To clean the papers that will not stand washing has the different treatment than the heavy washable papers, as they have different materials. Get some tips on how to clean them in this article.



We are not going to make a room-by-room tour of the house, since many of the problems presented in one would be found in all, but some rooms do require special techniques, which we will cover adequately. Walls and ceilings, obviously, are to be found in every room, so let's begin there.

WALLS ACCUMULATE MORE DUST than you might imagine, no matter what the finish. Take down the pictures, move the furniture out from the walls, and dust walls and ceilings carefully from the baseboard up. Use the wall or floor brush of your vacuum cleaner, or a soft hair wall brush, paying particular attention to corners, moldings, and baseboards. Cloths are not satisfactory for this job. If the wall is papered and in good condition, dusting is all that will be necessary.

DINGY AND SOILED WALLPAPER can be freshened if you use the proper method. Some can be washed. Even if you have been told that the paper is washable and it is so labeled in a spare roll, make this test before you start work on it: squeeze a clean cellulose sponge, or a very soft cloth, in clear lukewarm water and cautiously test the paper by rubbing it in an inconspicuous place. Use as little water as possible and a very light touch. If the colors do not blur and the spot dries satisfactorily, you can go ahead safely.

FOR THIN DELICATE WALLPAPERS use clear warm water without soap or detergent. Work always from the bottom upward. This is important because any water that dribbles down a soiled wall leaves a streak that is very difficult to remove. Use a light stroke and overlap each cleaned area. Gently pat the cleaned part dry as you proceed. Change the water as it becomes soiled.

HEAVY WASHABLE PAPERS can be cleaned with suds made with mild white soap flakes or a mild detergent. Proceed as before, being careful not to rub hard. Rinse as you go with a sponge squeezed out of clear water and pat the wall dry. Great care is required in washing wallpapers; too much water will soak them off the wall.

PAPERS THAT WILL NOT STAND WASHING can be cleaned with several preparations that are sold in hardware and paint stores. One kind looks like a lump of dough. If you use a commercial cleaner, follow carefully the directions given on the container. Also useful are art gum, the inside of a loaf of stale bread, preferably rye, or wheat bran sewed in a bag. Before using any of these, remove grease spots from the paper in the following manner: mix fuller's earth or French chalk (obtainable at a drugstore) with enough dry cleaning fluid to make a paste. Test the mixture on the paper in an inconspicuous place to make certain that the colors will not be affected. Cover the spot with the paste, and when it has dried completely, brush the powder off. If the stain is bad, several applications of the paste may be necessary to remove it. Follow stain removal with the overall cleaning, again being sure to use overlapping strokes so that the wall will not be streaked when you finish it.

Use the brush to clean the walls; you can also use the floor brush or your vacuum cleaner or a soft hair wall brush. See if your wallpapers are washable. Use clean lukewarm water to check whether your wallpapers are washable. For thin delicate wallpapers use clear warm water without soap or detergent. Heavy washable papers can be cleaned with the mild soap and water, The papers that will not stand washing can be clean using the mix fuller's earth or French chalk with dry cleaning fluid and brush it off after it is dry.