The Lincoln Times

HOME LAUNDRY SHORT CUTS.

With thousands of women tackling the full load of the family wash for the first time due to laundry service curtailments, there is special need for home-front education on the easiest way of doing an expert laundry job.

Encouraging news for home laundresses is offered by a recent time study which reports that, with efficient planning and shortcut methods, an average laundry for a family of four, amounting to 35 pounds, takes about two hours and 25 minutes to wash in a washing machine and rinse. Careful sorting of clothes ahead of time and advance soaking of soiled articles for 10 or 15 minutes were proven to be helpful time-saving procedures. The operations also were streamlined by several time-saving procedures.

The operations also were streamlined by several time-saving techniques which are inexpensive and available to amateur laundresses. For example, by dissolving bluing flakes directly in the suds, bright looking clothes were achieved without any streaks and there was no need for the traditional chore of a separate bluing job. Another short cut recommended by experts calls for dissolving a quarter of a cake of special wax-like product in each quart of starch to insure the iron against sticking. This method assures a satisfying smooth finish in addition to making the ironing easier and avoiding strain on the fabric.

This wax-like product also saves time by making it possible to iron starched clothes while slightly damp and dispense with the time honored chore of drying first and then sprinkling.

Bad posture was reported to be a major and easily avoided cause of traditional "blue Monday" backaches. Tests indicated that most complaints of fatigue could be eliminated by taking time to adjust the height of washing and ironing equipment to fit individual requirements.