Instant Fire. Potassium chlorate, KClO 3, is a white, crystalline or powdery solid which is a very good oxidizing agent; it is used in explosives, fireworks, matches, etc. When it decomposes under heating (especially in the presence of a manganese catalyst), it releases molecular oxygen, O 2 : 2KClO 3 (s) â.
Bluing for Laundry. Bluing is an old-fashioned product that was once a staple of the laundry room; chances are good that your grandmother was very familiar with it. Referred to as a whitener, bluing is added to the wash or rinse cycle for the purpose of giving whites a very subtle blue tint. Why blue?
Waulking (also known as fulling) is the process in making cloth where it is beaten to make it thicker and water resistant (especially needed in Scotland). Fulling mills were introduced in medieval times but in many more remote and self-sufficient areas, the process continued to be done by hand up into the 20th century.