FAQs

We ship MSB to grocery warehouses all over the US. If your local store is supplied by a warehouse we ship to, they can get MSB. They can also obtain MSB directly from us. A better question might be 'Why doesn't my local grocery store carry MSB?' We are a one-product vendor and our only product, MSB, is an inexpensive product that moves slowly off the shelves. This is great for the consumer — very economical. Not so much for the grocer. It's hard to make money on products like MSB for the grocer. This is primarily driven by customer demand. So, we encourage you to talk to your grocery and ask them to carry MSB! For more information, visit our Find MSB in the US page.

MSB has many many uses. A popular science project for kids uses MSB to grow salt crystals. Elderly people like to use MSB to keep their hair looking beautifully white — pet owners do the same with their white pets. Did you ever notice the blue lines on ski race courses — those might be made using MSB. You can brighten fish bate with MSB, color carnations and hydrangeas using MSB, detect plumbing leaks with MSB. Learn about many more uses for MSB on our Many Uses page.

While many customers DO see dramatic whitening results with their first usage of MSB, others do not. Many possibilities can be considered including water hardness, age of the clothing your are trying to whiten, whether the fabric has previously been bleached excessively or whether other stains or products have caused yellowing, etc.

MSB is best used preventively, in every load from the moment you bring a white garment home. This prevents the garment from ever becoming dingy or off-white. If you are new to MSB, we encourage you to use it regularly from this point on and see if, after three to four applications, your garments begin to appear whiter. To understand bluing and how it works better, visit our All About Bluing page.

Many people have discovered old bottles of bluing on homesteads and in basements. Afterall, in the early 1900s, bluing was a laundry staple — every homemaker used it to keep white clothes white. Bluing has an indefinite shelf life, so if your bottle still has bluing in it, it will likely work just as it does today. MSB is water-based so be aware that it may have, by evaporation, concentrated over the years just a bit.

As for value, you'll want to determine the age of your bottle. We can help you do that on our MSB History page. Download the PDF available there. In it, there is a section about the various bottles we've used over the years. Here in Minnesota, in local antique stores, we've seen old glass bottle, cork still in tact, with bluing in them and a label selling for around $25.00.

The formula for Mrs. Stewart's Bluing is proprietary. Basically, MSB is a blue iron powder (a blue pigment) suspended in water. There is a non-toxic amount of an organic biocide in the product as a preservative that keeps algae from growing in our mixing tank and in the bottle. And there is a pH balancer. Even in it's concentrated form, MSB is, by US government standards, non-toxic, non-hazardous and environmentally friendly.

Many ask this question because they have sensitive skin or are allergic to many substances. We cannot guarantee you will not have a reaction to MSB. What we can say is that we have many letters from consumers with sensitivities stating to us that MSB is the only whitener they can use without a reaction.

For more information, please go to our "MSB and the Environment" page and to our "Safety" page. 

Rest assured, bluing is not permanent and regardless of whether you have an accidental spill or misused MSB, it will come out and we are happy to help you. Go to "Removal of Excess Bluing" for further information.

While we make MSB as a laundry whitener, many consumers use it in every load, whites and colors, and tell us that it brightens their colors as well as it whitens their whites. When you whiten with bluing, you are not removing anything (it is not a stain remover or detergent). Instead, you are adding just enough blue to the garment to make it whiter and brighter. So, yes! You can use MSB on your white shirt with color print. For additional information, go to our "MSB, Denim and Colors" page.

Mrs. Stewart's Bluing, of course! In addition, it might be nice to include Mrs. Stewart's Bluing Home Washing Guide which contains tips on doing laundry better, information about washers and laundry products, as well as a fantastic Stain Removal Guide and Care Label Guide. Go to our "MSB Home Washing Guide" page for more information.