Under normal circumstances, genuine ivory (with no or little patina) should appear white under long wave black light and genuine ivory always has grain. Elephant ivory always has Schreger Lines, a cross hatch pattern, when seen in cross section.

At a cost of Sh210,000/kg, the value of the ivory on a single elephant is worth Sh11. 97 million. This indicates that the total value of Kenya’s 15,800 elephants will be Sh189 billion.

With time, ivory darkens or turns yellow developing a patina coloring surface. This color change indicates ivory age with a subsequent effect on value. Applying chemical cleaners to alter the color makes the item lose value.

It is now illegal to sell or have the intent to sell ANY IVORY within the State of California or to sell it to any bidders within the State of California REGARDLESS OF THE AGE of the ivory.

1. Cut a lemon cleanly in half on a cutting board, using a sharp knife.
2. Hold a lemon half in your hand and use the salted, exposed side to scrub your yellowed ivory item.
3. Set the ivory item to the side to air dry.
4. Soak a soft cloth in clean water and wring out the excess.
5. Repeat the procedure if necessary.

If dusting alone is not enough, ivory and smooth non-porous bone can be cleaned with water and mild soap such as Ivory Snow or WA Paste ( CCI Notes 13/9 Anionic Detergent). Using a cotton swab (Q-tip), apply the soapy solution sparingly, just dampening the surface. Clean only a few square centimetres at any one time.

Firstly, Ivory keys are often rare and hard to find, and in addition to this the keys are not pure white, but rather an off-white color. Over time the keys can become yellow, and should be whitened but this requires more dedication and attention when cleaning.

Is it safe to bleach them? Because the sheets are 100% cotton, you can definitely launder them with bleach and not damage the cotton fibers.

First, they wash with laundry detergent. Then, they wash again with fabric softener. The final wash includes bleach to bring out the white color. In other words, hotels don’t bleach the linens within an inch of its life and call it “good.”

Your bedsheets absorb everything that comes into contact with them, which can result in unsightly staining. The most common culprits behind yellow stains on white sheets are skin oils, sweat, and other bodily fluids.

Use household bleach to change your colored sheets to white. If you’re in the mood for a color change, you don’t need to run to the store to buy new linens. In fact, with a household bleach that you probably already have in your house, you can bleach your old colored linens to a crisp white.

Also, white linens are hardy as hell. They don’t fade or bleed; you aren’t going to accidentally ruin them with bleach. And because white linens are truly the easiest thing to launder, I can comfortably send them out to be washed without worrying about them.

Clothes that are stored improperly can react with the acids in a cardboard box or wooden shelves and turn yellow. Even white fabrics made from natural fibers like cotton and linen can turn yellow if they are exposed to too much chlorine bleach.

Most people should wash their sheets once per week. If you don’t sleep on your mattress every day, you may be able to stretch this to once every two weeks or so. Some people should wash their sheets even more often than once a week.

Iron Bacteria in Water Supply Yellowed whites are caused by too much iron in the water supply. Iron bacteria in your water supply will settle on clothes and cause them to yellow or eventually turn brown. Install a water filter to keep clothes white.

Sort clothes according to color. In the case of a larger load made up of color groups, then these can be tackled in separate laundry loads, where bright clothes, such as purples, reds, oranges and bright yellows can be washed together and bright blues and greens can also be washed together in a different batch.

The tumbling of the dryer makes the surface of garment fibers rough, which in turn makes the colors appear faded, even if they aren’t. Skip washing all-together. The more you wash an item, the more faded it becomes. If you’ve only worn a garment for a few hours, don’t toss it in the washer.

How to Whiten Clothes with Vinegar. Not only does distilled white vinegar brighten white clothes, but it also softens fabric while removing musty, mildewy smells. During the last rinse cycle, simply pour 1/4 cup of vinegar to an already-running machine.

You can absolutely use vinegar and laundry detergent in the same load, but you cannot mix them together. If you ‘re using detergent , add the vinegar to the rinse cycle after the detergent is out.

The acetic acid in distilled white vinegar is so mild that it will not harm washable fabrics; yet is strong enough to dissolve residues (alkalies) left by soaps and detergents. Adding just one-half cup of vinegar to the final rinse will result in brighter, clearer colors.

It may sound like an old wives’ tale, but adding baking soda to your regular amount of liquid laundry detergent truly will make your colored clothing brighter and your whites whiter. Baking soda is a natural deodorizer and cleanser, and it also softens the water, which means you can get away with using less detergent.

Although vinegar and baking soda are safe to use in both regular and HE washing machines, they are considerably less efficient than high-performance laundry detergents at delivering an outstanding and odorless clean.

Vinegar and baking soda are the two best agents you can use to clean your washing machine. One way is to mix 2 cups of vinegar, and 1/4 cup of baking soda and water each, then pour the mixture into the detergent cache of your washing machine. Simply run a cycle at the highest temperature.

Baking soda is a natural deodorizer and cleanser. Adding it to laundry is a great way to gently clean your clothes to remove tough smells and stains. Using baking soda can also help soften clothes, boost your detergent’s power, and keep whites white. As a bonus, it helps your washing machine stay clean, too.