The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California
First Aid For The Ailing Houses
FROSTED GLASS
To get the effect of frosted glass, a special paint is made that produces a white film on the inside surface to be coated. This is available in aerosol form.
PAINTING CHILDREN'S TOYS AND FURNITURE
When painting or repainting children's toys and furniture, a lead-free paint must be used. Any painted surface which children are apt to gnaw must be safe from lead poisoning. Manufacturers know this, and they finish toys and furniture with paint that is safe. Do-it-yourselfers at home should be equally careful about this! Before buying paint for such projects, examine the label for ingredients; don't buy any paint containing lead.
Cleaning Wallpaper Wallpaper can be cleaned of dirt and grime with a material resembling putty or dough, which, in being rolled and kneaded over the surface, will pick it up. The material should be worked to keep bringing clean parts to the surface and can be used until soiled all through. This compound can be bought at a hardware or paint store. This material should be tried in some hidden corner to note the effect on the pattern, for with some classes of wallpaper, the color may come off. After cleaning, the wall should be wiped, and all crumbs and dust from the cleaner taken up; being starchy, these might attract insects.
When wallpaper cannot be cleaned by this method, no more can be done than to take off the surface dust with a soft brush or by a vacuum cleaner.
When there is an extra piece of the wallpaper on hand, as there should be, and when that on the wall has not faded, a stain can be covered with a patch so neatly as to be invisible. A portion of the paper is selected to match the pattern and torn off, tearing being from the back to leave edges that are thin and feathery. The paper should not be cut because sharp edges cannot be concealed. The patch is then covered with paste and applied to the wall to match up with the pattern, the edges being lightly brushed and rubbed into contact. By using enough paste, the patch can be slid to the exact matching position.
Grease Spots Grease, oil, or crayon stains and marks on wallpaper can be taken out by covering them with a thick layer (about 1/4 inch) of a soft paste made of fuller's earth or powdered chalk, moistened with carbon tetrachloride or any of the other well-known noninflammable spot-removing liquids, such as Carbona. Benzene would also serve, but because of the fire risk, great care should be taken.
