Do You Remember Wallpaper Cleaner?

[JustDave]

It was a clay like product that you would roll into a snake and drag down the wall from the ceiling to the floor. We heated with a coal furnace in the basement, and I don't know how the soot made it up into the house. I didn't even notice it was happening. But every spring we would clean the wall paper, and each swipe from ceiling to floor would reveal a bright almost new wall paper underneath. It was a fun job, at least for a while as a little kid.

When wall paper and heating with coal was no longer fashionable, the cleaner was re-marketed as Play-Doh, and when I was older and playing with clay was no longer so important, I saw some little kids playing with this new clay like product, and thought that looks just like wallpaper cleaner. That's exactly what it was too.

 

[That Lady in PA]

wallpaper was only for the rich when I was a kid.

 

[IrishEyes]

I do remember the bucket, soapy water , a brush and a step ladder - twice a year cleaning whether walls needed it or not.
Come to think of it, it was always on weekends it rained all weekend - sneaky sneaky of you Mom.

 

[JustDave]

I do remember the bucket, soapy water , a brush and a step ladder - twice a year cleaning whether walls needed it or not.
Come to think of it, it was always on weekends it rained all weekend - sneaky sneaky of you Mom.

Soap and water? Was that on wallpaper or paint? We had painted walls in our kitchen, but I don't remember cleaning them. But I was not big on house work during those years. Cleaning the wallpaper was fun, at lest for ten minutes.

 

[That Lady in PA]

Painted walls were washed every year in the spring… once the coal was no longer in use.

 

[JustDave]

wallpaper was only for the rich when I was a kid.

We didn't have a lot of money. My father had a steady job, but most of my friends came from families that had more, and all of our families friends had more too. One day we were driving someplace in the car, and my little sister, 5 years younger, was just old enough to start coming into awareness about life and her place in the scheme of things. All of a sudden and out of the blue, she sincerely asked, "Mommy, are we poor?" Everyone laughed it off, and reassured her that we were not poor, but I thought to myself, "Well, we are kind of poor." Thinking about it now, it never occurred to my little sister to ask if we were rich. Why might that be??

 

[IrishEyes]

Soap and water? Was that on wallpaper or paint? We had painted walls in our kitchen, but I don't remember cleaning them. But I was not big on house work during those years. Cleaning the wallpaper was fun, at lest for ten minutes.

Painted yes, no wallpaper as most all our homes back then were rented.

 

[hearlady]

It was a clay like product that you would roll into a snake and drag down the wall from the ceiling to the floor. We heated with a coal furnace in the basement, and I don't know how the soot made it up into the house. I didn't even notice it was happening. But every spring we would clean the wall paper, and each swipe from ceiling to floor would reveal a bright almost new wall paper underneath. It was a fun job, at least for a while as a little kid.

When wall paper and heating with coal was no longer fashionable, the cleaner was re-marketed as Play-Doh, and when I was older and playing with clay was no longer so important, I saw some little kids playing with this new clay like product, and thought that looks just like wallpaper cleaner. That's exactly what it was too.

I need some of that.

 

[JustDave]

I need some of that.

For cleaning or playing?

 

[Paco Dennis]

cleaner was re-marketed as Play-Doh,

Is that the art doh we would eat in kindergarten during nap time?..

 

[MACKTEXAS]

No house we lived in when I was young had wallpaper. Some houses had paneling, but it was dark and didn't appear to need cleaning. I remember repainting, but never washing walls.

 

[Jeni]

Amazon has a large selection of wallpaper cleaner and listed a putty like one the OP mentioned.

 

[JustDave]

Amazon has a large selection of wallpaper cleaner and listed a putty like one the OP mentioned.

I wondered if it was still on the market. People do still use wallpaper, but coal heating is less popular.

 

[hearlady]

For cleaning or playing?

Cleaning

 

[Aunt Bea]

I remember getting plenty of lectures about touching the walls, leaning against them, etc…

I have a foggy memory or some sort of home concoction to clean wallpaper, a paste of cornstarch or something similar brushed on, allowed to dry and brushed off.

