1327. To color Black.—Logwood and cider, boiled together, in iron—add water for the evaporation—makes a good and durable black. Rusty nails, or any bits of rusty iron, boiled in vinegar, with a small piece of copperas, will also dye black; so will ink-powder, if boiled with vinegar. In all cases, black must be set with copperas.
1328. General Rules for Coloring.—The materials should be perfectly clean; soap should be rinsed out in soft water; the article should be entirely wetted, or it will spot; light colors should be steeped in brass, tin, or earthen; and if set at all, should be set with alum. Dark colors should be boiled in iron, and set with copperas. Too much copperas rots the thread.
1329. To Wash Carpets.—Put the carpets down on a perfectly clean floor; wash them first with warm and weak soap-suds, wringing the wash-cloth almost dry; rinse them with clear water. Open the windows, that they may dry quickly.
It is obvious that the above directions are only applicable to the lighter sorts of carpets, Scotch, Kidderminster, and Venetian. If it be desired to cleanse a carpet which has an under-texture of thread, as Brussels, tapestry, or velvet, the carpet having been well beaten or shaken, and washed, should be spread out, and scrubbed with a scrubbing brush and ox-gall. A pint of gall and three gallons of water will clean a large carpet.
After the use of the gall, the carpet must be thoroughly rinsed, and dried in the open air.
1330. To Wash Clothes, on a small scale.—For a wash for three persons put three-quarters of an ounce of soda in soap and water over the fire. Wash the clothes first in soap and water; rub soap on the soiled or greasy places, and throw them in the mixture. Let them boil an hour; rinse them in clear, cold water; rinse them again in water with a little bluing in it. If the clothes are much soiled, put them to soak over night.