CHAPTER I Why Fric tion an d Washboard Me thods Are Out of Date HE first cleaning of clothing by a wet or washing method n he n a e w as do e in t runni g w t r of a river . T he women of primitive peoples carrie d their soile d garments to the edge e m an d he h e h of a str a , eit r eld or fasten d t em down with a rock while they allowe d the action of the wate r to wash h the e a e n out the dirt . T en wom n gradu lly discover d that layi g the e clo thing on a smooth ston , and pounding with anothe r rock or flat m T h stick seemed to re move the dirt ore easily . e next ste p was to the e n a o build out into riv r a slopi g , narrow pl tf rm , and rub the oo he wash on this wooden surface . S n t y made groove s or ridges in he and h e e th o t se platforms , t us was volv d e m dern popular wash — board which to - day is as much of a discarded antique as tallo w dips an d warming pans $ All o f the se e arly an d traditio n al me thods were base d on the idea h the e e of friction , eit er by rubbing pi c s on a board or po unding the m h - - - with some form of paddle . T is rub a dub dub me thod persisted n e the e for ce turies , not b cause it was b st way to remove soil from h n e on e clot i g , but b cause no , until rece nt times , studied to find n e and e e f e a h n some w mor fici nt w s ing pri ciple s . $ust as for thousands o f ye ars pe ople cooke d their food by hold o e b e d hot a ing it on a stick v r a of co ls , because more advance d methods of usin g an iron range or an ele ctric grill had not be en dis e e too e e e he e cov r d , so , wom n v ryw r have followe d the old drudgery a h a on ha a h n e a the e r w s bo rd fricti bit of w s i g b c use wond ful , labor a n h h h n e s vi g met ods of mac ine was i g w re not yet perfected . There were se veral steps in the de ve lopment of successful machin e h n ow a the e h was ing , such as is m de possible by THOR cylind r was er . T he w as the e h a e e has e first discov ry t at w t r its lf solv nt powe r , and n to e a a h that by addi g it c rt in subst nces , t is power , espe cially ove r f i s e e . h dirt and grease , still more e f ctiv Primitive ousekeepe rs adde d ‘‘ e he h e wood ash s to t was wat r , but found that while this lye cut ha th h e o . e e the dirt , it was too rd on cl t es To l ss n such bad effects , e l e h fat— and h n they combin d y wit t us origi ate d modern soap . The second step w as a cle are r understandin g of textile s an d of the way in which dirt an d gre ase are absorbe d an d re taine d by the h e a n various fibres of w ich t xtiles are m de . U der the microscope an d e n e cotton linen appear lik stri gs or ribbons of c lls , while wool h- h shows as overlapping fis scales , w ich are found to expand when [3 ] an d h h e h e w e t o r e e t at wet w ic if rubb d w il subj ct d o hot wate r , o n e e o s sh te n n the e and n c int rl ck , thu or i g fibr re sulti g in what w e $ $ ’ ha o call shrinkage . Now w t we call s i l i n c lothin g i s i nsolu ble partic les of dirt held suspen ded amon g these fib res by the waste o z l n Thi l i e o ff n a the h a . s o i o r rease must g v n co st ntly by um n ski , g , $ ” b e c u t or a ttac hed so that the di rt parti c les may b e set free from the r a fib es an d c arr ied away in the wash w te r . he b e on n e h o u e s In ot r words , it is necessary to c vi c d t at t s c c s fully c lean se c lothin g we must use those methods whic h w ill most ejjfec tiv el dissolve rease an d thus ermit the dirt to all awa rom b etween y g , p f y f the bre o he othin Mo e n e has e h fi s f t c l g . dern sci c prov d to us that suc — me thods are pur e ly che mical re action s an d that grease is be st e n e a n w h n e s r moved , not by rubbi g , but by tr ti g it it those substa c which have bee n found to lite r ally dissolve it and chan ge it i n to s m a o a a — an d e othe r fo rms . All grea e is co bin ti ns of f tty cids w u se the n m e m n s a a h as a h must opposi g che ical le e t , or lk lis (suc w s ing n o n o f h o e tc . a e o o a s da , ammo ia , borax , , or v riati s t m as f und in s p) , in the wash wate r in orde r to break up the gre ase and permit the h n real dirt to detach itself from the clot i g . How $ ou Can Ge t Rid of Han d Rubbin g Eve ry worke r must un de r stand this mode rn pr1nc 1ple o f the m a o o e attacking of gre ase by che ical subst nces in s luti n , in ord r to h h n o f e she a h see why mac ine was i g is s e fectiv . I f gr sps t is newer a s e how e h e e s an d idea cle arly , she will surely l o s e futil , ow us l s , he - h n a n h s n h wrong w as t old fas io ed h bit of rubbi g by and , u i g a was e ma h n a e n n . Wou ld boa rd , or ev n a c i e b s d on pou di g or friction $ all the han d rubbin g i n the world remove an i n kspotfrom a table- c over No $ But j ust add a fe w drops of the proper ne utralizin g age nt e e th an d watch the stain instantly disapp ar , l aving e cloth spotless $ Thus just as a few drops of the right che mical will remove a dis he udic ious use o rease solven ts a a figuring stain , so t j f g like so p , bor x , w he dded to wash water i n solu tion o the ro er stren th will e tc . , n a f p p g ac complish a c lean sin g of the c lothes whic h c ou ld n ot b e equ alled by hou rs of han d rubbing . Re member this illustration of the i n kspo t e ve ry time you or an y ’ pe rson is le d to re mark that the y do n t se e how a machin e will e he the o h wash clothes without rubbing . Ev n w n you did rub cl t e s sh a w as n ot the n with a bar of soap o n a wa bo rd it rubbi g , but the alkali o r othe r chemical agen t re lease d from the soap which re ally h e a e soa e an e an the . W e the cl d , d not rub n you us d a c k of p on n he washboard you we re obtai n i n g on ly about 1 0 pe r ce t .