diff --git a/include/cantera/base/stringUtils.h b/include/cantera/base/stringUtils.h
index 734283be8..cb0e386a7 100644
--- a/include/cantera/base/stringUtils.h
+++ b/include/cantera/base/stringUtils.h
@@ -11,12 +11,15 @@
 
 #include "ct_defs.h"
 #include "cantera/base/fmt.h"
+#include <boost/algorithm/string.hpp>
 
 #include <string>
 
 namespace Cantera
 {
 
+namespace ba = boost::algorithm;
+
 //! Convert a double into a c++ string
 /*!
  * @param x double to be converted
@@ -55,6 +58,7 @@ std::string vec2str(const vector_fp& v, const std::string& fmt="%g",
  *
  * @param   s       Input string
  * @returns a copy of the string, stripped of leading and trailing white space
+ * @deprecated Use `boost::algorithm::trim_copy` instead
  */
 std::string stripws(const std::string& s);
 
diff --git a/src/base/ct2ctml.cpp b/src/base/ct2ctml.cpp
index c1215f08a..e32bc423d 100644
--- a/src/base/ct2ctml.cpp
+++ b/src/base/ct2ctml.cpp
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ static string pypath()
     const char* py = getenv("PYTHON_CMD");
 
     if (py) {
-        string sp = stripws(string(py));
+        string sp = ba::trim_copy(string(py));
         if (sp.size() > 0) {
             s = sp;
         }
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ static std::string call_ctml_writer(const std::string& text, bool isfile)
         }
         python.close();
         python_exit_code = python.exit_code();
-        error_output = stripws(error_stream.str());
+        error_output = ba::trim_copy(error_stream.str());
         python_output = output_stream.str();
     } catch (std::exception& err) {
         // Report failure to execute Python
@@ -233,7 +233,7 @@ void ck2cti(const std::string& in_file, const std::string& thermo_file,
         }
         python.close();
         python_exit_code = python.exit_code();
-        python_output = stripws(output_stream.str());
+        python_output = ba::trim_copy(output_stream.str());
     } catch (std::exception& err) {
         // Report failure to execute Python
         stringstream message;
diff --git a/src/base/stringUtils.cpp b/src/base/stringUtils.cpp
index 4b98209aa..0b9abaa67 100644
--- a/src/base/stringUtils.cpp
+++ b/src/base/stringUtils.cpp
@@ -91,47 +91,11 @@ std::string lowercase(const std::string& s)
     return lc;
 }
 
-//! Return the position of the first printable character in the string
-/*!
- *    @param  s    input string
- *    @returns     an int representing the first printable string. If
- *                 none returns the size of the string.
- */
-static int firstChar(const std::string& s)
-{
-    int i;
-    int n = static_cast<int>(s.size());
-    for (i = 0; i < n; i++) {
-        if (s[i] != ' ' && isprint(s[i])) {
-            break;
-        }
-    }
-    return i;
-}
-
-//! Return the position of the last printable character in the string
-/*!
- *    @param  s    input string
- *    @returns     an int representing the first printable string. If
- *                 none returns -1.
- */
-static int lastChar(const std::string& s)
-{
-    int i;
-    int n = static_cast<int>(s.size());
-    for (i = n-1; i >= 0; i--) {
-        if (s[i] != ' ' && isprint(s[i])) {
-            break;
-        }
-    }
-    return i;
-}
-
 std::string stripws(const std::string& s)
 {
-    int ifirst = firstChar(s);
-    int ilast = lastChar(s);
-    return s.substr(ifirst, ilast - ifirst + 1);
+    warn_deprecated("stripws", "Use boost::algorithm::trim_copy instead. "
+                    "To be removed after Cantera 2.3.");
+    return ba::trim_copy(s);
 }
 
 std::string stripnonprint(const std::string& s)
@@ -162,7 +126,7 @@ compositionMap parseCompString(const std::string& ss,
         }
         size_t valstart = ss.find_first_not_of(" \t\n", colon+1);
         stop = ss.find_first_of(", ;\n\t", valstart);
-        std::string name = stripws(ss.substr(start, colon-start));
+        std::string name = ba::trim_copy(ss.substr(start, colon-start));
         if (!names.empty() && x.find(name) == x.end()) {
             throw CanteraError("parseCompString",
                 "unknown species '" + name + "'");
@@ -174,7 +138,7 @@ compositionMap parseCompString(const std::string& ss,
         x[name] = fpValueCheck(ss.substr(valstart, stop-colon-1));
         start = ss.find_first_not_of(", ;\n\t", stop+1);
     }
-    if (stop != npos && !stripws(ss.substr(stop)).empty()) {
+    if (stop != npos && !ba::trim_copy(ss.substr(stop)).empty()) {
         throw CanteraError("parseCompString", "Found non-key:value data "
             "in composition string: '" + ss.substr(stop) + "'");
     }
@@ -183,7 +147,7 @@ compositionMap parseCompString(const std::string& ss,
 
 int intValue(const std::string& val)
 {
-    return std::atoi(stripws(val).c_str());
+    return std::atoi(ba::trim_copy(val).c_str());
 }
 
