adding paraffin to boiled laundry

[jamiel]

Curious if anyone knows--the use of nap(h)tha incorporated in soap is a pretty well known laundry aid (Fels Naptha, P&G White Naphtha soap).  Looking at some old ads saw an interesting one for Parowax (Standard Oil's white blocks of paraffin) that suggested shaving some (maybe a tablespoon or two) into the wash boiler along with the soap when boiling laundry (obviously this was a 1920s ad) to get some of the benefit of naphtha in the washwater.

 

Anyone heard such? Apparently naphtha was only appropriately added to the wash boiler incorporated into the soap.

 

 

 

[launderess]

Generally speaking it wasn't necessary to use boiling water with Fels or other naptha soaps. High water temps would cause the petrol to evaporate out of soap & water solution defeating entire purpose.

https://www.google.com/books/editio...ptha+soap+boiling&pg=PT81&printsec=frontcover

Parowax was another matter. Since while it was the paraffin one wanted for cleaning, as with all waxes the stuff was solid when cool or cold. If one didn't use boiling water the paraffin may well begin to solidify on washing and anything else that came into contact with wash water.

https://www.google.com/books/editio...=1&dq=Parowax&pg=RA3-PP16&printsec=frontcover

Still another way of using petrol on wash day was to add a teacup or so of kerosene to boil wash water.
https://www.google.com/books/editio...sh+boiler+laundry&pg=PA39&printsec=frontcover

 

[jamiel]

_{Guess I never thought of (solid) paraffin having any value in lifting oil-based stains----guess if it's melted and dispersed it's got some use.}

 

_{I wonder if it's analogous to cleaning my latex rubber bodysuits---the final rinse is in water with a squirt of a product called Vivishine (which is a very light silicone oil).  It floats on the surface, but agitating the outfits breaks it up and disperses it and it clings to the latex, then as the water dries it spreads out to make things shiny.}