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Quote:

Originally Posted by lclang (Post 6703041)

You can buy potato vodka. It is the potatoes that provide the "starch". If you use it straight you don't need to dilute it, according to what I've read.

The starch is turned into alcohol by the fermentation process. It doesn't matter which "starch" you start out with, corn, wheat, potato, rye, rice, etc the act of fermentation turns the starch to alcohol.

I agree with Scissor Queen, no starch in vodka. Has anyone tried just using rubbing alcohol in place of vodka? (I just buy cans of spray starch...quick and cheap.)

I use half and half StaFlo and water which works great for me. I have never tried Best Press. Other than the scent, what is the advantage of using Best Press over spray starch? Thanks!

Quote:

Originally Posted by ube quilting (Post 6703149)

answer please, just what does the alcohol/vodka do in the recipe to make the stuff work?

I've read that the vodka stabilizes the starch mixture. There's a problem with the recipe posted upthread - it doesn't have starch in it. Water, vodka, a perfume, but you also need starch.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chaney Ranch (Post 6703371)

I use half and half StaFlo and water which works great for me. I have never tried Best Press. Other than the scent, what is the advantage of using Best Press over spray starch? Thanks!

Best Press IS starch. It simply has been clarified, lightly scented and colored, and has an added surfactant to make it soak into the fabric faster. So in my opinion, there is no advantage or disadvantage, it's simply another starch product.

Margie, that is so funny.

Yes, thanks for the formula. Of course I wrote it down some time ago and put it away for "safe keeping". The formula of course has disappeared into the land of things I'm sure I'll be able to find later. This time I mixed up a batch right away and took your idea to tape the recipe to the bottle.

The essential oil and vodka recipe is decades old. It is a scented spray for your clothes not a starch or sizing. I had these notes saved: it has to be essential oil not scented oil

Essential oils don't mix well with water. Essential oils mix well, however, with ethanol-the type of alcohol used for drinking. Essential oil mixed with ethanol and then mixed with water creates the perfect ironing water solution. Essential oils are not truly oil-based. This means, you can use them to scent your ironing water without fear of staining your clothes or ruining your iron.
A Simple Scented Ironing Water Recipe

Combine 4 to 6 drops of your chosen essential oil with ¼ cup of grain alcohol in a medium mixing bowl.
Add 16 to 32 ounces of distilled water. More water will dilute the scent.
Pour the mixture into one or more clean spray bottles.
Shake each spray bottle for one minute.
Allow your ironing water to sit, undisturbed at room temperature, over night.
Spray each garment lightly with ironing water before ironing.
Shake spray bottle gently before each use.

It's much simpler to just buy a bottle of spray or starch for me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by margie (Post 6702540)

you drink the vodka and your quilting looks perfect lol

rotflllllll

Dont spend all day lloking for potato vodka. Go for cheapest highest proof vodka, or distilled clear grain alcohol you can find. It doesnt make a difference as long as its clear.

does the everclear work the same as the vodka? I have a bottle that has been sitting for years. Need yo use it.