TO AVOID LENT PICKUP it is best to wash such clothing separately from materials that shed lint. Using medium hot water, wash the clothing for twenty minutes or more, using enough soap to produce a heavy suds and about half a cup of a non-precipitating water softener (Calgon, Tex, etc.). Let the washer go through the complete cycle up to the final spin dry. If this treatment does not remove stubborn dirt or stains follow it with the Electrasol or Calgonite treatment described for Dacron blouses and shirts.

After removing the clothing from the rinse water, hang shirts and coats on hangers and trousers by the cuffs. Smooth collars, cuffs, and seams with the fingers.

IF PRESSING BECOMES NECESSARY use a low setting for your iron.

SUCH CLOTHING CAN BE DRY CLEANED. If, after long wear and many washings, creases lose their sharpness, have a dry cleaner reset them.

VICARA. We still have not reached the end of today's synthetic fibers and blends. There is the unobtrusive Vicara, made by complicated processes from the protein in corn. Not a strong fiber, Vicara appears in blends, giving desirable qualities to wools, rayons, and other materials. It gives woolens a soft feel almost like cashmere and helps them keep their size and shape, because Vicara does not shrink. To rayons and other materials it contributes the elasticity they would otherwise lack, and to acetates and other synthetics it gives absorbency and better reception of dyes. It is nice to know, sometimes, that Vicara is there. It presents no cleaning problem because it is a sturdy product with excellent chemical resistance. Vicara blends are dry cleaned or washed, depending upon the instructions given on the manufacturer's tag. If the garment is washable, simply treat it as if it were made entirely of the other fiber in the blend.

ACRILAN is similar to nylon and Orion. It is washed (if tagged washable) according to the instructions already given for Orion and nylon. The only fabric in which it is used by itself is a challis soft, warm, lightweight, wrinkle-resistant and washable. Acrilan is combined with wool to make a soft washable jersey that requires little pressing, and with rayon to make a suiting material that keeps its crease marks when washed, but needs occasional light pressing.

DYNEL, spun from chemicals is exceptionally tough and versatile. Extremely resistant to strong acids, alkalies, and a range of chemicals, it finds an important place in clothing for industrial workers. It is used for blankets, socks, draperies, and a variety of wool-like materials. For Dynels marked washable, water up to 170? F. can be used. This is hotter than the hands can stand. Any kind of soap or detergent can be used. However, Dynel is very sensitive to ironing heat. Use a "cool" iron, never hotter than 240? F. of heat. (Usually wrinkles fall out of Dynel without any ironing at all.)

For clothing, Dynel appears most often in napped or piled fabrics and in blends. Fleece-type coats of spring and summer weights are made of Dynel, and they are lightweight, warm, and wrinkle-resistant. In appearance they resemble wool or cashmere. These can be washed by the method described for Orion or nylon fleece coats and need no pressing.

Vicara blends are dry cleaned or washed, depending upon the instructions given on the manufacturer's tag. If the garment is washable, simply treat it as if it were made entirely of the other fiber in the blend. Acrilan can be washed with light pressing while dynel can be washed with any kind of soap or detergent.

Pre-treating spots and areas of severe soil can make the cleaning much easier, put them into the washing machine at a temperature setting higher than that recommended, and use the heavy duty soap. Use the medium hot water and separate the clothing from materials that shed lint.