WASHING FINE LACES

Lake County Mail, Issue 21, 15 October 1947, Page 9

WASHING FINE LACES

Simple “ Do’s ” and “ Dont’s ” If you have tine laces, whether they are Grandma’s rose-point fichu, prized household d’oyleys, or curtains, there must come a time when they have to be cleaned and then that is where the “do’s” and “ don’ts ” creep in. If your laces arc fragile with agt the sort that, strictly speaking, belong under glass in a museum, don’t try to wash them yourself. They are n replaceable and need the attention of an expert. For other fine laces there are general directions and simple ones too which once mastered and carefully folJ lowed should bring good results. ■Luke-warm Water Only Fine laces should be washed and rinsed in luke-warm water. Luke-warm water is water in which you can place your elbow without it feeling perceptibly hot or cold, just merely wet to your skin. It is important that the soap should be thoroughly dissolved so that it is a good idea to dissolve it in hot water first - and then temper this down to the required lukc-warmness. Plunge the laces deep down into the suds and let the suds go through and through the meshes, keeping the laces under water while you work. Never rub two pieces of lace together. If there is a badly soiled spot rub very gently with two soaped fingers. If the laces are so soiled that they don't readily become clean and your suds begin to die down and look greyish, make up a second rinse of suds. Follow the sudsing with three thorough rinsings in clear water to remove all trace of soap. If you wish to give white laces a final blueing rinse be sure the blueing is in complete solution. Never let the laces lie in blued water. The loose mesh of the lace will fake up colour much more quickly than a firmer weave such as linen and this has also to be remembered when applying tinting powders if you wish to give the lace an ivory or ecru tone. Always wash lace pieces by themselves and support the laces from below with the hand when lifting from suds or rinsing water so that the weight of the water does not pull on the threads. Precautions for Drying Small pieces of lace should always be dried flat, larger pieces may be basted to an old sheet before washing so that they keep their size and shape and then may be dried by spreading T er parallel lines about 18 inches apart. Curtains may be dried on stretchers, but if the lace is very fine or fragile from age or sunlight it is advisable to baste strips of muslin along the edge before washing so that the pins of the stretchers will not tear the threads. If you have lace which you are afraid to wash for fear that even the normal handling during washing will spoil, there is one way by which you can wash them fairly safely. If the pieces are so large that they require tub-washing put them in an old clean pillow case before washing and swish pillow case and all through suds and rinsing water. If the pieces are small fill an ordinary preserving jar about half full of luke-warm soapy water and shake. For very fine lace which requires extreme precautions baste it to a piece of cotton or other firm material before washing.