in the full sun that it may do the work. The material is made wet again each time it becomes, dry, and after a few days it will have become soft and fine in texture and of a beautiful snowy white, simply through nature’s agents. But if time, space and a propitious season are lacking, the best way 1b to soak the material for over night in a rinsing- water containing Javelle water, an ordinary washing fluid, which, judiciously used, does not materially weaken the fibers of clothing while bleaching it very nicely. About a cupful with the rinse water for each tub is ordinarily used and the clothing is left in the rinse water for a longer or shorter time, according to its state. For your unbleached linens and cottons you might use two cupfuls of Javelle to the tub. and let them soak several hours or even over night. Then rinse thoroughly, blue, and expose while quite wet to th.e sun. and air. It will probably not be- necessary to repeat the treatment, and each repeated washing will whiten them more and more.