The progress meatless cook book

TO CLEAN FELT HATS

Rub corn meal carefully into the felt, and remove with a soft brush.

Or scrub with corn meal and gasoline.

The inner part of a stale loaf of white bread rubbed into the felt is sometimes very successful in cleaning.

Rub the entire hat with fine sandpaper and it leaves the hat like new.

To dust a felt hat, use a piece of velveteen.

TO CLEAN STRAW HATS

Clean a black chip hat with a soft cloth dipped in alcohol.

To restore the color, use one-half pint hot water with one teaspoonful of ammonia. Cover the hat with a cloth wet in this mixture, let stand a few minutes, then place a warm iron over the cloth, and press into shape.

TO FRESHEN BLACK STRAW HATS

Mix one ounce of black sealing wax and one-half pint of alcohol. Leave the bottle in a warm place till the contents are creamy, shake the bottle well, and brush over the hat.

TO CLEAN WHITE STRAW HATS

Mix corn meal and gasoline, and scrub with a small scrub brush. Apply till clean, and brush dry.

Another method is to make a paste of sulphur and lemon juice and scrub the hat with it, rinsing in clear water, very quickly.

And still another way is to pour peroxide of hydrogen on the hat and brush it with a small scrub brush. Repeat till clean, shape the hat, and dry in the sun.

TO CLEAN AND FRESHEN CHIFFON HATS

Mix equal parts of magnesia, French chalk and pulverized soap, sprinkle thickly on the hat, leave for a day, and brush off.

If a chiffon or flower hat is caught in a heavy shower, shake it well and suspend it bottom side up in some convenient place to dry. It will revive like new.

Any lace or flower or other hat may be dipped in gasoline entirely, and cleaned thoroughly. Always be careful to use gasoline out of doors.

TO CLEAN FEATHERS

Put one cupful of corn meal, one-half cupful of white flour and three tablespoonfuls of powdered borax into a paper bag and shake the feathers in this till clean, then remove and shake. This also cleans laces, etc.

Feathers are also cleaned by dipping in gasoline, rubbing the feathers toward the tip, then shaking dry. This does not take out the curl. Never use gasoline indoors.

TO CLEAN WHITE FEATHERS

Make a paste of flour and gasoline. Put the feather in it and rub carefully the entire length, toward the tip. Repeat till clean. Rinse in clear gasoline and shake dry.

TO CLEAN RIBBONS

“Wash ribbons” washed in warm soapy water, squeezed as dry as possible, smoothed, placed on an ironing board and held down with a warm flat iron in one hand while the other hand pulls the ribbon quickly under the iron till it is dry, will be like new.

This is good for cleaning ribbons. Dip in lukewarm water, spread on a table and scrub with a brush rubbed in Ivory soap. Rinse in clean warm water and press between folds of thin cloth.

TO WASH DELICATE RIBBONS

Immerse in salt and water, and dissolve shavings of Ivory soap in boiling water till like jelly when cooled slightly. To a little of this jelly, add warm water to form a good suds, add a pinch of borax, put the ribbon in and squeeze back and forth through the hands till clean. Then rinse in warm, then in cold water, roll smoothly in a towel and in about two hours, press between paper.

Gasoline is fine for cleaning ribbons. Do not use gasoline indoors.

Ribbons and silk may be scrubbed with Ivory soap and gasoline, rinsing in clean gasoline.

TO STIFFEN RIBBONS

Put a teaspoonful of sugar in a cupful of water and rinse ribbons, and when pressed between paper, they are like new.

TO CLEAN WHITE WINGS

Make a paste of naphtha and French chalk, letting it dry on the wings and remain for a day, then brush.

Ordinary white wings may be scrubbed with a small scrubbing brush and Ivory soap suds. Scrub in the direction the wings grow, rinse well and while drying, brush frequently.

TO CURL OSTRICH FEATHERS

Sprinkle salt over hot coals, and shake the feathers over them.

Or place the plume in a warm oven for a few minutes.

TO COLOR FLOWERS

Squeeze a little oil paint of the desired color into a cup. Pour in a little gasoline, and mix it with a stiff brush (about one-half inch in width) with the paint. Add gasoline a little at a time till the right shade is reached. Try a leaf in it, dipping in, then shaking dry. Drying makes the color several shades lighter. Ribbons, laces, gloves, etc., may be tinted in this manner.

TO PREVENT SILK FROM CRACKING

Press with a hot iron.

