2739. Save Soap and Labour
Soap and labour may he saved by dissolving alum and chalk in bran water, in which the linen ought to be boiled, then well rinsed out, and exposed to the usual process of bleaching.
2740. Hardly Any Soap
Soap may be dispensed with, or nearly so, in the getting up of muslins and chintzes, which should always be treated agreeably to the Oriental manner; that is, to wash them in plain water, and then boil them in rice water; after which they ought not to be submitted to the operation of the smoothing iron, but rubbed smooth with a polished stone. This work, which is known as "calendering," is very heavy and laborious, and is done by men.
2741. Improvements
The economy which must result from these processes renders their consideration important to every family, in addition to which, we must state that the improvements in philosophy extend to the laundry as well as to the wash-house.