OT: Linen assistance please!
Dannielle
give you the run down....
I help with the altar guild at my church. Part of the duties include
washing and ironing the linens used each Sunday during communion. The
linens are used, rinsed in the sink at the church, and then taken home by
altar guild members to be cleaned. We have been finding that after washing,
rolling in a toll and refrigerating/freezing the linens, when we iron them
they turn brown. Now, I say we, because there are a few of us who take
turns doing this work and we are all doing about the same thing with the
linens. Before you say "scorch" we are using pressing cloths while ironing
so that the iron never touches the fabric itself.
I have also found that if we soak the linens after this browning occurs, and
start over again, the brownish color can be removed. We have just had the
water tested for hardness, pH and iron and it all tests just fine....
I am also doing some reading and research on the internet, but I know that
you all know so much that I will probably get a wealth of information in a
matter of minutes!
Thanks in advance!
--
Dannielle
Mirjam Bruck-Cohen
Also if thoise linnens are old , they might have been Starched, and
the starches of the last 20 years tend to make this coloring if tiny
bits were left in it . Also please check in what material bucket it is
soaked ,,,, metal ??? plastic ???
mirjam
Tia Mary-remove nekoluvr to reply
>....... The
>linens are used, rinsed in the sink at the church, and then taken home by
>altar guild members to be cleaned. We have been finding that after washing,
>rolling in a toll and refrigerating/freezing the linens, when we iron them
>they turn brown. Now, I say we, because there are a few of us who take
>turns doing this work and we are all doing about the same thing with the
>linens. Before you say "scorch" we are using pressing cloths while ironing
>so that the iron never touches the fabric itself.
>
>I have also found that if we soak the linens after this browning occurs, and
>start over again, the brownish color can be removed. ...........
Are you sure that the linens are gtting rinsed enough after washing? Sounds
like there is some wash residue left in the linens and that is what is turning
brown when ironed. It's been so long since I actually had to care for anything
made of linen -- saving needlework -- that I am not even close to being
experienced. I am sure that Dianne will be able to help with more info.
CiaoMeow >^;;^<
.
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Dianne Lewandowski
not know what is going on. Manmade fibers mixed with linen will cause
yellowing or graying through time.
I do not understand the need to freeze or cold storage. Linen should be
ironed quite damp - that is, immediately (or fairly soon) after rolling
in a towel.
My suggestion is to wash without any soap at all. And maybe do this
twice - one time with a washing soda. This should rid the cloth(s) of
all residue.
This is a new phenomena and I've not run across this in all my years. I
DO know (from experience) that previously scorched cloth will often
times scorch easily thereafter.
There's no reason to use a press cloth on linen. Press cloths are used
for wool and other fibers such as rayon to prevent shine. Linen
requires "watching", pulling, straightening, and you can't do that under
a press cloth. You can also scorch under a press cloth. Ask me how I
know this.
Fabric turning colors or scorching is most often because washing residue
is left behind - or too hot an iron. The latter won't hurt pure linen.
Other than that, I don't have a clue.
Dianne
D.M.Evans
Darlene
Dannielle
one. They really couldn't test for other minerals in the water at this
stage..."freebie" testing is all we had done. Not an in depth analysis.
Dannielle
"D.M.Evans" <dme...@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:Tyjcd.72217$3C6.2...@news20.bellglobal.com...
Dannielle
I was also considering a bit of soap being left on the linens themselves
after being washed. I have never heard of a washing soda before, but I was
thinking that maybe we should be using some pure soap, like Orvus, and maybe
even a water softener, like Calgon, since we have very hard water in most of
our homes....what about using a fabric softener? Any clues on these items?
I had no idea that you could scorch through a pressing cloth! We mostly use
the pressing cloth so that no matter what is on our irons, we won't get
anything on our linens. As far as I know, most of these are pure Irish
linen. And I think we do the refrigerator/freezer thing because it helps
keep things damp for a longer period of time. We are mostly very busy moms
who can find the time to wash things up, and then have to put things aside
to iron later!
Dannielle
"Dianne Lewandowski" <dia...@heritageshoppe.com> wrote in message
news:2tcpasF...@uni-berlin.de...
