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Removal of Spots and Stains: Turpentine

Turpentine has a well-known spicy odor, a bitter taste, and burns freely. Oil of turpentine, obtained by distillation, is a colorless liquid with a peculiar odor; it is insoluble in water, but dissolves readily in alcohol or ether. It also dissolves resin, gummy substances, oils, rubber, iodine, sulphur, and phosphorus.

Hence its usefulness in treating stains produced by such substances. The commercial article is sold in various grades, and is used extensively in the preparation of paints and varnishes.

To Apply Turpentine. - Turpentine will remove paint, grease, or vaseline stains without injury to the most delicate fabric. Apply sufficient turpentine to soak the paint or grease spot. Use a camel's-hair brush, a common pen or feather, or, for large spots, a sponge.

Or apply by dropping from a glass bottle.

The turpentine may be mixed with alcohol, salts of lemon, or sulphuric ether.

Kinds and Uses of Absorbents.- Various absorbents are recommended to remove grease, wax, blood, ink, mildew, and other stains from fabrics. Among the most useful of these are brown paper and blotting paper.

Others are chalk, French chalk (which is not chalk but ground soapstone), pipe clay, fuller's earth, magnesia, gypsum, common starch, and melted tallow.

One of the quickest and best methods to remove grease (especially when it is fresh) and spots of wax is to lay over the spot a piece of common brown paper and press with a hot iron. Care must be taken not to use an iron hot enough to change the colors of colored silks and print goods. If convenient the spot may be previously covered with French chalk.

Or any of the above powders may be applied dry. The grease or wax will be taken up more quickly if held near a stove or pressed with a hot iron.

For mildew, rub the spots with wet soap, rub in pipe clay, fuller's earth, or chalk, cover thickly with the same, and expose to sunshine.

For blood stains use cornstarch.

A mixture of 6 ounces of fuller's earth, 1 ounce of pipe clay, 1 ounce of French chalk, 1/4 ounce of oil of turpentine, 1 ounce of alcohol, and 1½ ounces of melted castile soap is highly recommended. Chlorine and Uses of Bleaching Powder. This is the chloride of lime prepared by exposing damp slacked lime to chlorine gas. A good, fresh article contains 25 to 30 per cent of effective chlorine, which is a powerful bleaching agent. It decomposes and deteriorates with time, setting free hydrochloric acid, to which the bleaching is due. This is a paleyellow gas that has the property of decomposing various kinds of col- REMOVAL OF SPOTS AND STAINS oring matter. Bleaching powder is one of the surest agents for removing ink stains or writing from white textile fabric or paper. Cover the spots with dry bleaching powder and moisten with a weak mineral acid, as acetic or tartaric acid. This method is not suitable for colored goods, as the bleaching powder would remove the colors. Afterwards neutralize the acid by applying aqua ammonia or hyposulphite of soda.