How To Clean Walls With Paint Or Wallpaper In 5 Easy Steps

A uncomplicated guide to one of the most oftentimes neglected chores in the home.

Here's a question for you: when was the last time you cleaned your walls? You heard that right: cleaned your walls. If you're like most folks, information technology'south probably been a infinitesimal. Or perhaps this is the starting time time you lot've always even considered that you could–allow alone should–clean your walls.

We get it. It's not that yous cull not to, it's just that, well, it doesn't actually cross your listen. Which, when you finish to consider it, is . . . kind of strange, no? Walls account for a huge corporeality of surface area in our homes–that'due south a lot of space for dust and germs to assemble and hang out on. Recollect nearly how often your easily accidentally graze your walls. Or well-nigh all the dust and pollen that probably reaches them when you keep your windows open up on a dainty spring day. (Are you reaching for your sponge and spray canteen nevertheless?) Aye. Cleaning your walls periodically is pretty darn of import.

The practiced news is that cleaning your walls–every bit new equally it might be to you–is really straightforward. Regardless of whether y'all have painted walls or wallpaper, we have an easy-step-by-stride guide to assist get your walls back in fighting form in no time.

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How oft should y'all clean your walls?

While cleaning your walls should definitely be on your spring cleaning checklist, it'due south probably non plenty to stop there: it should as well be incorporated into your more than regular cleaning schedule. That doesn't hateful it has to exist a weekly thing, merely giving your walls a good once over at least several times each year is a really skilful thought. (The change of seasons is a useful cue to remind you to get scrubbing.) And if you're sensitive to environmental allergens or tend to keep your windows and doors open (which, no statement here, fresh air is absolutely lovely), you might want to wash your walls a flake more ofttimes.

All-time products for cleaning your walls

Before you get started, you're going to want to gather the all-time tools for the job! Lucky for you, you probably already have all of these lying around the house. Here'south what yous'll demand:

  1. Acetone (or rubbing booze or nail polish remover)
  2. Cotton fiber swabs or cotton assurance
  3. A vacuum with a soft bristle attachment, microfiber cloth, and/or Swiffer Dusters Heavy Duty Super Extender
  4. A soft sponge or textile
  5. Warm water
  6. Depending on what kind of walls you have, one (or more) of the post-obit cleaning agents: a. A non-annoying all-purpose cleaner b. A mild dish soap like Dawn c. A vinegar solution (½ loving cup vinegar, ¼ cup baking soda, and i gallon of warm h2o)
  7. A Mr. Clean Magic Eraser for particularly tough stains

How to clean painted walls

Okay, you have painted walls. Let's get cracking!

Whoa Nelly, non and then fast. Before cleaning your painted walls, it'southward necessary to first determine what kind of pigment your walls have on them: latex pigment or oil-based paint. Latex and oil-based paint require slightly different cleaning products. And if y'all utilize the wrong i, you run the hazard of seriously damaging your pigment.

And so how do you lot tell the difference betwixt latex and oil-based paint? Yous can always check the paint can if you still accept it. Otherwise, here's a quick test to figure it out:

  1. Get a cotton fiber ball or cotton wool swab wet with an acetone-based solvent. If you don't take plain ol' acetone, try rubbing alcohol or nail shine remover.
  2. Choose an area of your wall (preferably one that's a scrap out of the mode and less noticeable–y'all'll meet why soon) and rub the cotton against the surface. Don't be afraid to put a little elbow grease into it.
  3. Take a look at the cotton. Does it accept any color from the wall paint on it? If so, y'all've got latex pigment. If at that place'south no sign of paint on the cotton fiber, you have oil-based paint covering your walls.

You should likewise take stock of what kind of cease your paint has. The glossier the paint finish, the more than scrubbing the walls can handle without the pigment rubbing off. If your pigment is matte, y'all should stick to a mild cleaning solution (or even just water) and be actress conscientious not to scrub too hard or you'll take the pigment right off the walls.

How to clean walls with latex paint

You've determined you have latex paint! Now, you're really ready to clean!

