125. To Bleach Cotton Cloth

125.    To Bleach Cotton Cloth. After undergoing the rot steep, boil for 3 hours in caustic lye, of the strength of 1 gill of stock lye (see No. 101 (To make Caustic Potash)) to the gallon of water; wash out, and steep for 6 hours in a solution of 1 pint of bleaching liquor (see No. 104 (To Make Bleaching Liquor)) to the gallon of water; wash, and steep 1 hour in a strong sour of 1 wine-glassful sulphuric acid to 1 gallon water; wash well from this before drying or dyeing.

If the cloth be very heavy, it may be necessary to repeat in their proper order the boiling in lye, the steeping in bleaching liquor, and in the sour, finishing, as before, with thorough washing or drying.

In bleaching cloth for dyeing, care has to be taken that it is all equally white, otherwise it will show in the color.

The quantity of water used should be sufficient to cover the cloth easily without pressure.

If the goods be old, and have previously been dyed, and if the shade required be a deep shade, and the color of the goods light, in that case nothing is generally required but steeping in alkaline lye to remove any grease or starch; but if the color of the cloth is dark, the best method is to bleach as if they were gray goods.

126. To Remove Oil Stains

126.    To Remove Oil Stains. When there are oil spots upon goods, and so fixed or dried in, that steeping in an alkaline lye will not remove them, rub a little soft soap upon the stain, and let it remain for an hour, then rub gently with the hand in a lather of soap, slightly warmed, and wash in water; for cotton, a little caustic lye will do equally well, but the soap is preferable, and seldom fails. It is essential that all oil or grease be removed before dyeing.

127. To Remove Iron Stains

127.    To Remove Iron Stains. Take a little hydrochloric acid in a basin or saucer, and make it slightly warm, then dip the iron stain into the acid for about 1 minute, which will dissolve the oxide of iron; the cloth must be well washed from this, first in water, then in a little soda and water, so as to remove all trace of acid. A little oxalic acid may be used instead of hydrochloric, but more time is required, and with old fixed spots is not so effective. The same precautions are necessary in washing out the acid, as oxalic acid dried in the cloth injures it.

128. To Remove Mildew from Cotton

128.    To Remove Mildew from Cotton. Proceed with the stains by rubbing in soap or steeping in a little soda, washing, and then steeping in bleaching liquor (see No. 104 (To Make Bleaching Liquor)), or by putting a wine-glassful of the stock liquor (see No. 101 (To make Caustic Potash)) in 1 pint of water; afterwards wash, pass through a sour (see No. 105 (To make a Sour)), and wash again.

129. To Remove Indelible-Ink Marks

129.  To Remove Indelible-Ink Marks. Steep in a little chlorine water or a weak solution of bleaching liquor (see No. 104 (To Make Bleaching Liquor)), for about half an hour, then wash in ammonia water, which will obliterate the stain; then wash in clear water. They may also be removed by spreading the cloth with the ink marks over a basin filled with hot water; then moisten the ink marks with tincture of iodine, and immediately after take a feather and moisten the parts stained by the iodine with a solution of hyposulphate of soda, or caustic potassa or soda, until the color is removed ; then let the cloth dip in the hot water ; after a while wash well and dry.