What is..... 10 POINTS TO BEST ANSWER?

Question

Liquid Bluing? And why do i need it to make a crystal garden?

Answer 1

It's a laundry product designed to make whites whiter.

You can make a crystal garden without it, but you need something for the salt to crystallize around and the blue particles in the bluing provide that.

Answer 2

Liqiud bluing is a chemical that activates some other chemical in the crystal powder stuff to make it grow.  You need it because it activates the crystalization process for a crystal garden.

Answer 3

Here is probably the best explanation of what it is and how it's used in the formation of the crystals:

http://www.sciencecompany.com/sci-exper/...

Fascinating, really.  Sounds like something my kids would be into!

Answer 4

Liquid bluing is uncommon these days and sometimes hard to find, depending on where you live.  Your grandmother may have used it years ago in her laundry.  Basically, it is a blue liquid that is added to the wash water to brighten whites.  I realize it doesn't make sense that a blue liquid would make whites whiter, but it does.  People that show cattle and horses also use it in the water for bathing the horses.  I used to use it on the mane, tail, and stockings of my palomino just before parades.

Years ago I remember the plastic bags that came from dry cleaners were always blue-tinted and people would then wrap these bags around the wire hangers to keep the hangers from staining their shirts.  These days, some people will only hang their white shirts on blue plastic hangers.

I'm not familiar with crystal gardens so I'm not sure why you would need it.  Maybe it helps the crystals have better clarity.