Thread Number: 10481
If I was using Javelle Water
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Post# 191679   2/16/2007 at 20:35 (6,250 days old) by jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)        

jetcone's profile picture
what would I be doing with it??

A Presidents Day weekend teaser for all!

jetcone





Post# 191680 , Reply# 1   2/16/2007 at 20:36 (6,250 days old) by westytoploader ()        

Bleaching is my guess, though I'm probably wrong.

Post# 191687 , Reply# 2   2/16/2007 at 20:50 (6,250 days old) by angus (Fairfield, CT.)        

Yes, Jon you would be bleaching your whites. Javel/Javelle is a generic term for bleach in several languages, notably French and Spanish. In fact Colgate's Canadian chlorine bleach is called Javex, and Canadian Tide with Bleach is Tide avec Javellisant. I guess the word was also used in Italian - as my mother always referred to bleach as "Javelle". Of course, she also called it "Aqua Lina", but I think that was more a reference to a local brand of bleach that I haven't seen since the 60's

Post# 191722 , Reply# 3   2/16/2007 at 22:03 (6,250 days old) by jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)        
Wow

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You are right guys! I thought that would go the whole weekend since I read it from my 1940 Workless Washdays book!!

Good on Ya!

Jon


Post# 191737 , Reply# 4   2/16/2007 at 22:43 (6,250 days old) by retromom ()        
Hey Jon!!

"Workless Washdays"...now that's an oxymoron! ;-)

Post# 191766 , Reply# 5   2/16/2007 at 23:36 (6,250 days old) by launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)        
Eau de Javel

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Is an aqueous solution of sodium or potassium hypochlorite. Orginally produced in Javelle, France (a small town now part of Paris), and was invented by M. C. Berthollet in 1785.


Eau de Javel was produced by passing chlorine gas through a water solution of potash. After bleaching powder (chloride of lime)was invented in 1789, Javel water was sometimes produced by reacting the bleaching powder with sodium carbonate or potash.

Though a strong textile bleach, eau de Javel is not the same as today's LCB which is a of sodium hypochlorite.

Javel water was not universally accepted by many, and some households prefered their laundry/textiles to be bleached the way it had been done for ages in Europe; via laying wet textiles on grassy fields and allowing sunshine and nature to do the bleaching. However bleaching fields took up much land and was time consuming so many laundries/laundry women/workers and or texile makers prefered to use eau de Javel. Some familes,especially those in France responded by sending their laundry to the French colonies in the Islands to be done.

Many people then as today realised that "chlorine" bleaching was strong and over/improper use could lead to textile damage. Bleaching fields were replaced in many European cultures by boil washing especially after perborates came on the scene. Even today one can find little plastic sausages of eau de Javel in shops all over France, but it is rarely used for laundry; rather for house cleaning instead.

Chloride of lime by the way was the white powder one sees in or hears about in period media being scattered over bodies, mass graves, graves etc. This was done in an attempt to keep down the stench of decay.

L.


Post# 191831 , Reply# 6   2/17/2007 at 07:51 (6,249 days old) by bajaespuma (Connecticut)        
Brava

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Laundress,

What do you teach and where do you teach it?


Post# 191835 , Reply# 7   2/17/2007 at 09:02 (6,249 days old) by foraloysius (Leeuwarden, Friesland, the Netherlands)        

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Thank you Launderess for telling us about the background of Eau de Javel. Some people just haven't paid attention in the past... LOL

Ducking and running!


Post# 192073 , Reply# 8   2/18/2007 at 13:06 (6,248 days old) by peterh770 (Marietta, GA)        

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You'd best be putting it into a new classic washer that you found, probably one with a huge reservoir that you dump all the bleach into and then set a control on the console as to whether or not you want bleach and how much... Like a 1962 Bendix Duomatic...

If not, you best be posting on the Super forum... (arms akimbo, tapping my tasteful pumps on the linoleum) tap, tap, tap, tap


Post# 192216 , Reply# 9   2/19/2007 at 03:39 (6,248 days old) by launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)        

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Chloride of lime was also used in the film "Goodfellas" to help dispose of a the body Joe Pesci's character killed, who later had to be dug up.

How does one know so much about "Eau de Javel"?

Spend enough time in France, and one picks up a thing or two not covered in French classes. First time went to France on my own and was staying a friend's apartment, went shopping at Ed's supermarket. Was happy to find those little sausages of eau de Javel as remembered fabric softener used to come that way back home in the states. However reading the directions it seemed the product was not used at all for laundry. Upon returning to the states, and when back at school, asked one of my French teachers about the stuff, and she filled me in. Went home and did more research, and viola!


Post# 192219 , Reply# 10   2/19/2007 at 04:08 (6,248 days old) by launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)        
How To Make Javelle Water

launderess's profile picture
The following is from Mary Proctor's Ironing Book,published in 1949.

Bleaches

"Javelle Water":
Is another chlorine-type bleach. It can be bougth at the drug store or made at home with:

1 pound washing soda crystals
1 quart of boiling water
1/2 pound chloride oflime
2 quarts of cold water

Disslove washign sod with boiling water in an enamel or glass bowl. Cool, and add chloride of lime which has been dissolved in cold water. Allow misture to settle overnight if possible. Dip off top liquid or strain though layers of cheesecloth to remove solid particles. Put in dark bottles and cork tightly. Javelle water deteriorates in time so make in small quantities. Use one half pint of Javelle water in cold or lukewarm water. WARNING: Do not leave clothes in onver half an hour. Rinse thoughly and if possible follow with a neutralizer. (Vinegar or sodium thiosulphate.)


End of quote:

For those members old enough to remember, LCB used to come in dark amber/brown glass bottles/jugs with cork stoppers. That was one bottle little boys/girls were normally not allowed to carry home from the store/inside in case they dropped it.

Would a 1940's or so housewive had chloride of lime at her home? Sure! Remember things were not as they are today with stores on every corner and or just jump into the car and drive to town/nearest store. Lots of women lived in the country or rural areas and thougth themselves lucky if the Sears catalog delivered. Javelle water was used then as it is today for housecleaning/disenfecting. Privy seats, lids and such were sure targets of a wiping down with "bleach", just as modern housewives clean their bathrooms with Clorox.

Chloride of lime was also used on farms for everything we would use LCB today in animal husbandry. A solution of water and chloride of lime was used to clean and santitise things such as dairy equipment Chloride of lime was also used in out houses. Every once and awhile a scoop of the powder would be poured down the outhouse hole to "sweeten" the soil. Like LCB, chloride of lime is base which helped decrease the acidity of the outhouse soil (all that rotting human waste/night soil). This was the same reason chloride of lime was used on mass graves, potter's fields, etc. The smell of chloride of lime burning flesh was foul, but not nearly as foul as rotting human flesh. Finally chloride of lime was also used a form of rat control. Farmers or anyone else trying to rid an area of rats would sprinkle the powder over rat trails. Chloride of lime burned the rodent's feet and nostrils and they were likely not to return.





Post# 192942 , Reply# 11   2/22/2007 at 20:16 (6,244 days old) by jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)        
I knew someone

jetcone's profile picture
(PETER) would slap me for putting it here but I was going to use it in my 1958 Bendix!

There I worked in a vintage appliance!

ducks and runs>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>.



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