33 Rules for Washing Woolens
If you do not wish flannels to shrink, wash them in two good suds, made of hard soap, then wring them out, and pour boiling water on them, and let them remain in it till cold. A little indigo in the rinsing water of white flannels makes them look nicer. If you wish to shrink your flannels, wash them in suds made of soft soap, and rinse them in cold water. Colored woolens that incline to fade, should be washed with a little beef’s gall in the suds. Cloth pantaloons look well washed with beef’s gall in the suds; they should be pressed, when quite damp, on the wrong side.