Everyday Cleaning---Table Linens

Table Linens:
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Because of the food stains they so easily accumulate, most tablecloths and cloth napkins are, thankfully, machine washable. But simply tossing dirty or stained table linens into the washer may not be enough to keep them looking crisp and fresh under your fine china, crystal and silver. A few tricks of the trade will help.

Wash table linens before stains set. After spills or big, messy dinner parties, wash them in a washing machine as soon as possible, following manufacturer's recommendations on the care label. Pretreat stains with a commercial spot remover. For best results, don't let the pretreatment dry before washing.

When ironing tablecloths, cut down on the creasing by placing a table next to your ironing board. Let the tablecloth hang over the table but don't let it drag on the floor.

If your table linens have lace, make sure the lace is machine washable. Some lace is not and might shrink considerably when washed in water.

• If the lace is not washable, have it dry-cleaned.
• If it is washable--and luckily, most table linen lace is--wash it gently. The safest technique is to hand-wash it in warm water with a squirt or two of dishwashing liquid.
• If it is machine washable, wash it in a mesh bag tied at the top. This prevents the lace from snagging.
• To keep the lace from wrinkling, which it will duo in a machine dryer, air-dry it, laying it as flat as possible.
• When ironing, make small, gentle circular motions with your iron to avoid stretching the lace.

Tapestries

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Tapestries are like fine rugs hung on walls, except that, fortunately, they are not subject to the abuse that rugs get. But tapestries still need regular care and cleaning. Antiqud tapestries can be extremely valuable and fragile, since age deteriorates textile fibers. If you have an antique tapestry that needs cleaning, play it safe and take it to a professional----a textile restorer or a dealer in antique tapestries or oriental rugs dust who has cleaning experience.

Periodically dust your tapestry using your vacuum cleaner with its upholstery attachment. If possible, leave the tapestry hanging and carefully, gently vacuum it in place. This will save the time and hassle of having to take it down and rehang it. Depending on conditions in your home (home much dust you have), do it once or twice a year.

If you need to spot-clean a tapestry, make a sud shampoo by missing 1/2 teaspoon liquid dishwashing detergent in 1 quart of warm water. Squeeze a sponge in the solution to whip up a head of suds on an conspicuous by rubbing a cotton swab dipped in the suds on an inconspicuous corner of the tapestry. If the color holds, continue. Using a little water as possible, scoop the suds off the top, applying them sparingly with a sponge to the tapestry surface. Rub gently. Before the suds dry, lightly rinse each area as you go with a clean, damp sponge. Be sure to remove all the suds, or the residue will cause the textile to soil faster.

For a deeper cleaning, have the tapestry dry-cleaned by a professional. Make sure the dry cleaner has experience cleaning the type of tapestry you own.

To remove wrinkles or creases, iron the back of your tapestry with steam iron on a medium setting. If you must iron the front, lay a thin towel on the tapestry to protect the fibers.

Tar

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There's a reason all those prehistoric animals died in Calfornia's La Brea Tar Pits. They couldn't get out of the sticky mess. while tap on your cars upholstery or rug won't kill you, it can frustrate you half to death. But before it reaches that point, try these cleaning steps.

First, remove as much tar as possible by with a spoon or dull knife. Remove further residue by blotting with a clean, dry paper towel.

Next, blot off the remaining tar with rubbing alcohol on a paper towel. Repeat several times, using clean paper towels with more freshly applied alcohol.

If the tar stain still remains, next try a sudsy solution of warm water and a squirt of dish-washing liquid. Put a small amount on the stain and work it in by blotting with a paper towel. Rinse by spraying lightly with clean water. Dry by stacking paper towels on the stain and weighting them down with a flat, heavy weight such as a brick.

WATCH OUT

If you are using alcohol to remove tar on an upholstered cushion or carpet, try not teo let the alcohol soak into the stuffing or backing material. It can destroy the bonds of certain synthetic materials.

Tarpaulins

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We throw up tarps to protect our lawn mowers, boats, lumber, and other things, from the elements. As a result, tarps take a beating, catching bird droppings, diesel smoke, sap, and dust. Cleaning your tarp can help it do its job longer.
There are two main types of tarps:

• The heavy-duty vinyl tarps you see covering boats and party tents.
• The garden variety lightweight polyethylene tarps, which come in blues and greens and browns and appear to be woven.

To clean heavy-duty vinyl tarps, scrub with a nylon-bristled brush, a solution of dish-washing liquid and water, and lots of elbow grease. Lay the tarp out on  a freshly hosed off driveway or clean parking lot. To make the job easier on your back, scrub with a long-handled industrial push broom. For stubborn stains, add vinegar (1 cup of white vinegar  per gallon of water) to the soapy water.

Clean polyethylene tarps the same way, but expect to clean them less often. Because of their chemical makeup, polyethylene tarps don't attract dirt as readily as vinyl.