Cleaning Painted Walls
Many times, it happens that you dab one little wet cloth on the wall and the whole thing starts getting little warts. And then you're going to have to repaint it again. Sometimes, if you use something that is a bit too abrasive or too acidic, the paint might come off. And stained walls don't go unnoticed. Usually, stains come right on the most visible parts of the walls. Remember, the older the stains, the more difficult they are to remove. So the best thing to do is try cleaning them up as soon as possible.
Best Ways to Clean Painted Walls
- Sometimes, all the wall needs is a bit of dusting. Most dust stains can be removed by lightly dusting the walls. Even for stronger stains than that, the first step is to dust the wall properly and get rid of any cobwebs on it.
- If the stain is unmoved even after the dusting, it is going to take some work to dislodge it. Get a bucket of water, an empty bucket and a sponge. Add some dish soap to the bucket of water. You may also use vinegar instead of the dish cleaner. Whatever you use, you have a to be a bit soft on the wall. A rough mixture might just rub out the paint from the walls
- These days, most paints have some tenacity to fight water. A little water hurts no one. But make sure you are using just a 'little' water. To ensure that you do not use more water than what is required, use a sponge. Using a sponge, you can make sure that just enough water as is required is used.
- Start scrubbing from the bottom upwards. You may be tempted to go from top down to avoid the problems of streaks occurring due to the cleaning, but the truth is that the streaks are really tough to clean once they get stuck. So start from the bottom and make sure that you stop the streaks before they come
- Once the cleaning sponge becomes dirty, the empty bucket is going to come handy. Use the empty bucket to drain the sponge. Wring out the sponge completely at regular intervals.
- Make sure that the mixture is effective for stain removal. If not, check if it is causing the wall any damage or dryness. If not, you can add a bit more vinegar or dish cleaning liquid to make the mix a bit stronger and effective
- Once the wall is cleaned, wipe it with a dry cloth. Although I said that paints these days are quite water resistant, it is not the best idea to leave the wall wet.
- Lastly if all of this doesn't work because the stains are too stubborn, use some touch up paint over the stains. Or better, rearrange the furniture in such a way that the stain is hidden till the next time you decide to paint the walls!
