White fabrics have naturally a creamy tint, which may be deepened to an unpleasant pale yellow by careless washing, by insufficient rinsing, or by lack of exposure to the bleaching influence of sunlight and fresh air. Bluing is used to hide the yellow color, because blue and yellow are complementary colors and when used together in proper proportions give the effect of whiteness. Bluing is unwarrantably used to hide a yellowness which comes from careless washing.

No one kind of bluing may be recommended to the housekeeper. She must experiment for herself, choose one good variety, and learn to use that one properly.

Sufficient bluing should be used to make a little of the bluing water taken up in the cup of the hand show a pale sky-blue color. More than that amount of bluing should not be needed. It is always best to make a small amount of strong bluing in a bowl of water, then draw from it to color the water in the tub.