Vintage Clothesline's Vintage Laundry Hints

We recently picked up an old 1950's Household Hints guide and would like to share with you some old fashioned laundry tips that are still helpful in this day and age.  This is a series of hints which will continue through the next few weeks.  "Heaven to Betsy..look what we found now!"

• If your water is very soft, add a cup of vinegar to rinse water and the suds will come out of clothing easily.
• Delicate colors in wash materials will not fade if they are soaked in luke warm water, to which a few drops of turpentine has been added before they are put into the sudsy water for washing.
• Yellow and dingy clothes may be whitened by adding to the boiling water, enough bluing to make it slightly blue.  Boil the clothes as usual.
• Sprinkle clothes right on the line if you have a garden hose (turn on fine spray).  Roll clothes as you taken down.
• A little cologne sprinked on the ironing board just before ironing pillow cases and lingerie will give a delicate but lasting odor.
• Keep a wet sponge handy when ironing.  It's just the thing to dampen any spots which have dried out.
• If you get too much bluing in your wash, rinse clothes in clear water to which a small quantity of vinegar has been added.
• Colored cotton fabrics, which have been soaked overnight in strong salt water, will not fade.
• To remove a scorch from clothing, rub with a lemon and put in the sun.
• When ironing pockets in little girls' dresses, if the pockets are fancy, gathered, or smocked type, stuff them with soft tissue paper before ironing and you'll be delighted with the professional results.
• To remove scorch from clothing, wet cloth in peroxide; lay over scorch spot and press with warm iron.
• A few drops of turpentine in the suds on wash day will loosen the dirt and whiten the clothing.
• To put new life in a soiled powder puff, wash it in warm suds, scrubbing the bad spots with a fingernail brush.  But do not lay it out flat to dry.  Pin it instead to the sunny side of a window curtain so the air can get at it.
• A clean fly swatter makes an efficient clothes sprinkler.  You can do several pieces at once.
• A little vinegar added to the water in which  you rinse silk stockings will increase their elasticity and make them practically runproof.

Stay tuned for more hints next week....