To Clean Dirty Clothesline—Wrap it around the washboard and scrub it with a brush and soap suds.

Brick for Iron Stand—If a brick is used for an iron stand, the iron will hold its heat much longer than when an ordinary stand is used.

Lemon for Whitening Clothes—Put a slice of lemon, with rind on, in your boiler of clothes and it will remove stains and make your clothes white without injuring them.

To Prevent Starch from Sticking to the Iron—Borax and oily substances added to starch will increase the gloss on the article to be ironed and will also prevent the starch from sticking to the iron.

To Make Water Softer for Washing—Use four ounces of alcohol and one-half ounce of ammonia. If used for toilet purposes add to this one dram of oil of lavender.

A couple of teaspoonfuls of glycerine to a small tubful of water will soften the lather in which flannel pieces are to be washed.

To Protect Hand from a Gasoline Iron—When using a gasoline iron, a little steam always rises from the iron and burns the hand. Before putting on your glove, rub the side of the hand well with vaseline and this burning can be avoided.

To Prevent Woolen Blankets from Shrinking—After washing woolen blankets put them on curtain stretchers to dry and prevent shrinking.

To Restore Flannels, which have become hard and shrunken, to their former softness, soak them in gasoline. To Make Linen Glossy—When a gloss is desired for linen goods, add a teaspoonful of salt to the starch when making.

Quick Method of Sprinkling Clothes—Turn the nozzle of the garden hose to a fine spray and sprinkle the clothes while they are on the line. All plain pieces can then be rolled up and laid in the basket as they are taken down. Starched pieces may need a little further hand sprinkling.

When Laundering Sash Curtains, never starch the hem; the rod can then be run through it without danger of tearing.

To Clean Wringer Rollers—Kerosene is excellent for cleaning the rubber rollers of a clothes wringer. After it has been applied rinse the rollers off with warm water.

When Ironing Calicoes—Dark calicoes should always be ironed on the wrong side of the goods with irons that are not too hot.

To Make White Curtains Ecru or Cream Color—First soak curtains over night in cold water to remove all dust. In the morning wash in usual way and rinse thoroughly to remove all soap. Then put them in boiler with a tan stocking and remove when the desired color is obtained.

To Stretch Curtains Without a Curtain Frame—Fold the lace curtain double lengthwise; then pin it on a tightly stretched line with many clothes-pins and slip a clean pole inside the folded curtain. This stretches the curtain satisfactorily and saves considerable time and money when a curtain stretcher is not available.

Right Way to Hang Skirts—In laundering skirts made of pique, cotton or woolen pin them to the line by the waistband so they will hang straight down. If pinned this way they shrink evenly all around instead of sagging, as they do when pinned at the hem.

Bleaching a Scorched Spot—If you scorch a piece of white goods while ironing, immediately rub the spot with a cloth dipped in diluted peroxide, then run the iron over it and the cloth will be as white as before.

To Iron Over Buttons, Etc.—When ironing over blouses or frocks with large buttons or hooks and eyes on, use several thicknesses of blanket or Turkish towels to iron them on. Turn the garment button-side down, and press on the wrong side. The buttons will sink into the soft padding and leave a smooth surface for the iron to run over.

To Restore Color—When color on a fabric has been accidentally or otherwise destroyed by acid, apply ammonia to neutralize the same, after which an application of chloroform will usually restore the original color. The use of ammonia is common, but that of chloroform is but little known.

To Set Color in Wash Goods before laundering: Any colored fabric should have color set before washing, using the method below which is best suited to the goods:

For green, blue, pink, pinkish purple, lavender and aniline reds, soak for 10 minutes in alum water, using three ounces of alum to a tub of water.

For black-and-white, gray, purple, and dark blue, soak in salt water, using a teaspoonful of common salt to a quart of water; soak one hour and rinse thoroughly.

Dry in the shade. If in doubt about the goods, first try a small piece of it as above and note carefully the result.

Vinegar is also considered good for dark colors, using one-fourth cup of vinegar to one quart of water.

Sugar of lead is best for delicate greens, blues and tans. Use one teaspoonful of sugar of lead to one quart of water.

To Get Rid of Ants—To rid the house of ants, smear the cracks and corners of the infested rooms with balsam of peru.