The washing of dishes takes so much time in every house that it is evidently a subject calling for close attention. Nothing is more desirable than that this work be done thoroughly and well; still, it is doubtless possible to plan for it in such a way that time may be saved for other matters.

In the first place, systematic work is sure to go more rapidly than haphazard fashions. The dishes should be prepared for washing by scraping them as clean as possible, and some housekeepers advocate rinsing off many of them under the hot or cold water faucets before putting them in the dish-pan. Hard water is very unsatisfactory for dish washing, and the use of soda or borax is a great help when soft water is not available. Borax is not so hard on the hands as soda. Dishes which have contained milk or eggs are better rinsed well in cool water, for heat hardens the albumins so that they are removed with difficulty.

Plenty of hot, soapy water is necessary to do this work easily, and a second dishpan of clear, hot water in which to rinse the dishes is a great help. Use very little soap on gilt china, however.

There seems to be a great variety of opinion on the subject of washing glass. Many housekeepers have expressed a preference for washing it in cold water rather than in hot. Where the glass is not at all greasy, this is very well. Ammonia or soda in the water helps to clean the glass and makes it lustrous. Glass washed in cold water should be allowed to drain almost dry before it is polished.

One housekeeper has described to me a wire basket which she has had made to hold dishes when they drain, and which is made to fit into her dishpan. Fitting the dishes into this, she is able to immerse them in hot rinsing water, and then lift them out to dry. She finds the plan an excellent one.

Another student writes that she has found sifted coal ashes a most useful article to use in cleaning knives. Another prefers sifted wood ashes. These most be very carefully sifted, so that no hard bits be left in, which might scratch the articles polished.

The kitchen dishes are usually the most difficult to wash, and one student describes a home-made "scrubber" which she declares is very useful. "Take a broom apart, a good one, by removing the wire and letting the straw loose," she says. "The upper part of the straw is then put into boiling water and left long enough to soften it. Then the straws are tied together in bundles about two inches across, using a strong twine. The twine is pulled tight, and sinks into the softened straw, and when dry, it does not slip. A loop is left for hanging the bundle, and the straw is left its whole length. These are so long and slender they will reach into anything. They are a great saving on the hands, and allow the use of much hotter water."

Many of our students recommend the use of soft paper in cleaning greasy dishes, kettles, and pans, The papers may be burned, thus disposing of much grease which would otherwise find its way into the kitchen sink drain.