Household Chemicals

Ladies' Mirror, Volume 5, Issue 5, 1 November 1926, Page 67

Household Chemicals

Nowadays many young housewives have a theoretical knowledge of chemistry, but often do not make much practical use of it. For they fail to realise that every efficient housewife is an unwitting chemist, for so often the chemistry of cooking and cleaning is carried out with little or no thought of the processes involved. When stock is taken, it will surprise many housewives to learn what a number of different chemicals they regularly use. Some of these are only wanted occasionally, and consequently most people do not store them, but run out and buy small amounts when the need arises. Too often the remains of chemicals not used at the time are left in a paper package, and become damaged, with the result that next time a fresh supply has to be bought. All this means unnecessary waste of time and money which could well be saved if care were given to storing the chemicals in suitable bottles. The common chemicals needed at some time or other in practically every home include certain acids and acid salts, alkaline substances, bleaching agents and • other substances for the removal of stains. Spirits of Salts. —Among the substances of an acid nature, spirits of salts may be mentioned. This is known to the chemist as hydrochloric acid, and is useful for cleaning very neglected lavatory pans and sinks such as a careless tenant sometimes leaves in an old house. It should never be necessary to use it regularly for this purpose in the wellkept house, and it should only then be employed when drastic means arc necessary, as such a strong acid is likely to cause injury to any surface if used continually. This same acid is also excellent for removing tarnish from neglected brass or copper, but articles treated with it need to be very carefully washed, rinsed, and then cleansed with ordinary metal polish. Oxalic Acid. —Either oxalic acid or salts of lemon, which is very similar in chemical composition, is useful for the removal of iron mould and ink stains. A little should be sprinkled over the stain and boiling water poured through. This dissolves the iron from the stain, and in the case of ink simply leaves a light blue mark which can easily be boiled out. The above-mentioned chemicals are poisonous, and therefore need to be most carefully labelled and stored out of the reach of children —and carefully locked up. Tartaric Acid or Cream of Tartar. These are both used in conjunction with bicarbonate of soda as raising agents. They may be mixed together with rice flour for making home-made baking powder. A good baking powder can be made with : 2 oz. of bicarbonate of soda. 2 oz. of cream of tartar and

1 oz. tartaric acid, 6 oz. of rice flour. If preferred, 4 oz. of cream of tartar can be used in place of the 2oz. of cream of tartar and 1 oz. of tartaric acid. Baking soda or sodium bicarbonate can be used as described above for making baking powder. Either it, or washing soda, is useful for adding to the water in which pulses are cooked, and the addition of a small amount saves much time and gas in cooking. When milk is “on the turn,” the addition of a pinch neutralises the acidity and often makes it possible to boil it without curdling. There are several other uses, but these are known to every housewife, so no more need be said here.

Washing soda or sodium carbonate.— uses of washing soda arc also too well known to bear repetition. It might perhaps be mentioned that, being so much cheaper than sodium bicarbonate, it should be used in preference to it in all cases where it is suitable. One special use of washing soda may be stated, and that is, its great value in conjunction with aluminium for cleaning silver. A short article on this subject will be given in an early number of the magazine. Borax. —This, again, is used for many well-known purposes, especially in the laundry, but its valuable uses in removing stains are not always remembered and utilised. It is specially good for removing fruit stains, and most red-ink stains. Ammonia. This is very largely used for various laundry purposes, and like borax it is useful in the washing of silk and woollen articles. Hydrogen Peroxide. —The 10-vol-ume strength diluted 10 times is a slow but extremely safe bleaching agent. It is also useful as an antiseptic and is specially good as a lotion for boils and similar troubles. Potassium Permanganate. —A solution of this, used in conjunction with hydrogen peroxide, is invaluable for bleaching and removing stains. A solution made by dissolving 2 oz. of the crystals in 1 pint of boiling water gives a cheap floor stain. Qmall supplies of certain solvents used especially for removing greasy marks, and even for home dry-cleaning, should be conveniently kept in bottles, but it must be remembered that they arc mostly extremely inflammable and must be stored well away from any fire or gas burner. Below are some examples of such chemicals. Petrol, or benzine, as it is often called, is a solvent used very extensively. To remove a greasy marie, the stained fabric should be spread over a pad of clean material and the solvent applied with another clean piece of material. Benzene, or benzol, is also useful for greasy marks, and for tar and paint stains. Carbon tcthachloridc is particularly excellent for greasy marks, especially on very delicate materials, and is not inflammable. A gravy stain can often be quite successfully removed even from a light evening frock, by using the solvent in the same way as described for petrol. Glycerine, in addition to its medicinal uses, may be as being particularly good for removing coffee stains from cither white or coloured materials. After treatment, the excess glycerine can be readily removed by methylated spirit.

Methylated spirit will remove grass stains as it dissolves the chlorophyll, or, in other words, the green colouring matter. Sodium thiosulphate, the “hypo” of the photographer, is a useful chemical to keep in the home laboratory, since a solution of it quickly removes iodine stains. / I 'he above-mentioned are only a A few of the more important chemicals of general household use, but their numbers are quite enough to call for a special place for storage. Laboratory chemists store their chemicals as far as possible in glass bottles. The shelves hold little bottles, big bottles, wide-necked bottles, bottles with narrow openings, some with glass stoppers, a few with rubber stoppers, and some of blue glass, but each bottle is suited to the substance it is called upon to hold. Powders, such as bicarbonate of soda or boric acid, are kept in widemouthed bottles, the capacity being determined by the demands that are to be met. A few powders, such as sodium bicarbonate, must be kept air-tight or moisture will spoil them. JVashing soda and common salt arc used in comparatively large quantities in every home. Storage in glass bottles is, of course, quite out of the question. Earthenware jars with wide mouths make the best receptacles, and though dust must be excluded it is not necessary to exclude air from either unless clear soda crystals are desired. Bottles provided with glass stoppers and narrow neck are excellent for the inflammable liquids such as paraffin, benzine, methylated spirit, or turpentine. Rubber stoppers arcmuch better than corks, because they do not break and are quite air-tight, but at the same time a glass stopper looks better than cither, and it need never stick if it is covered with the smallest trace of vaseline. If a stopper should have become fast through omission of this treatment, try gently tapping; if this is not enough, warm the neck of the bottle with a cloth dipped in hot water and repeat the tapping, but never exert violence, or the neck of the bottle will break off at the shoulder. All the bottles should be carefully labelled, using good paper and Indian ink, and those containing substances of a poisonous nature should receive special attention, the contents being indicated by bold letters in red ink.