164 BLEACHING, BLUEING, STARCHING 



yellows with age. Our grandmothers kept their sheets, curtains, 

 tablecloths, and underwear white by spreading them on the 

 grass after washing and allowing the sun to rebleach them. 

 The modern housewife lacks the large yard in which to spread 

 clothes for rewhitening by the sun. Most public laundries dry 

 their wash indoors, and are absolutely dependent upon chemi- 

 cals for whitening it. Bleaching powders are frequently used 

 to whiten goods, but unless the powders are carefully used and 

 are well neutralized, they rot and weaken the fabrics and wear 

 out the clothes. 



A safe way to avoid the yellowish tinge in clothes is to use 

 blueing. Blue has the property of neutralizing yellow and 

 produces the effect of white. Yellow clothes can be made 

 white by dipping in blue water. If they are very yellow a 

 strong solution of blueing is needed to make them appear white 

 to the eye ; if they are only slightly yellow, a weaker solution 

 serves to whiten them. 



Clothes that are to be blued must be carefully rinsed and 

 free from soap before they are dipped in blueing water, because 

 soap takes blue quickly and makes bluish streaks over the 

 clothes. Soap also reacts upon some blues to form substances 

 which stain the clothes and give them a disagreeable color. 



Ultramarine, a good blue. One of the best blues is ultra- 

 marine, a coloring matter which has been used for years by 

 painters. Originally it was very expensive, because it was ob- 

 tained only from lapis lazuli, a rare mineral called sapphire by 

 the ancients. To-day it is produced in large quantities very 

 cheaply by chemical processes. The best way to use ultra- 

 marine is to put it in a bag of fine material, and to suspend the 

 bag in water ; the ultramarine then spreads evenly through 

 the water and gives a uniform tint. 



Ultramarine is not affected by air and light and clothes blued i 

 with it retain their whiteness well ; it is not affected by alkalies, 



