care of wool before invention of the dryclean

[Caradoc]

I've read accounts of soldiers, however, throwing their wool uniforms into large mess kettles and boiling them (mostly to kill the lice!).

In winter, it's a lot easier to just leave the cloth outdoors to freeze, then beat the ice out of it and brush the fabric roughly with a stiff brush (to get the lice and eggs out of the garments) before allowing it to "warm up" to dry.

[GMan]

This may seem like it is not going anywhere, but here goes..

When I was about 12 my family visited Ft. Laramie, Wyoming (the fort itself, not the town) on a trip. While being given a tour the ranger stopped in the back of the officers quarters and I noticed at least 50 huge ant hills (might not be that many, but remember I was about 12). He asked if we knew why the ant hills were so massive in size? No one really gave the answer he was looking for. He then pulled out of his pocket a very soiled hankercheif and placed it next to one of the ant hills. Within seconds it was covered with ants. He then proceeded to tell us that was how they kept their uniforms clean, they kept their uniforms outside on the ant hills over night, as dry cleaners were not very plentiful at that time, ants loved to pick off the grime and junk off of cloth. Hey the ants were digging it. When he was finished with his talk, he picked up his hankie and shook it off, and put it back in his pocket.

Maybe his story had some merit, and not sure about the accuracy, but it does make a great sound bite.

[Riverkilt]

Well GREAT GMan!

It appears I live in some PRIME kilt cleaning country. Y'awl ship your wool kilts to me and I'll have them cleaned up in a jiffy.

Ron

[Rex_Tremende]

This may seem like it is not going anywhere, but here goes...
[Domesticated ants]

Ah, so those ants in my kitchen sink were doing housework!
Guess I shouldn't have killed them - I should have paid them.

[Blu (Ontario)]

I'ts my understanding that in centuries past, prior to the development of cleaning solvents, ripenned urine was used. Because it had a high ammonia content, it had the ability to remove the sheeps body oils and grime from the wool fabric. Whether or not it was used on an ongoing basis... ??

Not exactly your lemon fresh Tide!

[Scottish Chi]

I'ts my understanding that in centuries past, prior to the development of cleaning solvents, ripenned urine was used. Because it had a high ammonia content, it had the ability to remove the sheeps body oils and grime from the wool fabric. Whether or not it was used on an ongoing basis... ??

Not exactly your lemon fresh Tide!

OK not to rely to heavily on my short and long term memory too much but wasn't the urine (also) used to set the dye in the fabric? I know there was a use for it other than as a cleaning solvent. Just can't remember. Darn earlyheimers.

Cheers! Bill

[smaughazard]

I'ts my understanding that in centuries past, prior to the development of cleaning solvents, ripenned urine was used. Because it had a high ammonia content, it had the ability to remove the sheeps body oils and grime from the wool fabric. Whether or not it was used on an ongoing basis... ??

Not exactly your lemon fresh Tide!

Actually, it was used after weaving to remove the excess lanolin. Look up what a "fuller" did for a living. (thanks to my friend David Fuller for educating me on this one day when we were discussing the origins of names)

[angerli]

Hi, gang...

Well, one thing you can say for urine: it's dirt cheap!!

I also knew an antique-auto restorer who used urine to case-harden bolts. He'd drop them, red-hot, into a bucket of piss. He claimed it worked and, yep, the material was dirt-cheap...

Sandy

[RockyR]

I'ts my understanding that in centuries past, prior to the development of cleaning solvents, ripenned urine was used. Because it had a high ammonia content, it had the ability to remove the sheeps body oils and grime from the wool fabric. Whether or not it was used on an ongoing basis... ??

Not exactly your lemon fresh Tide!

I might try sending RON a kilt to clean the "ant way", but I would NOT advise people sending YOU one!

[Sylvain]

I'ts my understanding that in centuries past, prior to the development of cleaning solvents, ripenned urine was used. Because it had a high ammonia content, it had the ability to remove the sheeps body oils and grime from the wool fabric. Whether or not it was used on an ongoing basis... ??

Not exactly your lemon fresh Tide!

Althouth I never tried it, I think urine cannot be used on dyed wool: ammonia is a bleach.