Brush black taffeta with a piece of velveteen, pin it smoothly to the ironing board and sponge with one tablespoonful of ammonia in two quarts of strong black coffee. Sponge both sides and rub dry with a clean soft cloth. An old soft stocking makes a good sponging cloth. Equal parts of ox gall and boiling water are also good for sponging black silk.

Another sponging liquid is one teaspoonful of ammonia in a cupful of strong tea.

TO REMOVE BEESWAX FROM SILK

Put the spotted places between clean white blotting paper, and press with a quite warm iron, changing the blotters as the wax is absorbed.

Grease spots are often removed in the same manner.

TO WASH PONGEE SILK

Wash in lukewarm Ivory soap suds, rinse in warm water, hang on the line and let drip dry, and press on the wrong side without dampening. Pongee sometimes shrinks when wet.

TO FRESHEN VELVET

Spread a cloth wrung from cold water on top of a not too hot range, or over an inverted flat iron, spread the velvet over it and brush lightly with a whisk broom. Velvet can be made to look like new.

To dry clean white satin, use dried bread crumbs finely sifted, mixed with an equal quantity of pulverized blue. Spread over the satin, let remain an hour or two, and brush off with a piece of soft clean linen. If gold or silver trimmings are on the satin, use a piece of clean white velveteen for brushing.

TO WASH WHITE SATIN

Use Ivory soap suds in lukewarm water, rinse in lukewarm water, and press on the wrong side.

Silks, satins and velvets may often be cleaned by using gasoline and corn meal, cleaning a small space at a time and rubbing with a soft clean cloth. By adding little salt, the gasoline will never leave a mark around edges.

TO CLEAN SILK GOWNS

Grate a large raw potato to each quart of soft water necessary to wash the dress. Cover the potatoes well with cold water, let stand two days without moving, pour off the clear water carefully into the tub or large pail in which the dress is to be washed, and dip the pieces up and down till clean. Do not wring, but hang out to drip nearly dry, when the pieces should be laid flat and wiped on both sides, and pressed between soft cloths or paper.

TO WASH LACES

Fine laces, handkerchiefs, doilies or trimmings, may be made like new by soaking them in lukewarm Ivory soap suds for a couple of hours, changing the water and repeating till clean. Squeeze them very gently, rinse in several warm waters and while quite wet (do not squeeze), pat them carefully in shape on a flat smooth surface to dry. Place them right side up and they will look exactly like new, and it is very easy to spread each tiny figure into shape when it is quite wet. A large piece of marble or glass, the bottom of a large platter, or the bottom of a flat porcelain bath tub is good to dry them on. Thin laces may be dried on the window pane, but heavier lace will not stay on the glass. Lace yokes are beautifully done in this manner.

TO DRY CLEAN LACES

Rub block magnesia or corn starch carefully into the lace, roll or fold and lay away for several days, when the powder may be shaken out. If not perfectly clean, repeat. Flat pieces of lace may be laid over a piece of white paper that is covered with block magnesia, the lace itself also well covered, another sheet of white paper laid on the lace and a heavy flat weight, like a large book, placed on top and left to press the lace for several days. Shake, or brush carefully with a soft brush.

TO CLEAN LACE YOKES

Sprinkle boric acid on a lace yoke, lay away for a couple of days, shake well, and the yoke will be clean without removing it from the waist.

TO CLEAN LACE WAISTS

Put a delicate lace waist into a two quart glass jar filled with gasoline with the top tightly screwed on, and let stand over night. Next morning pour out a little of the gasoline, shake the jar thoroughly, remove the waist, and shake carefully dry. If the gasoline is much soiled, rinse in clean gasoline. And do not use gasoline indoors.

TO DRY CLEAN LACE WAISTS

Put a lace waist in a pillow case, cover thickly with corn meal and flour mixed, leave for several days, take out of doors and shake well but carefully in the bag. Then remove and shake free from the flour and corn meal.

TO WASH LACE WAISTS

Shake the dust from a washable lace waist, immerse it in clean warm water, with a tablespoonful of ammonia stirred in, then lay it in a wash bowl, cover it with strong Ivory soap suds and set in the sun for three hours. Do not rub, but dip up and down, rinse well in several warm waters, starch if desired, and press on the wrong side, on a padded ironing board.

TO COLOR LACES

Proceed in same manner as To Color Flowers.

