Bluing (fabric)
Encyclopedia
Bluing, laundry blue, or washing blue is a household product used to improve the appearance of textiles, especially white
fabrics. Used during laundering
, it adds a trace of blue
dye
(often synthetic ultramarine
, sometimes Prussian blue
) to the fabric.
or yellow
), because they can never be cleaned perfectly. Since blue and yellow are complementary colors in the subtractive color
model of color perception, adding a trace of blue color to the slightly off-white color of these fabrics makes them appear whiter. Laundry detergent
s may also use fluorescing agents to similar effect. Many white fabrics are "blued" during manufacturing. Bluing is not permanent and rinses out over time leaving "dingy" or "yellowed" whites. A commercial bluing product allows the consumer to add the bluing back into the fabric to restore whiteness.
On the same principle, bluing is sometimes used by white-haired people in a blue rinse
.
Bluing has other miscellaneous household uses, including as an ingredient in rock crystal
"gardens" (whereby a porous item is placed in a salt
solution
, the solution then precipitating out as crystals), and to improve the appearance of swimming-pool
water
. In Australia
it was used as a folk remedy to relieve the itching of mosquito
and sand fly bites.
Laundry bluing is made of a very fine blue iron powder suspended in water (a "colloidal suspension").
Blue colorings have been added to rinse water for centuries, first in the form of powder blue or smalt
, or using small lumps of indigo and starch, called stone blue. After the invention of synthetic ultramarine
and Prussian blue
it was manufactured by many companies, including "Mrs. Stewart's Bluing
" http://www.mrsstewart.com in the USA, Reckitt's
Crown Blue http://www.carbolicsoap.com/images/NEWPICTURES/reckittss.jpg in Hull
and Dolly Blue in Cumbria
.http://www.oldandinteresting.com/laundry-blue.aspx It was popular until the mid-20th century in the UK and USA, and is still widely used in the USA, India and Pakistan. In many places, it has been replaced by bleach
for its primary purpose.
Bluing is usually sold in liquid
form, but may also be a solid
. Solid bluing is sometimes used by hoodoo doctors to provide the blue color needed for 'mojo hands' without having to use the toxic
compound copper sulfate. Bluing was also used by some Native American Tribes to mark their arrows showing tribe ownership.
White
White is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive cone cells in the human eye in nearly equal amounts and with high brightness compared to the surroundings. A white visual stimulation will be void of hue and grayness.White light can be...
fabrics. Used during laundering
Laundry
Laundry is a noun that refers to the act of washing clothing and linens, the place where that washing is done, and/or that which needs to be, is being, or has been laundered...
, it adds a trace of blue
Blue
Blue is a colour, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 440–490 nm. It is considered one of the additive primary colours. On the HSV Colour Wheel, the complement of blue is yellow; that is, a colour corresponding to an equal...
dye
Dye
A dye is a colored substance that has an affinity to the substrate to which it is being applied. The dye is generally applied in an aqueous solution, and requires a mordant to improve the fastness of the dye on the fiber....
(often synthetic ultramarine
Ultramarine
Ultramarine is a blue pigment consisting primarily of a double silicate of aluminium and sodium with some sulfides or sulfates, and occurring in nature as a proximate component of lapis lazuli...
, sometimes Prussian blue
Prussian blue
Prussian blue is a dark blue pigment with the idealized formula Fe718. Another name for the color Prussian blue is Berlin blue or, in painting, Parisian blue. Turnbull's blue is the same substance but is made from different reagents....
) to the fabric.
Uses
White fabrics acquire a slight color cast after use (usually greyGrey
Grey or gray is an achromatic or neutral color.Complementary colors are defined to mix to grey, either additively or subtractively, and many color models place complements opposite each other in a color wheel. To produce grey in RGB displays, the R, G, and B primary light sources are combined in...
or yellow
Yellow
Yellow is the color evoked by light that stimulates both the L and M cone cells of the retina about equally, with no significant stimulation of the S cone cells. Light with a wavelength of 570–590 nm is yellow, as is light with a suitable mixture of red and green...
), because they can never be cleaned perfectly. Since blue and yellow are complementary colors in the subtractive color
Subtractive color
A subtractive color model explains the mixing of paints, dyes, inks, and natural colorants to create a full range of colors, each caused by subtracting some wavelengths of light and reflecting the others...
model of color perception, adding a trace of blue color to the slightly off-white color of these fabrics makes them appear whiter. Laundry detergent
Laundry detergent
Laundry detergent, or washing powder, is a substance that is a type of detergent that is added for cleaning laundry. In common usage, "detergent" refers to mixtures of chemical compounds including alkylbenzenesulfonates, which are similar to soap but are less affected by "hard water." In most...
s may also use fluorescing agents to similar effect. Many white fabrics are "blued" during manufacturing. Bluing is not permanent and rinses out over time leaving "dingy" or "yellowed" whites. A commercial bluing product allows the consumer to add the bluing back into the fabric to restore whiteness.
