Prepare hot water in the tub, with dissolved soap in it, either for handwork or a washer. Wash table linen first, then bed linen and towels, and next the body clothes. Soap the articles well, and rub or use a washer. It is well to wash handkerchiefs by themselves, boiling in a pail for half an hour. If one of the family has a cold or influenza, soak his handkerchiefs in a solution of salt and water and perhaps a little bleaching powder before washing and boiling. Make fresh suds often. This means heavy labor in the case of portable tubs, but clothes cannot be cleansed in dirty water. _Colored cotton and linen_ articles may be washed last. They should be put first into salt and water to set the color, washed in tepid water with white soap, rinsed thoroughly and hung in the shade, wrong side out. =Boiling.=——Boil the washed clothes in soap solution for ten minutes. In case of infectious disease, all the patient’s linen should be boiled an hour,[27] and of course exposed clothing is kept separate through the whole process. =Rinsing.=——This must be thorough and two or three waters must be used. This is the stage where many laundresses fail. The suction washers are very useful here. =Wringing.=——This must take place between every two stages of the process. =Bluing.=——Add the bluing solution to clean water to the desired shade, shake each piece, put it through the water, and wring out at once. Do not use bluing in excess. =Starching.=——Next the fabrics that need a little thin starch may be starched. _Starch_ for stiff collars and shirts is rubbed in at the time of ironing. =Drying.=——Hang out the clothes, having pieces of a kind together, and the threads straight. If out of doors, hang in such a way that the air will have easy access. Take down, when dry, and _fold_ lightly in a basket. _Sprinkle_, roll tightly, and leave them until ironing time. Thin fabrics should be very moist, as they dry quickly. =Ironing.=——This art must be acquired by watching the expert and by practice. [Illustration: FIG. 81.——Folding of nightdresses. _Courtesy of Balderston and Limerick._] Shake or stretch the article, and lay it straight upon the board. Iron from right to left, arranging the material with the left hand, and iron with the long thread of the material. Bring the article on the board toward you. Iron first the parts that will wrinkle least, such as ruffles and trimming and sleeves. Embroidery and damask should be ironed on a very soft material like a Turkish towel, right side down. Always iron until the fabric is dry. All tucks and folds must be carefully straightened, and if ironed crooked, they must be made very wet and done over again. When ironing a waist will you do the sleeve or the body first? Large flat pieces, towels, and napkins are folded in the ironing. Doilies and centerpieces should not be folded.