TO CLEAN VEILS

Put the veil into a glass fruit jar, filled with wood alcohol, screw the top tightly on, and leave for about ten minutes. Then pour out a little of the alcohol, replace the top and shake the jar thoroughly. Squeeze the veil carefully, and shake partly dry (out of doors), then pin over a sheet on a bed or table, to dry in shape. Do not use alcohol near fire.

TO WASH VEILS

Dip the veil into a warm suds of Ivory soap, squeeze it carefully till clean, rinse in several warm waters, and pin on a sheet on a bed or table till partly dry, then press under a cloth with a warm iron.

TO FRESHEN BLACK VEILS

Stir a dessertspoonful of ammonia into a quart fruit jar nearly filled with alcohol, put a black veil in, cover tightly, and shake thoroughly. Remove from the jar, squeeze carefully, shake till nearly dry, pin on a sheet on a bed or table, and leave till perfectly dry.

TO FRESHEN BLACK LACE

Spread the lace on a flat surface, brush carefully with a soft brush, and shake out the dust. Mix in a saucepan one dessertspoonful of dry tea, one pint of boiling water and one teaspoonful of gum arabic. Simmer slowly, stirring till the gum is dissolved. Strain into a dish and soak the lace in it for thirty minutes. If the lace is silk, add a teaspoonful of alcohol to the solution. After soaking, squeeze the lace carefully, then put it in folds of cloth and squeeze. Then smooth it in shape, roll carefully in a dry cloth, let remain an hour and press over paper on a padded ironing board, with a paper on top of the lace which must be pressed on the wrong side.

Put a pinch of sugar in the last rinsing water.

TO CLEAN A BLACK WOOL GOWN

Sponge with ammonia and warm water, a tablespoonful of ammonia to a quart of water. Rub powdered French chalk into the spots, leave for half a day, cover the chalk with clean white blotting paper and set a warm iron on it. Then sponge again with ammonia and water, and press carefully under a cloth, on the wrong side where possible.

TO WASH A BLACK WOOL GOWN

Boil one ounce of soap bark solution in one quart of water. When thoroughly steeped, strain, and add to two gallons of hot water. Put the dress in this and dip up and down till clean. Rinse in warm water, squeeze carefully, shake out doors and let drip partially dry. Shake again, hang up again and when nearly dry, press carefully on the wrong side.

TO CLEAN COVERT CLOTH

Mix six ounces of water, one ounce of sulphuric ether and one ounce of ammonia. Sponge covert cloth with the mixture, then sponge with warm water, cover with a damp cloth and press dry, pressing on the wrong side where possible.

TO CLEAN SPOTS FROM CASHMERE

Make a paste of Fuller’s earth and cold water, and put on the spots and leave for several hours, then brush.

Dissolve a handful of the best gray lime in half a pail of water, and apply to the coat, with a sponge. Repeat, after three hours.

TO REMOVE GLOSS FROM CLOTHING

Rub carefully with fine emery cloth. After using emery cloth on very smooth surfaces, rub carefully the way of the nap with a warm silk handkerchief.

Sponging with hot vinegar is good for removing shine from woolen garments.

Black wool may be sponged with borax and water, then with clear water, to remove gloss.

TO DRY CLEAN WHITE CLOTH

Rub pipe clay into the soiled places, leave for a few hours, or a day or two, then brush off the pipe clay with a small scrubbing brush kept for the purpose.

TO CLEAN WHITE FUR CLOTH

Brush the cloth the way of the nap, shake, dip a clean sponge in alcohol and wash thoroughly in the direction the nap goes. Have mixed one part powdered borax and three parts powdered starch, and sprinkle on while the cloth is wet, all it will hold. Leave in a clean place for three days, then brush out all the starch.

TO WASH WHITE SWEATERS AND SHAWLS

Use a tablespoonful of Pearline to each pailful of warm water. Cover the garment with this, press down with the hands to squeeze out the dirty water. Let soak thirty minutes, pour off the water and repeat till clean. Rinse in several clean warm waters, but do not lift from the tub or bucket the garment is washed in. Take out of doors, pour off all the water possible. Squeeze the garment into a bunch in the two hands and dump quickly on a dry sheet on the grass in the hot sun. Spread the garment in shape and let dry. It will be perfect. If the sun is not hot enough to dry it on the grass, the garment may be spread on a sheet stretched on quilting or curtain frames across boxes or chairs.