| FOR ANY SPILLED ACID, which may destroy the color of a fabric or damage its fibers, do this: wash the stain first with cold water to stop the action of the acid. Then rinse thoroughly with cold water. Next apply water containing a little ammonia or baking soda (one tablespoonful to a quart). Or you can sprinkle both sides of the stained cloth with baking soda and wet it. Bubbling will indicate that acid and alkali are reacting. When the bubbling stops, rinse the cloth thoroughly. Other antidotes for acid spot are ammonia fumes, as described for perspiration stains, or ammonia water diluted to half strength. If the ammonia water seems to be affecting the dyes, apply white vinegar quickly and then rinse with plain water. For acid substances, including fruit juices, on rugs, first blot up the liquid promptly with a damp cloth, then sponge it several times with clear water. If a spot remains, sponge it with water and baking soda (or ammonia) solution described for cloth. Sponge finally with clear water. SPOTS CAUSED BY SPILLED ALKALIES also should be treated quickly because they too can destroy colors and fibers. Rinse the spot first with cold water. This may be enough for mild alkalies like baking soda and ammonia water. But to be sure that colors will not be harmed or damage done to fibers, apply afterwards lemon juice, vinegar, or acetic acid to counteract the alkali. To use lemon juice, squeeze it directly onto the spot and let it stay until it loses its bright yellow color, then rinse it out. Vinegar is sponged on and then rinsed out with water. Acetic acid is applied with an eye dropper or glass rod, then rinsed or sponged off with water. BLOODSTAINS should be soaked in cold water or sponged with it until they are almost gone. (Hot water sets them, sometimes permanently.) If the material is washable it can be laundered after the cold water treatment. Stains that are old or stubborn often yield to water containing salt or ammonia. Use a cup of salt, or one tablespoonful of ammonia, to each quart of water. Soak the material in the solution or sponge with it. Traces of stains remaining on non-washable materials after they have been sponged thoroughly with cold water can be sponged with hydrogen peroxide, but test color fabrics in a hidden place first to make certain that there will be no fading. If mere is still a stain, sprinkle it with sodium perborate powder, let it stand for an hour, then rinse it away. These two bleaches are safe for all fabrics but might fade some colors. If you are afraid that they might cause fading, simply dampen the stain with water and put it in the sun. BLOODSTAINS ON A RUG can be sponged with cold water. If a spot remains, use detergent and water, then rinse with clear water. MUCUS. For sickroom casualties involving mucus, give materials a good soak in lukewarm salt water, using two cups of salt to a gallon of water. Or use two tablespoonfuls of ammonia instead of salt. Rinse with cold water and launder. STAINS CAUSED BY URINE usually wash out of materials that can be laundered. Non-washable materials should be sponged promptly with plain warm water or salt water. (Use a half cup of salt to a quart of warm water.) Sponge the salt water onto the stain, let it stand for fifteen minutes and then rinse by sponging with clear water. Normal human urine and that of meat-eating animals is usually acid and may alter or destroy colors. If the colors seem to have been affected, first try sponging the stain with a weak solution of ammonia or baking soda and water. (About a tablespoonful of either to a cup of water.) If this fails to restore the color try sponging with white vinegar, diluted with two parts of water. Rinse with plain water. Sometimes colors cannot be restored. When your materials got stains or greased, you have to see whether they are washable or non-washable materials, as each of them has different handling in cleaning. Use the cleaning agents which are recommended for a better result. |
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