I recently "discovered" bluing - a liquid laundry additive that dramatically whitens whites and brightens colored fabrics. Made of blue iron powder suspended in water, a nontoxic amount of a pH balancer and a biocide to prevent the buildup of algae and bacteria, bluing achieves striking results while being environmentally-friendly. It also does not destroy fabrics, like bleach will do. Bluing was a standard laundry product from 1883 up until WWII, when laundry detergents hit the mass market.
Each washload requires just a few drops of bluing (pre-mixed in a half-gallon of water, to prevent blue streaks on clothing), and it is amazingly cheap - a bottle will last forever. Amazon.com and other on-line sources ratchet up the costs dramatically - your best bet is to go straight to the source (see link below), where you can get it for $4.00 per 8 oz. bottle:
.http://www.mrsstewart.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PLST&Store_Code=LFCMOMSB
My opinion is that bluing largely disappeared because:
1. repeat purchases were too slow for marketers and profit margins too low
2. bluing worked too well and would cause unfavorable comparisons with products that cost more and had a higher turnover.
Great for the poor fiddler's budget!
More anon.
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