Volume 12 , Issue 38

Government Whitewash (1934)

Did you ever wonder how they keep the Whitehouse in DC looking so white back in the 1930's during the depression. Read below what they used to keep the United States Government lighthouses and other weather and wave beaten properties, including the White House, painted to stand the test of many years.

Home Comfort states, "This white-wash, used for many decades on United States Government lighthouses and other weather and wave beaten properties, has withstood the elements for many decades without the ordinary renewing necessary with other whitewashes and paints. The east end of the White House, itself, painted with it stood the test of many years. It will be found and an economical method of barn and fence painting, and without an equal.

"Take half a bushel of unslacked lime, slack it with boiling water, over during the process to keep in the steam; strain the liquid through a sieve or fine strainer, and add to it a peek of common slat previously dissolved in warm water; add three pounds of ground rice; boil to a thin paste and stir in while hot; add half pound of Spanish whiting and one pound of clean glue previously dissolved by soaking in cold water and then hanging over a slow fire in a small pot hung within a larger one filled with water; add five gallons of hot water to the mixture, stir well and let stand a few days, covered from dirt. It should be applied hot, for which purpose it can be kept in a kettle on a portable heater.   |  View or Add Comments (0 Comments)   |   Receive updates ( subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

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