Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1880-06-25
Poisonous WALLPAPER in Bedrooms.
Scientific MONTH

Scientac Monthly
lmperceptihly but surely room the
walls of which are covered from year
III year with the same paper is y room
the air of which is dirty, so that the
very temptations TO delay renewal, and
the very arguments of economy, be.
come the strongest Of elections to pa
pcrs altogether When the air of the
room Is damp, the paper gets damp.
In the damp state il ahsorhs readily the
dust that Is IN the air, When the
weather gets dry and warm, or when
the room is warmed by a fire, the dust
becomes dry ON the papcr, and is then
easily waited and distributed through
the air OF the room, while il tho paper
he ut all rough or raised the small ir.
regular spaces are at all times recepta.
clcs for dust This is strong objection
to the paper covering for the wall.
Another objection to the paper cover.
my is the mode in which il il put ON
the walls AS n common practice. law
or Is laid on layer until six or seven or
more layers are sometimes nut one
over the other And | have recently
seen u room stripped of no fewer than
ten layers of paper before the wall was
reached, by this plan tho room be.
comes lined with coating after coating
of paste which in course of time is do,
composed, is turned into fine organic
dust, and is itself whenever the paper
Is torn away 80 rs TO allow of an escape
of dust, II decided source of danpcrto
health. Let sickness take place in a
ROOM the walls of which are treated in
the manner now dcscribcd-let the
particles ot the poison ofa CONTAGIOUS
disease disseminate in such n room,
and almost OF il certainty some mimte
portion of the particular poison will be
easod up behind the new paper that
is laid ON, to remain source Of dan.
ger to ancr-occupants of the room for
years and years to come.
For these reasons | think thcy
are sound and good think tho com.
mon system Of paper for tho walls of
the bedroom is not the best. IL a papcr
could bo invented which, once laid on,
would present permanent surface, and
n surface that would admit Of system.
attic cleansing by means nf SOAP and
water, or by dry scruhhiny, then
should not have II word to say against il,
and such an invention will, | should
hope, one day he brought into common
use,
| The nearest approach | hayo ever
sccn To perfect success in the direction
named was in the house of of n friend
Of mine, who had his room very care.
fully papercd with good fine paper of
oak pattern. This paper coated with
coach-makcr's yarnish until the entire
surface was in truth M hard as the
panel of carriage itself, This wall
could he washed with the greatest ease,
and was rs perfect ~ need he. Some.
times III the halls and on the stnireases
of houses we see oak and marble papers
which are vanished, and which benr to
be washed very we'll; but have never
seen those walls so perfect Ms tho walls
of the room specially name, and cor.
lanly ! have seen no approach to any
thing ofthe kind within u room,
frosuming that paper is used for The
walls of u bedroom, there are certain
rules which ought to he followed in re-
lspect to the process. The first Of those
Is TINT the paper selected should
not ho n flock paper; next,
il ought not "a have 4 raised
or rough surface; thirdly the pattern
should he of the plainost possible kind,
and, il ] may 50 express il, pnttornless
the color should be gray or scn.greon
and hstly, the paper should ho frequent
~ renewed, lit should be changed every
three years ut least. Moreover in chang
ing tho paper there should be no slipshod
M cthod ofputting on n new paper be-
fore the removal Of tho old. The old
paper should be entirely stripped or M
the wall should be well cloansod of dry
paste, and the now paper should bo put
on with paste that is quite fresh and
pure The introduction ofn little alum
into tho paste is always good practice.
! In eases whore y person has suffered
from any one Of the contagious diseases
and has occupied n room tho walls
which nre covered with paper, there
should be no hesitation, when the room
IL relieved Of its occupant, in cleaning
every particle Of paper from tho walls
nj once, also making the clearance M
complete as possible. usually direct
III such cascs, that the paper while IL *
yet on the wall should be saturated with
water that u Mt boiling heat the water be-
ing applied with small ilannclor wool.
en'mop. IN this manner two purposes are
served: The heat disinfects, and tho
paper Is made to peel Of with great
readiness and completeness, When the
paper is thus removed down To the solid
walls, the wall may be fumigatcd with
sulphurous acid vapor and aflorward
washed down spongcd, and allowed to
dry. After such cleansing the new
paper may be laid on, the ceiling
having been previously clcansed and
colorcd.
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