TO REMOVE STAINS FROM CLOTH 147 



gasoline or benzine, and the mineral coating which remains can 

 be brushed off when it becomes dry. The best solvent for paint 

 is turpentine, and it is commonly used to remove paint spots 

 from carpets, floors, metals, woodwork, etc. The paint scat- 

 tered by careless workmen is the source of hopeless trouble to 

 the housewife unless she is familiar with the solvent power of 

 turpentine. 



Fruit stains are caused by acids which are present in the 

 fruit and which can be neutralized by weak bases like ammonia 

 and borax. Linen spotted with fruit stains can be cleansed by 

 soaking in weak ammonia or borax. 



Iron is easily acted upon by acids and iron rust spots can be 

 removed by acids. A little lemon juice placed on iron rust stain 

 will frequently take it out. After the lemon juice has acted, 

 salt should be rubbed over the spot in order to counteract any 

 unused lemon juice. If the rust spots are very bad, a stronger 

 acid such as hydrochloric acid is needed. In this case a strong 

 base such as ammonia should be applied as a neutralizing agent 

 after the acid action. 



The tarnish which forms on silver is due to sulphur. When 

 the sulphur, which is in the air, comes in contact with silver, 

 it reacts with it to form a thin, dark coating of silver sul- 

 phide. If salt is rubbed over tarnished silver, it reacts with 

 the silver sulphide and forms with it a substance which is soluble 

 in ammonia. Tarnished silver, therefore, can be cleansed by 

 rubbing with salt and rinsing in ammonia. If silver is washed 

 daily in warm soapy water and rubbed dry, the silver sulphide 

 does not have opportunity to gather in a coating, and the silver 

 remains untarnished. Silver polish is used by most housekeepers 

 for cleaning silver. It is usually a mass of finely pulverized 

 chalk, containing some chemical such as salt which when 

 rubbed against silver removes the coating of tarnish. 



CUtt* INTBO. TO SO IO 



