Important: Safety Warning
This page directs the use of hazardous substances — such as benzine, gasoline, lye, or strong acids — for household tasks. These materials are highly flammable, corrosive, or poisonous, and the practices described have caused fires, burns, and poisonings.
This information has been left in for historical purposes but should not be acted upon.
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To Test Soap
The readiest way to find whether soap will injure the delicate skin of women or children is to test it with the tongue. Good soap, in which the caustic alkali is neutralized by thorough combination with the fat, will not have a sharp taste.
The soap used in medicine, and the transparent soaps, are neutral and good. Many toilet soaps, and especially the imitation marbled castile soap, so abundant in the trade, contain too much free alkali. They have not been thoroughly boiled, and are very sharp. It is not advisable to use such soaps upon delicate skins, as they induce redness of appearance, and give the skin a tendency to roughen or chap, especially when exposed to the wind.
