Page:Cyclopedia of Painting-Armstrong, George D (1908).djvu/302

294 the descent upon one's head of all the paper from the ceiling.

Cleaning Wallpaper. The tenant or house owner at those unpleasant periods in the year when spring cleaning appears to be inseparable from a quiet existence, or when parts of the house are re-decorated owing to a sudden fit of generosity on the part of the landlord, often experiences a good deal of difficulty in determining whether a room really requires re-papering or not. Possibly the paper is fairly expensive, and is only soiled over a small portion of its surface. All ordinary papers may be cleaned without difficulty. There are on the market various preparations for the purpose which do the work very effectually, but their use is not necessary. One of the simplest ways is to take a loaf of ordinary rye bread, which is at least two days old, cut off the crust, and trim the crust also from around the edge, place on the floor sheets of newspaper or cloths to catch the crumbs, and then go over the whole surface of the paper, rubbing it with the loaf from top to bottom in regular strokes. When the end of the loaf becomes dirty cut off a very thin slice with a sharp knife, trim back the edge again, and proceed as before. Even better than the loaf is baker's dough, or flour and water mixed to a stiff dough answers equally well. A good plan is to add about quarter of the bulk of plaster of Paris to the flour, as this holds the dough together, and renders it less plastic or yielding under the strokes. Still another way is to use bran, a handful is taken and placed in a piece of flannel, and then rubbed against the surface of the paper. If there are any grease marks on the paper they can be removed in the following manner: Mix a little dry Fuller's earth into a paste, place it carefully over and around the grease spot, when quite dry take a hot flat iron and hold it nearly touching the layer of Fuller's earth. This will dry out the grease, and the Fuller's earth may then be scraped off, leaving the paper comparatively clean and fresh.