 doublereal fpValue(const std::string& val)
@@ -197,7 +161,7 @@ doublereal fpValue(const std::string& val)
 
 doublereal fpValueCheck(const std::string& val)
 {
-    std::string str = stripws(val);
+    std::string str = ba::trim_copy(val);
     if (str.empty()) {
         throw CanteraError("fpValueCheck", "string has zero length");
     }
@@ -262,7 +226,7 @@ std::string wrapString(const std::string& s, const int len)
 
 std::string parseSpeciesName(const std::string& nameStr, std::string& phaseName)
 {
-    std::string s = stripws(nameStr);
+    std::string s = ba::trim_copy(nameStr);
     phaseName = "";
     size_t ibegin = s.find_first_not_of(" ;\n\t");
     if (ibegin != std::string::npos) {
diff --git a/src/base/xml.cpp b/src/base/xml.cpp
index 727a87fe8..fed7a9510 100644
--- a/src/base/xml.cpp
+++ b/src/base/xml.cpp
@@ -192,11 +192,11 @@ int XML_Reader::findQuotedString(const std::string& s, std::string& rstring) con
 void XML_Reader::parseTag(const std::string& tag, std::string& name,
                           std::map<std::string, std::string>& attribs) const
 {
-    string s = stripws(tag);
+    string s = ba::trim_copy(tag);
     size_t iloc = s.find(' ');
     if (iloc != string::npos) {
         name = s.substr(0, iloc);
-        s = stripws(s.substr(iloc+1,s.size()));
+        s = ba::trim_copy(s.substr(iloc+1,s.size()));
         if (s[s.size()-1] == '/') {
             name += "/";
         }
@@ -207,17 +207,17 @@ void XML_Reader::parseTag(const std::string& tag, std::string& name,
             if (iloc == string::npos) {
                 break;
             }
-            string attr = stripws(s.substr(0,iloc));
+            string attr = ba::trim_copy(s.substr(0,iloc));
             if (attr == "") {
                 break;
             }
-            s = stripws(s.substr(iloc+1,s.size()));
+            s = ba::trim_copy(s.substr(iloc+1,s.size()));
             string val;
             iloc = findQuotedString(s, val);
             attribs[attr] = val;
             if (iloc != string::npos) {
                 if (iloc < s.size()) {
-                    s = stripws(s.substr(iloc,s.size()));
+                    s = ba::trim_copy(s.substr(iloc,s.size()));
                 } else {
                     break;
                 }
@@ -301,7 +301,7 @@ std::string XML_Reader::readValue()
             tag += ch;
         }
     }
-    return stripws(tag);
+    return ba::trim_copy(tag);
 }
 
 //////////////////////////  XML_Node  /////////////////////////////////
@@ -443,7 +443,7 @@ void XML_Node::addValue(const std::string& val)
 
 void XML_Node::addValue(const doublereal val, const std::string& fmt)
 {
-    m_value = stripws(fmt::sprintf(fmt, val));
+    m_value = ba::trim_copy(fmt::sprintf(fmt, val));
 }
 
 std::string XML_Node::value() const
diff --git a/src/thermo/Elements.cpp b/src/thermo/Elements.cpp
index f9eec3bfa..5c4306521 100644
--- a/src/thermo/Elements.cpp
+++ b/src/thermo/Elements.cpp
@@ -173,8 +173,8 @@ double getElementWeight(const std::string& ename)
 {
     int numElements = numElementsDefined();
     int numIsotopes = numIsotopesDefined();
-    string symbol = stripws(ename);
-    string name = lowercase(stripws(ename));
+    string symbol = ba::trim_copy(ename);
+    string name = ba::to_lower_copy(symbol);
     for (int i = 0; i < numElements; i++) {
         if (symbol == atomicWeightTable[i].symbol) {
             return atomicWeightTable[i].atomicWeight;
@@ -205,7 +205,7 @@ string getElementSymbol(const std::string& ename)
 {
     int numElements = numElementsDefined();
     int numIsotopes = numIsotopesDefined();
-    string name = lowercase(stripws(ename));
+    string name = ba::to_lower_copy(ba::trim_copy(ename));
     for (int i = 0; i < numElements; i++) {
         if (name == atomicWeightTable[i].fullName) {
             return atomicWeightTable[i].symbol;
@@ -233,7 +233,7 @@ string getElementName(const std::string& ename)
 {
     int numElements = numElementsDefined();
     int numIsotopes = numIsotopesDefined();
-    string symbol = stripws(ename);
+    string symbol = ba::trim_copy(ename);
     for (int i = 0; i < numElements; i++) {
         if (symbol == atomicWeightTable[i].symbol) {
             return atomicWeightTable[i].fullName;
@@ -261,8 +261,8 @@ int getAtomicNumber(const std::string& ename)
 {
     int numElements = numElementsDefined();
     int numIsotopes = numIsotopesDefined();
-    string symbol = stripws(ename);
-    string name = lowercase(stripws(ename));
+    string symbol = ba::trim_copy(ename);
+    string name = ba::to_lower_copy(symbol);
     for (int i = 0; i < numElements; i++) {
         if (symbol == atomicWeightTable[i].symbol) {
             return i+1;