Johnnysan
One Too Many
- Messages
- 1,171
- Location
- Central Illinois
I found these bits of wisdom from the early part of the last century to be very interesting. May have to save a beater hat from Goodwill to test them out...
(Taken from "Household Discoveries: An Encyclopedia of Practical Recipes and Processes" by Sidney Morse -- 1908.)
Cleaner for felt hats:
Mix 1/2 ounce of borax and 1/2 ounce of camphor in a quart fruit jar. Pour over them 1 pint of boiling water. Cover tightly and let stand until cool. Now add 1/2 pint of alcohol, shake well, and cork tightly. Used to sponge woolen dress goods, men's clothing, felt hats and the like.
To clean straw hats:
The most delicate straw goods, as Milan, Leghorn, and other straws, can be thoroughly cleaned by mixing the juice of a lemon with a tablespoonful of powdered sulfur to form a thick paste. Apply this to the hat with a nailbrush or toothbrush, first removing the band, and rub the paste thoroughly into the straw. Afterwards rinse by dashing water upon it from a glass, but without soaking. Shape the hat while still damp with a warm iron, pressing through a wet cloth until dry. Or press into shape and dry out of doors in the sun.
Panama hats:
Apply cornmeal, slightly damp, with a fairly stiff nailbrush, changing the meal as it becomes soiled. Brush off the excess of meal while still damp, dry the hat out of doors in the sun, and afterwards brush thoroughly.
Or with a piece of flannel, rub fuller's earth into the hat, cover quite thickly with it, and lay the hat away covered with a large piece of paper for four or five days. Remove the powder by brushing.
Or apply peroxide of hydrogen with the flannel cloth. Repeat if necessary.
To size straw hats:
Beat up the white of an egg and apply to the hat after cleaning with a small camel's hair brush or a sponge.
(Taken from "Household Discoveries: An Encyclopedia of Practical Recipes and Processes" by Sidney Morse -- 1908.)
Cleaner for felt hats:
Mix 1/2 ounce of borax and 1/2 ounce of camphor in a quart fruit jar. Pour over them 1 pint of boiling water. Cover tightly and let stand until cool. Now add 1/2 pint of alcohol, shake well, and cork tightly. Used to sponge woolen dress goods, men's clothing, felt hats and the like.
To clean straw hats:
The most delicate straw goods, as Milan, Leghorn, and other straws, can be thoroughly cleaned by mixing the juice of a lemon with a tablespoonful of powdered sulfur to form a thick paste. Apply this to the hat with a nailbrush or toothbrush, first removing the band, and rub the paste thoroughly into the straw. Afterwards rinse by dashing water upon it from a glass, but without soaking. Shape the hat while still damp with a warm iron, pressing through a wet cloth until dry. Or press into shape and dry out of doors in the sun.
Panama hats:
Apply cornmeal, slightly damp, with a fairly stiff nailbrush, changing the meal as it becomes soiled. Brush off the excess of meal while still damp, dry the hat out of doors in the sun, and afterwards brush thoroughly.
Or with a piece of flannel, rub fuller's earth into the hat, cover quite thickly with it, and lay the hat away covered with a large piece of paper for four or five days. Remove the powder by brushing.
Or apply peroxide of hydrogen with the flannel cloth. Repeat if necessary.
To size straw hats:
Beat up the white of an egg and apply to the hat after cleaning with a small camel's hair brush or a sponge.