On the same principle, bluing is sometimes used by white-haired people in a blue rinse
Blue rinse
A blue rinse is a dilute hair dye used to reduce the yellowed appearance of greying hair on older women. The ability to see blue decreases with age due to the development of cataracts , so an older woman perceives her uncolored hair to have a yellow-tinge, and the blue rinse brings the color back...
.
Bluing has other miscellaneous household uses, including as an ingredient in rock crystal
Crystal
A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituent atoms, molecules, or ions are arranged in an orderly repeating pattern extending in all three spatial dimensions. The scientific study of crystals and crystal formation is known as crystallography...
"gardens" (whereby a porous item is placed in a salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
solution
Solution
In chemistry, a solution is a homogeneous mixture composed of only one phase. In such a mixture, a solute is dissolved in another substance, known as a solvent. The solvent does the dissolving.- Types of solutions :...
, the solution then precipitating out as crystals), and to improve the appearance of swimming-pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
. In Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
it was used as a folk remedy to relieve the itching of mosquito
Mosquito
Mosquitoes are members of a family of nematocerid flies: the Culicidae . The word Mosquito is from the Spanish and Portuguese for little fly...
and sand fly bites.
Laundry bluing is made of a very fine blue iron powder suspended in water (a "colloidal suspension").
Blue colorings have been added to rinse water for centuries, first in the form of powder blue or smalt
Smalt
Smalt is powdered glass, colored to a deep powder blue hue using cobalt ions derived from cobalt oxide . Smalt is used as a pigment in painting, and for surface decoration of other types of glass and ceramics, and other media...
, or using small lumps of indigo and starch, called stone blue. After the invention of synthetic ultramarine
Ultramarine
Ultramarine is a blue pigment consisting primarily of a double silicate of aluminium and sodium with some sulfides or sulfates, and occurring in nature as a proximate component of lapis lazuli...
and Prussian blue
Prussian blue
Prussian blue is a dark blue pigment with the idealized formula Fe718. Another name for the color Prussian blue is Berlin blue or, in painting, Parisian blue. Turnbull's blue is the same substance but is made from different reagents....
it was manufactured by many companies, including "Mrs. Stewart's Bluing
Mrs. Stewart's Bluing
Mrs. Stewart's Bluing is a brand of fabric bluing agent which whitens fabrics with a dye called Prussian blue ....
" http://www.mrsstewart.com in the USA, Reckitt's
Reckitt Benckiser
Reckitt Benckiser plc is a global consumer goods company headquartered in Slough, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest producer of household products and a major producer of consumer healthcare and personal products...
Crown Blue http://www.carbolicsoap.com/images/NEWPICTURES/reckittss.jpg in Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
and Dolly Blue in Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
.http://www.oldandinteresting.com/laundry-blue.aspx It was popular until the mid-20th century in the UK and USA, and is still widely used in the USA, India and Pakistan. In many places, it has been replaced by bleach
Bleach
Bleach refers to a number of chemicals that remove color, whiten, or disinfect, often via oxidation. Common chemical bleaches include household chlorine bleach , lye, oxygen bleach , and bleaching powder...
for its primary purpose.
Bluing is usually sold in liquid
Liquid
Liquid is one of the three classical states of matter . Like a gas, a liquid is able to flow and take the shape of a container. Some liquids resist compression, while others can be compressed. Unlike a gas, a liquid does not disperse to fill every space of a container, and maintains a fairly...
form, but may also be a solid
Solid
Solid is one of the three classical states of matter . It is characterized by structural rigidity and resistance to changes of shape or volume. Unlike a liquid, a solid object does not flow to take on the shape of its container, nor does it expand to fill the entire volume available to it like a...
. Solid bluing is sometimes used by hoodoo doctors to provide the blue color needed for 'mojo hands' without having to use the toxic
Toxicity
Toxicity is the degree to which a substance can damage a living or non-living organisms. Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as an animal, bacterium, or plant, as well as the effect on a substructure of the organism, such as a cell or an organ , such as the liver...
compound copper sulfate. Bluing was also used by some Native American Tribes to mark their arrows showing tribe ownership.