How to Make Your Own Sprays for Paper

The food color can also stain the plastic in the bottle.

Make homemade colored spray to decorate paper from water and food coloring. Use distilled water, which has less lime, calcium and other minerals in it. The minerals can stick to the paper, making the surface bumpy or discolored. Liquid food coloring transforms the water from clear to virtually any color you want. When sprayed, the water dries on the paper and leaves the dye behind. You can also use the spray for cardboard and thicker papers.

Things You'll Need

• Spray bottles
• Distilled water
• Food coloring
• Paper towel

Instructions

1. Fill the spray bottles with distilled water.

2. Squeeze five to six drops of food coloring into the plastic spray bottles. Screw on the lids tightly and shake for 20 seconds. If the color in the water looks too light, add more food coloring, two drops at a time, and mix until you reach the desired shade.

3. Hold the spray bottle 6 inches away from the paper. Squeeze to spray the paper. Hang the paper up while it dries.

4. Wipe off the nozzle with a wet paper towel to remove any stuck-on dye.

References

• Iowa State University: Colored Water Chemistry