Stains that rot the fabric
5 December 2001
Some stains will rot cotton (especially those caused by battery fluid, boiler descaler and metal treatment fluids). Domestic cleaning creams containing alkalis will rot wool and silk. The stain on the shirt in the photograph has formed a dark ring within which the fibres are so weak that they just flush away, even with hand washing. These are the classic symptoms of chemical damage from one of the substances described.
