is softened and filtered at
public expense, before it leaves the reservoirs. But even under these
circumstances, a moderate use of washing powder is general in laundry
work.

If washing powder is put on clothes dry, or is thrown into a crowded
tub, it will eat the clothes before it has a chance to dissolve in the
water. The only safe method is to dissolve the powder before the
clothes are put into the tub. The trouble with our public laundries is
that many of them are careless about this very fact, and do not take
time to dissolve the powder before mixing it with the clothes.

The strongest washing powder is soda, and this cheap form is as good
as any of the more expensive preparations sold under fancy names.
Borax is a milder powder and is desirable for finer work.

One of the most disagreeable consequences of the use of hard water for
bathing is the unavoidable scum which forms on the sides of bathtub
and washbowl. The removal of the caked grease is difficult, and if
soap alone is used, the cleaning of the tub requires both patience and
hard scrubbing. The labor can be greatly lessened by moistening the
scrubbing cloth with turpentine and applying it to the greasy film,
which immediately dissolves and thus can be easily removed. The
presence of the scum can be largely avoided by adding a small amount
of liquid ammonia to the bath water. But many persons object to this;
hence it is well to have some other easy method of removing the
objectionable matter.

208. To remove Stains from Cloth. While soap is, generally speaking,
the best cleansing agent, there are occasions when other substances
can be used to better advantage. For example, grease spots on carpet
and non-washable dress goods are best removed by the application of
gasoline or benzine. These substances dissolve the grease, but do not
remove it from the clothing; for that purpose a woolen cloth should be
laid under the stain in readiness to absorb the benzine and the grease
dissolved in it. If the grease is not absorbed while in solution, it
remains in the clothing and after the evaporation of the benzine
reappears in full force.

Cleaners frequently clean suits by laying a blotter over a grease spot
and applying a hot iron; the grease, when melted by the heat, takes
the easiest way of spreading itself and passes from cloth to blotter.

209. Salts. A neutral liquid formed as in Section 204, by the action
of hydrochloric acid and the alkali solution of ca