Satines, Ginghams, and Prints.
These kinds of goods look better when no soap is used and they are not starched in the usual way. For two dresses make one gallon of starch by mixing one cupful of flour with one pint of cold water. Pour on this three quarts and a half of boiling water. Pour half of this mixture into a tub containing four gallons of warm water. Wash one of the dresses in this, rubbing the fabric the same as if soap were used. Now rinse in two clean waters and hang out to dry. The starch cleans the fabric, and enough is held in the cloth to make it about as stiff as when new. Wash the second dress in the same way. This method is not for light cambrics, but only for satines, ginghams, and dark prints.
If the colors run, put half a cupful of salt in the second rinsing water. If the color of the fabric be blue and faded, put two tablespoonfuls of acetic acid, or twice as much vinegar, into the last rinsing water. This will often restore the color, but not always, as it depends upon the chemicals used in the dyeing. The acid can be used in the last water in which faded blue flannels are rinsed. Colored goods should be dried thoroughly and dampened only a few hours before you are ready to iron them. They should be ironed on the wrong side.