THE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES OF CLEANING AGENTS which writers in this field refer to so blithely as solvents, absorbents, abrasives and bleaches should be understood. Such basic knowledge will enable a woman to make full use of her cleaning equipment and the great assortment of cleaners available today and at the same time will forestall the errors that bring ruin to expensive equipment and materials. At this point we will consider some of the materials used for cleaning. First of all solvents.

SOLVENTS are agents which dissolve the materials that cause soil and stains. Foremost of these and the most generally useful is water, which dissolves a little of almost any material it contacts long enough even metals and minerals. When water is pure, like rain water, it is called soft When its mineral content is high it is known as hard water, and more soap is needed to make it work well. Very hard water, used with soap, forms small curds or soap scum; its cleaning ability is low unless a softener is added.

SOFTENERS are of two types. One precipitates, or settles, the minerals that make water hard; the other keeps the minerals in solution but in a form that cannot form soap scum. In the first category are washing soda (sal soda), trisodium phosphate, borax, ammonia, and commercial products such as Raindrops and Climelene. Type two softeners are often long, unpronounceable soda-and-phosphate compounds, which are available under such trade names as Calgon, Hexaphos, NoctQ, New Oalrite, Phosphotex, Quadraf os, and Tex. These are more expensive than type one softeners, but are very effective and better in the laundry.

A TEST SUGGESTED BY GOVERNMENT EXPERTS to determine how much softener is needed for the water you use with a particular kind of soap especially in laundering: put a gallon of hot water (140'F.) into a pan and add a half teaspoon of softener; stir until it has dissolved. Fill a quart jar half full of this water, add half a teaspoon of soap and shake it hard for ten seconds. If a good suds forms and holds for five minutes, the water is softened. Try again using less than half a teaspoon of softener to see if you can get a good suds with a smaller amount of softener. If the half-teaspoon of softener does not produce good suds with soap, repeat the test with fresh hot water, using one teaspoon of softener to one gallon of water. Continue until you have found the amount of softener needed to make good suds, and multiply it by the number of gallons your washing machine holds. If you change to a different soap or a different softener you will have to repeat the test

PLAIN COOL WATER will clean windows and many other surfaces. It will also remove many stains on washable materials if the stains are fresh. Warm and hot water extend the clean- Soaps, Detergents / Absorbent sing range; boiling water and steam also have their uses in removing certain stains from cloth. Water plus a softener will accomplish efficiently many cleaning tasks around the house, without the use of either soap or detergent, and you won't have to rinse if you keep changing the water as it gets dirty. Solvents other than water, useful in house cleaning, include cleaning fluids and spot removers, alcohol, and other materials which are listed and discussed in the chapter Spots and Stains.

SOAPS AND DETERGENTS. For washing clothes and cleaning surfaces the grocery stores offer soaps and detergents in a bewildering array, and the label seldom gives complete details about what each type does best. To assemble this very greatly needed information, home economics research experts of the United States Department of Agriculture recently made long and exhaustive tests, upon which the information that follows is based. First we must note that soaps and detergents are entirely different in composition and in the way they work. Soaps are most effective with a soft water; detergents will work in either hard or soft water.

Solvent can be used to dissolve the stains and use the softener to settles the minerals that make the water hard. Read the suggestion before using them for a better result. The basic thing that we can use for the cleaning is plain water. Which are always available in our home. Add some soaps and detergent for washing and cleaning. Read the instruction on how to use the soap and detergent before using them, as both of them has different composition and work in different ways.