People's Pilot, Volume 5, Number 21, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 November 1895 — The Use of Naptha. [ARTICLE]

The Use of Naptha.

The greatest care should be observed in the use of naptha, which, while a most valuable agent to clean delicate laces, light silks and ribbons, is a very dangerous liquid. It is so extremely volatile that ignition will take place even when it is removed by the distance across a room from a light, and it never should be used except in the day time. Articles cleansed by this means should be promptly and thoroughly aired. It is a good plan, the Commercial bulletin suggests, when the weather permits, to do the cleaning out of doors,leaving even the thing cleansed outside for a longer airing. The need of this was recently emphasized to an up-town woman, who washed a number of gloves, some laces and ribbons, and fearing to leave thdm around the room, as she was called away before they were aired, bundled them into a box, which she shut up in a trunk in a closet. Later, she sent a maid to get them out, who took a lighted candle to the closet for the search. When the trunk was opened a slight explosion followed almost immediately. Enough of the gas from the naptha had been generated and held in the confined space to ignite as the candle flame approached. No serions results followed, fortunately, but the warning remains.