# what fabric glows best under a black light?



## lyssa-anne

Hello..I was just wondering what type of fabric would glow best under a black light....I what to make a ghost-type figure for my front window and would like to place a blacklight underneath for a glowing effect.
Thanks to any suggestions!!


----------



## Lilly

anything white...gauze..sheets
you can enhance those by rinsing in the rit whitener stuff if needed


----------



## ghost37

cheesecloth works really well.


----------



## eanderso13

Regular cheesecloth does not glow in a blacklight on its own. You need to soak it in detergent (Tide or similar) first. RIT fabric whitener works as well, but most people have liquid detergent around anyway. Just ad some to a bucket of water and soak the fabric in it for a few hours. Then wring it out and toss it in the dryer without rinsing it.


----------



## Beth

It is AMAZING how well material glows after being dipped in liquid Tide!! You'll love it!!!


----------



## lyssa-anne

Thanks everyone....didnt know about the Tide....great tip..thanks


----------



## serephina

As a brand-new member to this forum ( hello guys!:googly I am still a complete Noob when it comes to lighting info. But just last week I ran across a great idea for making white ghosts glow better in the dark. You use a small light fixture with a Blue bulb and place it either directly under the ghost, or inside (as long as it doesnt directly touch the cloth) and then use the black light as you normally would. This creates a great eerie glow! 

( I also use a fan on low speed..to gently sway the ghost that I have hanging from the ceiling) Very cool!

If this has been posted hundreds of times already, ty for your patience! I'm a noob remember? hehe 

** Also, I want to thank everyone for all of the terrific ideas and information I have found reading these forums! I feel so fortunate that I ran across this site while searching Google for Halloween party ideas lol


----------



## lyssa-anne

Hello Serephina...and welcome 
Thanks for the tip..I will try that.....like the fan idea also....


----------



## Doc Doom

I looked at some liquid Tide today as well as about a dozen other detergents. Non of them contain phosphates. Isn't that what makes the fabric glow?


----------



## lyssa-anne

you are right Doc....I just looked at my bottle of liquid Tide and it states..."contains no phosphates"......


----------



## scream1973

But yet it still glows... mystery...


----------



## NecroBones

Materials containing phosphorus is generally the way to achieve a "glow in the dark" luminescence effect. That is, it absorbs light and re-emits light afterwards with a delay (Phosphorescence). Fluorescence is different, in that the light is frequency-shifted, but immediately re-emitted. They're very closely related.

So Phosphorus is not required for a fluorescent effect, which is what you're really after with UV lights (though phosphorescent glow-in-the-dark stuff gets charged up and glows very nicely in UV light as well).


----------



## NecroBones

Oh also, I suspect that they're specifically using fluorescent materials in the detergents and not phosphors for the simple reason that phosphors are an obvious trick to make the whites look whiter, because it'll have an afterglow in the dark. With simple fluorescents, you don't have that... things just look whiter.


----------



## Doc Doom

NecroBones said:


> Materials containing phosphorus is generally the way to achieve a "glow in the dark" luminescence effect. That is, it absorbs light and re-emits light afterwards with a delay (Phosphorescence). Fluorescence is different, in that the light is frequency-shifted, but immediately re-emitted. They're very closely related.
> 
> So Phosphorus is not required for a fluorescent effect, which is what you're really after with UV lights (though phosphorescent glow-in-the-dark stuff gets charged up and glows very nicely in UV light as well).


Thanks for the lesson, but you probably should have started with "WARNING - SCIENCE CONTENT".


----------



## RoxyBlue

Frat boys know the answer to this question. How many of you remember going to a frat party in college where someone had rigged up a black light so the female guests' white undergarments would show through their clothing (not that I ever went to such a party)?

Anyone, anyone?


----------



## arcuhtek

Liquid Tide painted onto surfaces (just like you would paint a wall) also makes that surface glow...Problem is that it dims significantly in about 4 hours as it drys.

I did this to the side of my house last year, by painting GETTTT OUTTTTT and other things like graffitti and it was very cool. When Halloween was over, I just used a pressure washer on gentle pressure and washed it right off....no issues at all. I am sure a water hose would work too.


----------

