{"id":1550,"date":"2016-07-18T05:00:46","date_gmt":"2016-07-18T09:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sawpublishing.com\/?p=1550"},"modified":"2019-07-04T15:59:47","modified_gmt":"2019-07-04T19:59:47","slug":"safe-stain-removers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sawpublishing.com\/safe-stain-removers\/","title":{"rendered":"Are You Looking For Safe Stain Removers? – Timeless Tip #3"},"content":{"rendered":"

Timeless Tips from Homemakers of the Past is an ongoing series highlighting useful and thought provoking tidbits from the generations of homemakers who have gone before us.\u00a0 Our goal at Sheep Among Wolves is to provide a forum for Good and Great literature, and to help you in your quest for godly, high-quality resources.\u00a0 It is our hope that these Timeless Tips will be an aid and encouragement to you as you strive to follow the example of Titus 2, and become a keeper of the home.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"AreHave you ever used a stain remover that ate a hole through your shirt?\u00a0 It\u2019s happened to me, and I\u2019ll admit I was inclined to blame the stain remover.\u00a0 It obviously wasn\u2019t \u201csafe\u201d for clothing.<\/p>\n

But one 1920\u2019s housekeeping book suggested a different explanation.\u00a0 A Manual of Home-Making<\/em><\/a> compiled by Martha Van Rensselaer, Flora Rose, and Helen Canon, devotes an entire chapter to discussing stain removal \u2013 not only describing treatments for individual stains, but entering into the chemicals which are used for stain removing:<\/p>\n

\u201cA first step toward gaining necessary knowledge of laundry methods is to learn something of the nature of the fabrics to be laundered and how they respond to the cleansing agents or solvents generally used in the laundry.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This is the kind of chemistry that we should be teaching in our homeschools!\u00a0 Chemistry which is directly related to daily life, and will have an impact on our students even after they leave school.<\/p>\n

1) What Is Your Stain Remover Made Of?<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Why would anyone sell a stain remover that can eat a hole through your shirt?\u00a0 The company had obviously tested the stain remover, and presumably it had been successful in the laboratory.\u00a0 Did the fault lie in the stain remover, or my shirt, or both?<\/p>\n

\u201cAmong the common laundry cleansing agents, called reagents, are two classes of chemicals known as acids<\/strong> and bases, or alkalis<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Common Acids Include: <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

– Lemon juice<\/p>\n

– Vinegar<\/p>\n

– Hydrogen Peroxide<\/p>\n

– Oxalic Acid (familiar in the brand name cleaner Bar Keeper\u2019s Friend<\/em>)<\/p>\n

Common Alkalis Include:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

– Washing Soda<\/p>\n

– Baking Soda<\/p>\n

– Soap (in general)<\/p>\n

– Borax<\/p>\n

– Ammonia and Cloudy Ammonia (a mixture of ammonia and soap)<\/p>\n

<\/h5>\n
2) How Will A Stain Remover Effect Your Fabric?<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Synthetic fibers, in the early 1900\u2019s, were only beginning to make their appearance on the market, so that natural fibers made up the bulk of clothing worn.\u00a0 These fibers can be divided into two classes:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. a) Vegetable Fibers<\/em><\/strong> such as cotton and linen.<\/li>\n
  2. b) Animal Fibers<\/em><\/strong> such as wool and silk.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Understanding what fibers clothing is made of, and the effect which different chemicals have on those fibers, is the key to choosing stain removers that will succeed.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    (And likewise the key to choosing stain removers which will not eat a hole through the fibers of your shirt!)<\/p>\n

    Cotton<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n