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Whitewash cures through a reaction with carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to form calcite.

It is usually used externally, for example, to whitewash a fence, as Tom Sawyer was made to do. Occasionally, it is colored and used on interiors, such as in the hallways of apartment buildings. Whitewash is especially effective on adobe like materials because it is absorbed easily and the resulting chemical reaction hardens the substrate.

Lime wash is pure slaked lime in water. It produces a unique surface glow due the to refraction of calcite crystals.

The word "whitewash" is sometimes used (particularly in politics) to describe a cover-up or a deliberate downplaying of a problem.