  1. Offset, grit your walls. Dusting is a necessary first step regardless of whether you lot have latex pigment, oil-based pigment, or wallpaper roofing your walls. You lot tin utilise a vacuum with a soft bristle attachment, a microfiber material, or Swiffer Dusters Heavy Duty Super Extender, which will assistance you trap whatsoever rogue dust or spiderwebs in those difficult-to-attain corners where your walls meet your ceiling.
  1. Next, mix upwards some warm soapy h2o using a small amount of non-abrasive, all-purpose cleaner or balmy dish lather. If your paint has a more matte finish, consider starting with just warm water, and incorporating (an fifty-fifty smaller corporeality of) lather if–and just if–water solitary doesn't do the trick.
  2. Do a spot check on a modest, out-of-the-way area of your wall to make sure the cleaner you've just mixed up isn't going to do any harm.
  3. If your spot bank check worked out well, go alee and wash away all that dirt and grime using your soapy h2o (or simply h2o) and a soft sponge. If yous don't take an actress sponge handy, a soft cloth or rag will do, equally well. No need to become your sponge soaking moisture. In fact, doing and then risks dissentious your paint. Instead, wet your sponge simply until it's damp and gently work your style from top to bottom (moving from top to bottom helps ensure you don't drip dirty water onto your freshly cleaned wall). Think, irksome and steady wins the race hither.
  4. Got tough stains? Tackle them with your Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. Just become the eraser wet and give information technology a squeeze to go rid of the excess h2o. Glide it firmly along the mark. After a few house swipes, the mark should disappear and leave your wall looking refreshed and revived. Go along in mind that stains are definitely easier to get rid of when they're addressed right away, so keep that eraser handy!

That's information technology! Take a pace back and admire your handiwork. Those are some groovy looking walls, if nosotros do say so ourselves.)

How to clean walls with oil-based paint

If you lot accept oil-based pigment, the process is pretty much the same as information technology is with latex paint. The main difference: with oil-based paint, you tin can use a stronger cleaning solution on your walls if needed without worrying too much near stripping the paint.

  1. Kickoff by dusting your walls. Again, a vacuum with a soft bristle attachment, microfiber cloth, or that handy Swiffer Duster is the way to become.
  2. Mix a cleaning solution. Bold your paint has a glossy stop, this can be the same soapy water we recommend for walls covered in latex paint, or you lot tin use something stronger similar a vinegar solution (see recipe). Recollect, though: if your paint has a matte finish–fifty-fifty if it's oil based–you're going to desire to stick to something a fleck gentler similar manifestly water or perhaps heavily diluted soapy water if plain water doesn't quite get you there.
  3. Spot cheque! Brand certain your cleaning solution isn't going to wreak havoc on your walls past testing information technology on a small, discrete spot showtime. Trust usa, if anything goes wrong, you'll exist glad y'all didn't only dive right in and go to town on the giant wall center phase in your living room.
  4. Make clean equally you would above! Remember, top to bottom and avoid getting your sponge too wet–a little bit of h2o goes a long way.
  5. Equally with latex pigment, use your Mr. Clean Maric Eraser on tough stains.

Dang, yous're getting good at this!

How to make clean walls with wallpaper

Wallpaper is definitely a different animal than paint–and if you have wallpaper, you're going to want to approach the chore of cleaning your walls with a decidedly lighter affect than you would with painted walls. Wallpaper is far easier to damage than paint, and scrubbing besides hard–or using too annoying a cleaning product–can impairment its color or texture. Moreover, short of putting up new paper (and no one wants to exercise that–non after all those hours you already spent putting it up the first time!), fixing damaged wallpaper is frequently side by side to impossible.

That being said, cleaning walls with wallpaper is entirely doable by following these easy steps (many of which you lot'll recognize if y'all've already done any painted walls in your home):

  1. Grit your walls as y'all would with painted walls, using a vacuum, microfiber cloth, or Swiffer Dusters Heavy Duty Super Extender.
  2. Check to see if your wallpaper'south manufacturer has any cleaning guidelines (often searchable online). If they're bachelor, follow them before doing annihilation more aggressive than dusting.
  3. If your wallpaper doesn't have readily accessible cleaning guidelines, consider whether yous have a washable wallpaper. (Yep, they exist.)
  4. Washable wallpaper tin–equally its proper name suggests–probably handle a light cleaning with soapy h2o. Exist extra conscientious not to become it also moisture, though–it is all the same paper after all!–and try to give information technology a helping hand by blotting whatsoever excess h2o away as you go. And remember: spot test first!
  5. If you have regular ol', not-particularly-durable wallpaper: go (really) like shooting fish in a barrel. Instead of getting your whole wall of manus-painted wallpaper wet–and risking an unfixable, rippled mess–focus on tackling the nigh egregious marks and scuffs with a gentle eraser or a dry out cleaning sponge.

Gorgeous. Only gorgeous.

How to forestall your walls from getting muddied

So at present yous have cute, freshly cleaned walls! Some basic preventative measures will help proceed them that way as long as possible!

  1. You should really be dusting your walls regularly. Fifty-fifty it'southward probably not necessary to give your walls a total scrub-down every couple of weeks, making dusting your walls a function of your regular cleaning schedule is a adept idea to help proceed some of that grit and grime at bay.
  2. Try to avoid touching your walls–and, if y'all tin, keep furniture a safe distance away. We all have that chair that's merely a few inches too shut to the wall–and the scuff mark to prove it.
  3. Keep that Magic Eraser nearby, specially if you have kids who see your walls as a big blank sail just waiting for their side by side masterpiece.