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House Cleaning: Spanish

Or mix 4 pounds of Spanish whiting with cold water to the consistency of milk. Dissolve 2 ounces of pure white glue in hot water over a slow fire, and pour it into the whiting in a thin stream while hot, stirring thoroughly. Or slake a sufficient amount of lime in water to make a pailful of whitewash, and while still hot stir in a pint of flour boiled with water to form a thin cooked starch. Stir well and dilute with hot water to the right consistency.

Or prepare a wash of slaked lime in a pail or tub and strain through cheese cloth. Mix 4 ounces of whiting or pulverized burnt alum, 2 pounds of sugar, and 2 quarts of rice flour with hot water and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add this mixture to 1 pailful of sifted lime wash. Add also 1 pound of best white glue dissolved in boiling water over a slow fire. This is a very brilliant and durable wash and will last for many years.

Or slake 8 quarts of lime, and add 1 pound of sulphate of zinc and pound of common salt dissolved in water. This is a hard, firm wash that will not crack.

Or mix 6 pounds of Paris white with cold water to form a paste, and dilute with hot water to the consistency of milk. Stir in 4 ounces of the best white glue dissolved in boiling water over a slow fire. This is a cheap wash and gives a fine, brilliant surface.

To Color Whitewash.-For a fine clear white, add a little bluing.

For a reddish pink, add Spanish brown.

For a red stone color, mix common clay with Spanish brown. HOUSE CLEANING For yellow, add yellow ocher (or chrome yellow, which goes farther and makes a better shade).

For gray or lead color, add lampblack.

For cream color, yellow ocher.

For stone color, 2 parts each of umber and lampblack.

For fawn color, 4 parts of umber, 2 parts of Indian red, and 1 part of lampblack.

Do not use green with whitewash.

The quantity of coloring matter required depends upon the amount of whitewash and the warmth of the tint desired, and must be determined by experiment, but approximately two or three pounds to a pailful of wash will be advisable.

Whitewash for Outdoor Use. - To make a good whitewash for fences, outbuildings, barns, stucco, and other surfaces exposed to the weather, slake 12 quarts of lime in a tight cask or barrel. Cover with canvas to keep in the steam. Strain through a large piece of cheese cloth or a fine sieve and add 2 quarts of coarse salt and 2 gallons of water. Bring this to a boil and skim off any impurities. Stir in 2 pounds of potash, 8 quarts of fine sand, and coloring matter as desired. This wash may be applied to wood, brick, or stone, looks as good as paint, and is weatherproof, fireproof, and very durable. It is an excellent preservative for shingle roofs and walls.

Or slake 8 quarts of lime in a tight cask or barrel, strain, and add 2 quarts of salt dissolved in hot water. Add boiling starch made of 2 pounds of rice flour. First mix the starch with cold water to a thin paste, dilute with hot water, and boil the mixture 15 minutes. Stir in while boiling hot. Then stir in 4 ounces of powdered whiting and 8 ounces of best white glue dissolved in hot water over a slow fire. Dilute with 3 gallons of hot water, stir vigorously, cover, and let stand 3 or 4 days. This mixture should cover 24 to 36 square yards of wood, brick, or stone. It may be used instead of oil paints, is much cheaper, and will last for years. It should be applied hot, which may be done by using a portable furnace or by suspending a kettle over a camp fire by means of three poles in the form of a tripod.

Or slake 8 quarts of lime, strain, and add 1 pound of dissolved glue and 1 or 2 quarts of boiled linseed oil. Dilute with water.

Or dissolve in hot water 4 quarts of water lime, 4 quarts of freshslaked lime, 4 pounds of powdered yellow ocher, and 4 pounds of burnt umber. This gives a rich cream color for fences, outhouses, and barns. Wash for Bricks. - To make a wash for red brick walls, dissolve 2 ounces of glue in 1 gallon of water over a slow fire. Soaking the glue for a day or two beforehand will make it dissolve more quickly. Bring the glue to a boil and stir in 1 tablespoonful of powdered alum, pound of Venetian red, and 1 pound of Spanish brown. Or vary these proportions according to taste. Mix and apply with a brush.

To Prepare Calcimine. -Dissolve with boiling water in separate kettles 10 pounds of Spanish whiting, 8 ounces of white glue, and 8 ounces of powdered alum. Use in each case enough water to make a thin cream.

Pour together, stirring vigorously, strain through cheese cloth, and add 1 teaspoonful of bluing. Apply while Add coloring matter to suit, and dilute with soap jelly to the right consistency. Remove paper, if any, wash off old calcimine or lime, fill holes or cracks with plaster of Paris, and apply a sizing of glue or shellac. warm.

Mix calcimine with any coloring matter desired and apply the same as whitewash.