Many of today’s commercial wallpaper pastes contain fungicides and a
raft of other toxic ingredients—some of which can emit detrimental volatile organic compounds. Here’s a simple, cheap and more natural alternative
Image credit: Northumberland Govt UK
You can make your own basic paper glue by boiling up a smooth thin mixture of flour, water and salt. Great for use in the kid’s homemade papier-mâché projects!
Or, for an easy and great smelling wallpaper paste try the following recipe:
What you need
1 cup flour
3 teaspoons alum powder (or 3 tbsp basic table salt)
10 drops clove oil (or tea tree oil)
Approximately 3 cups of water
- You can use cornflour or rice flour for a finer paste—but basic wheat flour works well and is cheaper.
- Clove oil and tea tree oils are natural preservatives with antimicrobial and antifungal properties.
- Alum is a salt you can buy in powder form online or from a chemist. In the form of potassium aluminum sulphate it is commonly used in preserving and food processing and as sodium aluminum sulphate it is an ingredient in commercial baking powder. Alternatively you can use basic cooking salt.
What to do
- Mix the flour and alum in a large saucepan. Add water a little at a time stirring often to make a smooth runny mixture.
- Put on low heat, stirring constantly, until the flour is cooked and the mixture thickens. Add more water if necessary to maintain an even texture.
- Allow mixture to cool and stir in the oil.
- If the paste goes lumpy, put it in a kitchen blender and give it a wizz.
- Pour into a glass jar with a screw top.
- Makes 1 cup of glue that will keep for at least 2 weeks in the fridge.
- Apply with a wide glue brush.
