Good morning!
I use ash when doing laundry for period events. The process is explained here: http://creweofthearchangel.wordpress.com/2013/10/07/a-beating-of-another-type-laundry/
Forgot how awesome this thread is...have killed an hour at work looking at the pics and taking notes! Couple of pics below from a shoot last month...Steampunk is nearer and dearer to my heart than ever. Hope it sticks around for a long, long time.