Chapter 2. WALLS AND CEILINGS

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.

SOLVENTS are agents which dissolve the materials that cause soil and stains. Foremost of these and the most generally useful is water, which dissolves a little of almost any material it contacts long enough-even metals and minerals. When water is pure, like rain water, it is called soft When its mineral content is high it is known as hard water, and more soap is needed to make it work well. Very hard water, used with soap, forms small curds or soap scum; its cleaning ability is low unless a softener is added.

DAY TO DAY CARE OF PAPERED WALLS includes prompt removal of stains and marks. Use art gum for pencil marks and light smudges. Sponge crayon marks lightly with cleaning fluid on a soft cloth. (Test first.) Repeat applications may be necessary. Soap and water cleaning may follow removal of the stain if the paper is washable.

INK SPATTERS should be blotted up immediately but carefully with cleansing tissue. After that, apply fuller's earth or French chalk, brushing it off as it takes up the ink. If the stain is not removed completely by these methods, ink eradi-cator from the drugstore can be used, but it is likely to take out the color too. (Follow the directions on the package.)

STAINS MADE BY FOOD (have you a teen-ager?) should be brushed off as promptly as possible to remove any solid particles. If a grease spot remains, use the cleaning fluid plus the absorbent mixture described in the preceding paragraph.

LACQUERED WALLPAPERS can be washed easily with warm suds made of soap or detergent. Papers coated with wall wax (sold at wallpaper stores) usually can be wiped clean with a damp cloth. Special cleaners are made for fabric-coated walls, but if the manufacturer of the covering has supplied directions, follow those.

IF YOUR WALLPAPER IS UTTERLY IMPOSSIBLE, how are you on hanging it? Hundreds of women do their rooms over and some of the papers available today are ready-pasted.

WOOD-PANELED WALLS, finished with wax, seldom need more than dusting. If they begin to look dry and grimy, clean them with liquid wax on a soft cloth, buff them and then apply a fresh coating of wax. Rub the panels with another soft cloth until a dry fingertip will not leave a mark.

PANELS FINISHED WITH VARNISH OR SHELLAC, that are not waxed, should be dusted and, if desired, freshened by applying the following mixture: combine one half cup of pure gum turpentine, one cup of boiled linseed oil, and about a tablespoon of vinegar. (Note that one buys linseed oil either "boiled" or "raw." Do not boil it yourself!) With a clean cloth apply a very thin coating. Let it stand for fifteen minutes, then rub it until it will meet the finger-smudge test.

KITCHEN AND BATHROOM WALLS, finished with high gloss enamel paints, lose their finish and soil resistance if the wrong type of cleaner is used. Sometimes plain hot water will clean these surfaces. Washing soda (sal soda) is ideal for soiled enamel paint. Use a couple of tablespoonfuls in a pail of hot water and add more if the walls are very soiled. If you keep changing the water, rinsing will not be imperative. Again, begin washing at the bottom of the wall and work upward. With a sponge squeezed out of your cleaning mixture, wash a small area of the wall at a time, using a circular motion. Rinse with a sponge squeezed out of clear water before moving to the adjoining area, being careful to overlap the edges of the part just cleaned. Continue until the walls are clean, then do the ceiling. Detergents also are safe for glossy enamels and do a nice job on other paints too.

DO NOT USE SOAP ON ENAMEL PAINTS because it nearly always leaves a film.

GLAZED CERAMIC TTLE WALLS often can be cleaned with a damp cloth or sponge. If filmed with soap, grease or soil, use trisodium phosphate, borax, or some other water softener. A teaspoonful or so in a pail of hot water may do, but add more if it seems necessary. For heavily soiled areas, sprinkle a little of your softener on a damp cloth and rub the tiles clean. Rinse the surface and wipe it dry with a soft cloth. Mild scouring powders may also be used to clean glazed tile but must be rinsed off carefully afterwards. Harsh abrasives and acid solutions should be avoided.

PLASTIC TILES may need only to be wiped with a damp cloth, or you can use warm water with soap or a detergent. Rinse and wipe dry. No scouring powders or any other abrasive should ever be used on plastics. These tiles are usually made of polystyrene or vinyl plastics, sold under many trade names. Polystyrene plastics (Bakelite polystyrene, Catalin Luxtred, Plexon M, Styron) are not damaged by water, oil, alcohol, vinegar, or the usual household acids. Cleaning fluids, gasoline, nail polish and polish remover, and oil from lemon and orange peels damage them. Vinyl plastics (Vinylite, Saran, Geon, Marvinol, Ultron, and Monsanto vinyl butryol) are very tough. Ordinary household chemicals will not harm them and they resist damage from acids, alcohol, food, ink, and dirt; but be careful not to spatter them with moth preparations. Too much heat softens most plastics so be careful in placing electric heaters.

PAINTED WOODWORK AND PAINTED FURNITURE can be cleaned by the methods described for walls, or you can use a cleaning wax. If you wax them when they are clean and dry, they will resist stains and dust.

COMMERCIAL PAINT CLEANERS are often excellent for surfaces finished with flat paint. These may be powders, liquids, or pastes. The liquid cleaners are soap solutions, some with softeners added, or non-soap solutions containing washing soda, sodium silicate, or trisodium phosphate-the painter's TSP. The pastes are similar to the liquid cleaners but contain more soap. Other cleaners are wax emulsions, plus soap and an abrasive. Powders for paint cleaning consist of the dry ingredients used in the pastes and liquids. Use prepared paint cleaners exactly as directed on the container. If too much is used, some of these cleaners will remove the paint along with the grime. Trisodium phosphate, which you should be able to find in a paint or hardware store, is tops for cleaning flat paints. Use a teaspoon (or more) to a gallon of water. Trademarked cleaners such as Wyandotte Cleaner, Soilax, and Oakite are more or less in this same category. Do not use scouring powders on a fine painted surface unless it is absolutely necessary (scuff marks, etc.), and then select the mildest you can find. Whiting is good or you can use a little silver polish.

CALCIMINED WALLS and walls finished with similar water paints cannot be washed. They must be refinished.