Whitewash

In Britain and Ireland, whitewash was used historically in interiors and exteriors of workers' cottages and still retains something of this association with rural poverty.

"[1] The historic California Missions were commonly whitewashed, giving them their distinctive bright white appearance.

When whitewash or limewash is initially applied, it has very low opacity, which can lead novices to overthicken the paint.

[2] Additives traditionally used include water glass, glue, egg white, Portland cement, salt, soap, milk, flour, molasses, alum, and soil.

The blue laundry dye (such as Reckitt's "Dolly Blue" in the UK, Ireland and Australia, Loulaki in Greece, or Mrs. Stewart's Bluing in North America), formerly widely used to give a bright tinge to boiled white textiles, was a common 19th century addition.

If animal blood is applied excessively, its iron oxide can compromise the lime binder's strength.

A traditional animal barn contains a variety of extremely rough surfaces that are difficult to wash and keep clean, such as stone and brick masonry, and also rough-cut lumber for the ceiling.

Successive applications of whitewash build up layers of scale that flake off and, in the process, remove surface debris.

[5] It was also used during the Second World War by the German armed forces as an easy-to-apply winter camouflage for soft- and hard-skinned vehicles, aircraft and helmets.

Metaphorically, whitewashing refers to suppression or "glossing over" (possibly a close parallel construction) of potentially damaging or unwelcome information.

In many Commonwealth areas, a whitewash refers to a game in which one side fails to score at all; the usage is especially found in cricket.