Have the dress ripped apart, brushed, and all dust and dirt removed from
the seams, also all the old stitches. Pour four gallons of water in a
pail or basin, adding four ounces of ammonia. Dip each piece of the
garment into the liquid, and swash up and down, and squeeze as dry as
possible, then hang over a pole, and when almost dry, iron from the
wrong side until dry, with an iron not too hot.
Woolen dresses, that are much soiled, may be washed in soap and water,
and rinsed out before dipping in the ammonia water, which will improve
the color to a great extent.
Any material, such as worsted, and wool garments should be sponged with
ammonia and water.
When cleaning with gasolene, benzine or naptha, to remove the odor, the
article should be placed as near a steam radiator as possible, or in a
drying room heated by steam or otherwise, this removes the odor, the
steam heat dries out whatever of the fluid may have remained in the
material, and does so without the danger of explosion which makes it
impossible to dry a garment cleaned with the above near a lighted stove,
lamp, candle or gas.