How To Clean Painted Walls

Remember how clean your house looked right after the walls were freshly painted* ? Living in your home day in and day out (especially with kids!) can take a toll. Cleaning walls is a big job, but it’s much cheaper than repainting! Follow these steps for how to clean walls and you’ll get that new home feeling back in no time!

Step 1: Move furniture to the center of the room.

Step 2: Gather your tools:

• White cleaning cloths
• Natural sponge (colored sponges can leave dyes on light colored walls)
• Old sheets
• Two buckets
• Rubber gloves to protect your hands.

Step 3: Lay down old sheets to catch messes. Avoid plastic tarps – they turn slippery when wet!

Step 4: Remove artwork/pictures from walls and cover nails with a piece of the sponge. This will remind you where pictures were hanging and protect your hands when washing the walls.

Step 5: Mix your cleaning solution in one of the buckets.

For normal soil levels, try a mild detergent solution that consists of:

• 1 gallon warm water
• a good squeeze of liquid dishwashing detergent

For more heavily soiled walls, you’ll need a stronger solution. Be sure to spot test the cleaning mixture first to ensure it won’t remove or lighten paint. Add all of the following to your bucket and give it a good mix before you begin:

• 1 gallon warm water
• 1 cup clear non-sudsing ammonia
• 1 cup white vinegar
• 1 cup washing soda (borax)

Step 6: Fill a second bucket with clean water for rinsing. Be sure to change the water frequently!

Now you’re ready to begin cleaning your walls. Always wash the entire wall, from bottom to top and side to side. If you need to take a break, be sure to do so at the end of a wall, as stopping in the middle can cause “wash marks” (known as the wave effect).

*this method works just as effectively on wallpapered walls!

Just as you vacuum after you dust, if you haven’t had your carpets professionally cleaned in more than six months, you should consider having this done after you finish cleaning your walls. Spectrum Cleaning & Restoration offers state-of-the-art equipment, reasonable rates and our professional guarantee. Learn more at http://spectrumclean.com

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