I remember the ritual of washing walls, nicotine buildup was a problem along with traces of soot from an inefficient oil burning furnace.

Washing the windows inside and out every spring and fall when we swapped the screens and storm windows.

I also remember taking my grandmother’s Persian carpets outside and spreading them on the snow to clean them with a broom on a nice sunny subzero day.

Home maintenance has definitely evolved, I can’t think of too many people that bother to even wash windows anymore.

 

[Nathan]

Wallpaper, what a blast from the past, I wonder if they still make wallpaper. Last time I dealt with wallpaper was in the early 80s, was remodeling a bathroom and hung a vinyl coated wallpaper.

 

[JustDave]

Wallpaper, what a blast from the past, I wonder if they still make wallpaper. Last time I dealt with wallpaper was in the early 80s, was remodeling a bathroom and hung a vinyl coated wallpaper.

I think I've seen it on the internet. I wasn't looking for it. It was just one of those popup ads that come out of nowhere.

 

[dobielvr]

We had wallpaper in our bathroom (and shag carpeting!)... in the 1970s. I painted over it when I remodeled this home after my parents passed. And, removed the carpet.

 

[Murrmurr]

Is that the art doh we would eat in kindergarten during nap time?..

No. School clay was mostly made of wheat paste and baking soda, and was totally edible. Had a slightly salty taste, but I liked it.

 

[Murrmurr]

Wallpaper, what a blast from the past, I wonder if they still make wallpaper. Last time I dealt with wallpaper was in the early 80s, was remodeling a bathroom and hung a vinyl coated wallpaper.

They do. Most of it is peel and stick, but professional wallpaper hangers use the paste.

 

[Murrmurr]

Papered walls don't get as dirty as they did back when heat was coal-burning.

I've never heard of that clay cleaner, though. That's pretty clever. Way less messy than soapy water, and it wouldn't leave any soap residue.

 

[JustDave]

Papered walls don't get as dirty as they did back when heat was coal-burning.

I've never heard of that clay cleaner, though. That's pretty clever. Way less messy than soapy water, and it wouldn't leave any soap residue.

It WAS clever, and to my very young eye, it cleaned the wall like new. Maybe it only seemed that way, because after seeing one clean streak, you realized how filthy the wall really was, which made the clean part look even cleaner. I'd never heard of cleaning anything that way, so it seemed almost magical.

After a few swipes the soot would build up on the clay, so you would squeeze, mush, and fold the clay in on itself, and you were good to go again. And that was the magical part because it still cleaned after it was dirty. It seemed to attract soot, but would not release it. I suppose that after a while, your glob would become dirty enough to throw away, and you would have to grab a new handful.

 

[Murrmurr]

It WAS clever, and to my very young eye, it cleaned the wall like new. Maybe it only seemed that way, because after seeing one clean streak, you realized how filthy the wall really was. I'd never heard of cleaning anything that way, so it seemed almost magical. After a few swipes the soot would build up on the clay, so you would squeeze, mush, and fold the clay in on itself, and you were good to go again. And that was the magical part because it still cleaned after it was dirty. It seemed to attract soot, but would not release it. I suppose that after a while, your glob would become dirty enough to throw away, and you would have to grab a new handful.

Yeah, I totally agree with all that.

 

[hearlady]

Is this it?

 

[Aunt Bea]

It WAS clever, and to my very young eye, it cleaned the wall like new. Maybe it only seemed that way, because after seeing one clean streak, you realized how filthy the wall really was, which made the clean part look even cleaner. I'd never heard of cleaning anything that way, so it seemed almost magical.

After a few swipes the soot would build up on the clay, so you would squeeze, mush, and fold the clay in on itself, and you were good to go again. And that was the magical part because it still cleaned after it was dirty. It seemed to attract soot, but would not release it. I suppose that after a while, your glob would become dirty enough to throw away, and you would have to grab a new handful.

It reminds me of Silly Putty.