Take a gallon of water, one pound of sal soda, and one pound of soap;
boil one hour, then add one tablespoonful of spirits of turpentine. Put
the clothes to soak over night; next morning soap them well with the
mixture. Boil well one hour; rinse in three waters; add a little bluing
to the last water.
SOFT SOAP--TO MAKE
The ashes should be of hardwood (hickory is best), and kept dry. When
put in the hopper, mix a bushel of unslacked lime with ten bushels of
ashes; put in a layer of ashes; then one slight sprinkling of lime; wet
each layer with water (rain water is best). A layer of straw should be
put upon the bottom of the hopper before the ashes are put in. An
opening in the side or bottom for the lye to drip through, and a trough
or vessel under to receive the lye. When the lye is strong enough to
bear up an egg, so as to show the size of a dime above the surface, it
is ready for making soap; until it is, pour it back into the hopper, and
let it drip through again. Add water to the ashes in such quantities as
may be needed. Have the vessel very clean in which the soap is to be
made. Rub the pot over with corn meal after washing it, and if it is at
all discolored, rub it over with more until the vessel is perfectly
clean. Melt three pounds of clean grease; add to it a gallon of weak
lye, a piece of alum the size of a walnut. Let this stew until well
mixed. If strong lye is put to the grease, at first it will not mix well
with the grease. In an hour add three gallons of strong hot lye; boil
briskly, and stir frequently; stir one way. After it has boiled several
hours, cool a spoonful upon a plate; if it does not jelly, add a little
water; if this causes it to jelly, then add water to the kettle. Stir
quickly while the water is poured in until it ropes on the stick. As to
the quantity of water required to make it jelly, judgment must be used;
the quantity will depend upon circumstances. It will be well to take
some in a bowl, and notice what proportion of water is used to produce
this effect.
To harden it: Add a quart of salt to this quantity of soap; let it boil
quick ten minutes; let it cool. Next day cut it out. This is now ready
for washing purposes.
BROWN TAR SOAP--TO MAKE
Take eight gallons of soft soap, two quarts of salt, and one pound of
rosin, pulverized; mix, and boil half an hour. Turn it in a tub to cool.
SOAP-POTASH--TO MAKE
Six pounds of potash, five pounds of grease, and a quarter of a pound of
powdered rosin; mix all well in a pot, and, when warm, pour on ten
gallons of boiling water. Boil until thick enough.
SOAP FOR CLEANING SILVER, ETC.--TO MAKE
One bar of turpentine soap, three table-spoonfuls of spirits of
turpentine, half a tumbler of water. Let it boil ten minutes. Add six
tablespoonfuls of ammonia. Make a suds of this, and wash silver with it.
SPERMACETI--TO REMOVE
Scrape it off; put brown paper on the spot and press with hot iron.
ACID STAINS--TO REMOVE