Dianne Lewandowski
like Calgon and softens the water while helping detergent do a better
job. I use liquid Calgon in my washer's rinse cycle and washing soda in
the wash cycle. Our water is very hard, with an iron content. Even
with these precautions, my "whites" gray down through time and I have to
bleach every so often.
Fabric softener is the LAST thing you want to use. That stuff holds
dirt like a magnet and will build up on fabric.
Soap is not a good idea, particularly in hard water areas. There's been
numerous discussions here about soap, including some links to sites that
reiterate that soap doesn't rinse clean, nor keep dirt suspended in hard
water. Of all the conversations I've read on Orvus, people swear by it.
I can't comment on its results since I've never used it.
You may want to think about bleach. It won't hurt linen, provided you
don't let it sit for hours in a strong solution. Nor will it hurt
cotton threads.
I commented about the refrigeration/freezing because so many here think
that's the way to remove wrinkles. The way you are using this storage
method (keeping damp for indefinite periods) makes sense, although
freezing seems a bit extreme. :-) If you can't get to ironing, let the
cloth dry and wet thoroughly/roll in towel when ready.
Good luck. I wish I had better answers for you. Your description of
"brown" simply is a mystery to me. I've seen gray, light yellow, but
brown is a new one. :-)
Dianne
Kay Lancaster
Um, washing soda is sodium carbonate (Na2CO3), also in the grocery store,
usually Arm and Hammer brand. It'll say "washing soda".
Borax is sodium tetraborate, Na2B407. Usually 20 Mule Team brand.
Both increase the pH (which is to say they are considered "caustic" or
"alkaline") which will help with cleaning greasy dirt, and borax
is a mild bleach. Can also cause skin irritation and respiratory irritation
if you get a lungful of dust.
http://chemistry.miningco.com/library/weekly/aa091002a.htm
Sodium percarbonate, a relative of washing soda, is one of the ingredients
of a number of the "dry, all-fabric bleaches". Its formula is
2Na2CO3.3H2O2, and it is the major ingredient of bleaches like Oxyclean.
It decomposes to sodium carbonate (washing soda) and peroxide, which
is the actual bleaching compound.
Sodium perborate is the other common bleach, is NaBO3 -- nice page
here: http://www.borax.com/detergentbook/bleaching.html
All of the home bleaches (including chlorine bleach) work by oxidation,
and will eventually damage cellulose fibers... it just takes longer with
sodium percarbonate and sodium perborate.
The browning you're seeing when ironing is probably caused by using *way*
too much detergent, crowding the wash load (which decreases rinsing),
or insufficient rinsing. Hard water tends to increase the need for
both detergent and rinsing -- my first go at solving your problem would
be to wash these linens in a bigger washer or with fewer in the batch,
and then send them through again on short wash cycle, no detergent for
a second series of rinses. I'd use detergent, not soap (true soaps bind
with the calcium and magnesium in the hard water to make grey sludgey stuff),
and forgo the bleaches and fabric softeners unless truly needed.
Second pass, should that not work, would be to add a powdered water
softener like Calgon, or to wash where there's a water softening system.
See also: http://agfacts.tamu.edu/D10/Comal/FCS/Water/F1/nlaundry.htm
You can also call your water company and find out the hardness of the
tap water delivered to you, then call your detergent company and find out
if they have any special recommendations of amounts to use with that
hardness of water.
Dianne Lewandowski
I never thought to call the detergent manufacturer and ask for
recommendations on amounts based on our water hardness. So thanks for
that tip.
Arm & Hammer and 20 Mule Team both do a good job of "boosting" my washes
without deteriorating my clothing. However, I'm getting disgusted and
will probably call Proctor & Gamble. :-)
After reading your article, I began to giggle. If we knew what was in
the cleaning agents we use, we'd probably faint. It all sounds so
scarey, but they are products used for at least a century.
Remember: At the turn of the 20th century, lye was still in common use
for washing - including precious embroideries. :-)
Dianne
norma woods
you iron it?
--
Star love,
Norma
PM OES
If God brings you to it, He will see you through it.
"Dianne Lewandowski" <dia...@heritageshoppe.com> wrote in message
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