Important: Safety Warning
This page describes practices involving highly flammable materials in ways that create a serious risk of fire or explosion.
This page directs the use of hazardous substances — such as benzine, gasoline, lye, or strong acids — for household tasks. These materials are highly flammable, corrosive, or poisonous, and the practices described have caused fires, burns, and poisonings.
This information has been left in for historical purposes but should not be acted upon.
Home › Removal of Spots and Stains › Removal of Spots and Stains: Cork
Removal of Spots and Stains: Cork
Or mix 3 ounces of alcohol, ounce of bay rum, 1 ounce of oil of wintergreen, ounce of aqua ammonia, ounce of chloroform, and 1 ounce of sulphuric ether. Cork tightly and let stand over night. Add 1 ounce of pulverized borax and 1 gallon of deodorized gasoline. Shake well and cork tightly.
Or mix ounce of borax and ounce of camphor in a quart fruit jar. Pour over them 1 pint of boiling water. Cork tightly and let stand until cool. Now add pint of alcohol, shake well, and cork tightly. Use to sponge woolen dress goods, men's clothing, felt hats, and the like.
Or dissolve 1 ounce of castile soap scraped in 1 quart of boiling water.
Let cool and add ounce of glycerin, ounce of alcohol, and ounce of sulphuric ether. Bottle, cork tightly, and keep in a dark place. Use to sponge all sorts of dress goods, and especially to remove grease spots.
Or mix equal parts of turpentine, benzine, and chloroform.
Scouring Mixtures. -Mix 3 pounds of fuller's earth, 1 pound of pipe clay, 2 ounces of powdered French chalk.
Mix separately 1 ounce of rectified spirits of turpentine, 1 ounce of alcohol, and 12 ounces of soap jelly. Stir the two mixtures together to a stiff paste and place in tightly covered fruit jars.
Or mix equal parts of fuller's earth and soap jelly. To apply, moisten the cloth with warm water and cover with this mixture, rubbing it well into the goods. Let stand until dry, then scour with a stiff brush and warm water.
Or mix 1 ounce of baking soda, 1 ounce of prepared chalk, 1 ounce of pumice stone, and 1 ounce of sifted wood ashes. Apply this mixture with a piece of raw white potato.
Or moisten 1 ounce of fuller's earth with lemon juice; add½ ounce of pearlash and 1 ounce of yellow soap melted with as little water as possible. Mix the whole and knead into a stiff paste. Roll into balls the size of marbles and put them in the sun to dry. Moisten the spot with warm water and scour with one of these balls; then put in the sun to dry.
Afterwards rinse with clear water.