care of wool before invention of the dryclean

[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.

[Riverkilt]

I've seen stuff on how Navajos used to use jars of urine to set some dyes in wool in the traditional manner...not sure they do that anymore.
Would think the wool would need to be cleaned after, rather than being the cleaner....??

Ron

[Caradoc]

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.

I know a few buckskinners who do this with their leathers. On the advice of one of them, we tried cleaning out a keyboard that had Coca-Cola spilled in it by letting the ants at it.

It worked. It probably would NOT work with a more modern keyboard, as apparently the "environmentally-friendly" resins are ant-edible.

[MacWage]

I know a few buckskinners who do this with their leathers. On the advice of one of them, we tried cleaning out a keyboard that had Coca-Cola spilled in it by letting the ants at it.

It worked. It probably would NOT work with a more modern keyboard, as apparently the "environmentally-friendly" resins are ant-edible.

Darn exology and recycling (eco-friendly computer parts)! :rolleyes:


I remember reading about urine being used to set the natural dyes used on the tartan material that composed plaids. It was part of the process used by weavers in creating the patterns and dying the wool. The weavers would begin the dyting process using small buckets for the dying (one batch at a time) and requiring several batches per color for a plaid. One of the reasons for the cris-crossed lines of tartan was that it would hide the variant colors of the different batches. Thereby, the final product looked prettier and more consistant. Otherwise, they would have a criss-crossed multi-tone monocolor plaid. Thus, a consistant large plaid was a status symbol, showing that one could afford enough dye and pool for a large batch that could create a consistant color.

I am not sure when the urine bath took place-> after the dying itself or after the weaving.

I've read about the dying process in enough refernce books and from reputable sources that it is most likely valid. The later part (status monotone plaids) is more an extrapolation (based on something read somewhere over the years-> I forget the source- SORRY ), but seems to be consistant with the process described and the manner that these monotone plaids are shown in portraits-> as status symbols, along with certain colors that were more rare and expensive. All these showed that the wearer had the means and taste for the finer things.

So crew, what is the best means of cleaning a modern kilt?
1-Dry Cleaning chemicals
2-Woolite
3-Stick and clothing line
4-Freexing it, hitting it with a stick, slowly drying it over sink
5-Ants
6-Peeing on it :rolleyes:
7-Washing machine (on hot water, high trubulence, and hot, long machine tumble drying) :rolleyes:

(That last one is less than serious-> IT IS NOT THE ANSWER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[smaughazard]

Fulling or walking ("waulking" in Scotland) is a step in clothmaking which involves the cleansing of cloth (particularly wool) to get rid of oils, dirt, and other impurities. The word comes (possibly via Old French) from Latin fullo, a man who washed togas.

A fuller is the worker who does the job. In the process, fuller's earth was used. (This is a soft earthy material occurring in nature as an impure hydrous aluminium silicate.) The cloth might also be washed. After washing, to prevent shrinkage and wrinkling, the cloth would be stretched on great frames known as tenters and held onto those frames by tenterhooks. It is from this process that we derive the phrase being on tenterhooks as meaning to be held in suspense. The area where the tenters were erected was known as a tenterground.

In ancient times the process of fulling involved using the feet to wash the material in a vessel of stale human urine (a rich source of ammonia). Priests' urine was especially valued for this task. (One would hope that this was followed by a thorough washing.)

Originally, this was literally pounding the cloth with the fuller's feet, but from the medieval period it was often carried out in a water mill in which the cloth was beaten with wooden hammers, known as fulling stocks. Such mills were known as fulling mills.

On the other hand, tartans were woven from pre-dyed thread (thus we get the thread counts that form the pattern), so I'm not sure if the finished cloth was subjected to any sort of fulling or not. Possibly the thread was cleaned/treated before dyeing. It seems likely that fulling the cloth might cause the colors to bleed, which would not be desirable in tartan. Maybe Matt can explain further?

[Caradoc]

In ancient times the process of fulling involved using the feet to wash the material in a vessel of stale human urine (a rich source of ammonia). Priests' urine was especially valued for this task. (One would hope that this was followed by a thorough washing.)

I wouldn't bet on a "thorough washing."

Urine was once highly prized as a cleansing agent - for teeth, among other things.

Romans used urine as toothpaste and a rinse.

It's not as big a deal as people today would think - barring any urinary tract infections, urine is as close to sterile as anything. (And if you believe Wikipedia, it can be used as a mild antiseptic.)

[smaughazard]

Good point, Caradoc, but the urine used for fullering was well-aged and quite, uh… aromatic!

[Caradoc]

Good point, Caradoc, but the urine used for fullering was well-aged and quite, uh… aromatic!

From the link I posted:

For example, Roman aristocrats paid dearly for urine imported from Portugal. Portuguese urine was reputedly both the strongest smelling and the best whitener.

Importing urine to Rome from Portugal would not have been an overnight process. This might be why it was the "strongest smelling," and "the best whitener."

[Kiltedfirepiper]

which is this one.....
I have two %100 wool kilts (13-16 oz ) and I hand wash them w/woolite in the tub with COLD water....it basicly is me soaking the kilt in the water/woolite mix(about 1 cap full) in about 6" of water and I lift the kilt in and out of the water about 20 times, the draining the water out and refilling w/fresh clean water( trust me the old water is DIRTY after you do this )
and repeating the process ( in and out probably about 30-40 times ) then I use 2 "skirt hangers to hang it to dry at that time I also run the pleats between 2 fingers to clean up the pleats and make sure they're straight and let it hang till dry in the bathroom ( in denver AND Tucson this only takes about 1-1/2 days ) and I havent had ONE problem with it looking any different ( stretched, pilling, felting ....ANYTHING ) I do this one to twice a year and the only thing I notice thats different is the colors look brighter!

just doing the in and out of the water method you'd be supprised how much dirt you get out of a kilt ....no need to agitate,wring(sp) roll up into a ball Ect.
after drying it WILL be a little stiff but wear it once and that will dissapear too ....also when I'm not wearing my kilts I put them in between my mattresses to kind of press them......it works well , but make sure the dont have ANY wrinkles in them or sure enough they will be there when you pull it out


Scott