Rust on Silk

New Zealand Listener, Volume 20, Issue 501, 28 January 1949, Page 22

Rust on Silk

Dear Aunt Daisy, I have a heavy silk tablecloth with rust marks on it. Could you please tell ma haw to remove theme

F.W.

P.

Wellsford.

The salts of lemon treatment (oxalic acid) has been successful on good locknit, so should be all right for your silk. Dissolve about 2 teaspoons of the acid in a breakfastcup of warm water. Lay the rust stains over a thickly-folded towel, and dab on the solution with cottonwool. Leave a few minutes, watching to see it fade. Perhaps you will need to dab it on one or two more times, but give the first one a fair trial. You should see it fading out gradually. Then rinse very thoroughly in water containing baking soda, to kill the acid, which would weaken the material if left'in. Rinse several times afterwards in pure water, under a running tap is excellent, If the rust is not very bad, it may respond to just Jemon juice and salt-the juice

and pulp of a lemon mixed with. salt in a basin or dish and the stains soaked in this for some hours. Work it in with the fingers. Then spread the stained piece across a saucepan or basin of boiling water, and as the steam comes through apply more lemon and_ salt, Afterwards wash in lukewarm _ suds. Cream of tartar is another remedy, applied to the stained place after damping it well, mix some salt with the cream of tartar and put out in the sun, Keep it damp. Always rinse with baking soda in the water after using any acid.