On Wed, 01 Aug 2007 10:24:56 -0700,
wrote:

On Aug 1, 5:10 pm, Stuart Noble
wrote:
Steve Firth wrote:
Stuart Noble wrote:

Sugar soap is really designed to remove grease and other alkali soluble
gunk, and I don't think many of us live like that nowadays.

Most of what sticks dirt togther is grease of some form or another.
Either from human skin or often from trace quantities in the air (or
large quantities if one lives in diesel-soaked London.).

Interesting that sugar is quite a good abrasive, as is bicarbonate of
soda, but nothing IME makes the job any easier

I don't know if you are random word associating

I have nothing better to do

, but sugar soap has

nothing to do with sugar.

Sugar with soap (or washing up liquid)is a damned fine hand cleaner as
it happens, and it's reasonable to suppose its abrasive qualities were
not unknown to decorators. Then again, maybe someone just decided "sugar
soap" was a great name for something that had nothing to do with sugar.

And bicarbonate of soda works pretty much like sugar soap in that it will solubilise lipids.

I believe sugar soap is now based on a fairly insipid detergent rather
than the phosphates it used to consist of.
Bicarb is sparingly soluble in water, hence its effectiveness as a mild
abrasive in a paste.

This is an interesting discussion, I painted some woodwork last year
using DPBW and I am about to do some more as I decorate other rooms
this month. But I have noticed that the wood I re-painted last year
looks no brighter now than wood that I am about to re-paint that is a
few years old.

Is there a reason that even DPBW yellows so quickly. Im almost
wondering whether there is any point in painting it anway since it
will look the same next year as it does now! Is it in my prep or the
paint I wonder!

Rajeev

It's because it's an oil based paint and your rooms must be quite
dark!

Water based paints are much less liable to yellowing, although it's
harder to get a decent finish with them. Oil based paints discolour
less if they are in the light.