The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1940-02-08
Consumer Notes
Issued Weekly by Consumers
Counsel Division, A. A. A.
Washington, d. C.
A Test For Wool

Use your kitchen as laboratory if
you want to find out whether an call
wool" fabric is really all wool.
Bureau of Home Economics experts
have devised two simple tests for
wool,
First, they say, try the burning test
Touch match to a small piece of the
fabric. If it is all-wool, it will
shoulder and give off disagreeable,
acrid odor, like that of burning hair.
The crisp ash will ball up along the
edge into an irregularly shaped mass.
If there are other fibers present, the
fabric will not burn in this manner.
Another test will tell you more ac-
curately if there is cotton, linen, or
rayon present in the fabric. Boil
sample of the fabric for Is minutes
in a solution of / tablespoon of lye
to / pint of water. The wool will dis
solve in this solution, leaving what
ever cotton, rayon, or linen that may
be present. This test won't work for
silk and wool mixtures, since the silk
will dissolve also.
Consumers must rely on the label
to tell whether such fibers as mohair,
camels hair, or alpaca are mixed with
the wool.
Best labels tell the exact percentage
of wool and other fibers present in
fabric.
X X X
Getting Warmth in a Coat
Remember that the heaviest coat is
not necessarily the warmest.
If you are shopping for warm
winter coat, look for a close-woven
fabric with good insulating interim
ing. Wool interlinings are warm
without being bulky, while the new
chamois-like material serves as a
windbreaker and is intended for cold
climates. Bulkier and heavier than
either of these is quilted wool, but it
is also warmer.
Other warmth features to look for
in coat are button-up neck, sleeves
that fit close to the wrist, a wide front
lap, and convenient fastenings to
keep the coat from blowing open.
The coat fabric should be closely
woven, and if made Of wool, it should
feel alive and springy when crumpled
in the hand. The label should tell you
the exact percentage Of wool and other
fibers in the fabric.
If you want more hints on buying
a coat, write for the U. S. Depart
ment of Agriculture Leaflet 1T, call
ed when a Woman Buys Coat 1t
can be bought for 10 cents from the
Superintendent of Documents, Wash
ington, ID. C.
X X X
When You Buy Spices
1t is a far-sighted economy to buy
good quality spices. Some spices of
poor quality, such as low grade of
cinnamon, are practically flavorless.
To keep the flavor of spices over a
long period of time, be sure to close
the container tightly every time you
use it.
Government standards for spices
require that they be clean, sound, and
true to name, and that no portion Of
their volatile oil, which gives them
their flavor, be removed. The Food and
Drug Administration is on guard to
see that ground shells, or exhausted
spices-spices from which the essen
tial oil has been removed-have not
been added to the pepper, ginger,
cloves, and other spices you buy.
While chemical analysis is needed
to test the purity of spices, a con-
sumer selecting them would do well
both to taste and to smell them to
judge their potency.
Spices come in many different sizes
of containers. Be sure to look for the
net weight on the label, to see how
much you get in each size"
X X
Removing Gravy Stains From Rugs
First aid for your rug when gravy
is spilled Oh it calls for fast action.
If you can get at the stain immedi-
ately, Bureau of Home Economics eX-
perts suggest this treatment. Pour
Fuller's earth, or cornmeal, or some
other absorbent powder over the stain.
This will absorb the liquid from the
rug. Then brush off the powder.
Any stain remaining can be removed
by sponging with water, or with a
liquid cleaner guaranteed to remove
grease spots.
For an old stain, different treat
ment is needed. First scrape or
brush off any of the gravy that has
dried on the surface of the rug. Then
sponge the spot with cleaning fluid to
remove the grease Sponge the stain
several times with cloth dampened
in thick cool soapsuds, and finally go
over it with cloth wrung out Of clear
warm water to take up all the soap.
After the spot has dried, brush the
rug with soft brush. The rule to
remember is TO never soak rug with
water or cleaning preparation. This
may get rid of the spot, but it may
also leave a permanent ring.