How to Clean Your Walls

After some time, your walls may accumulate dirt, dust, and stains. Once cleaned, you’ll be amazed at how fresh and bright your home and garden will look. If you're preparing to clean your walls, here are some helpful tips to get you started.

Always begin by dusting the walls. You can use a broom, dust brush, or vacuum cleaner for this task.

• If the broom or brush is too stiff, consider wrapping an old t-shirt or cloth around it to prevent scratching the walls.

Regularly dust the walls, even if you're not planning a deep clean. This is especially important in areas like the kitchen, sink, bathroom, and any space prone to steam, splashes, or drips. Additionally, it’s a good idea to frequently wipe away stains, especially around places like light switches where dirt tends to accumulate.

• Dry dust can be easily wiped away using a dry sponge.
• For cleaning stains on painted walls, try this method: Add a teaspoon of lavender essential oil to a spray bottle with 1 liter of water. Spray the solution on a nylon sock and wipe away the stains, particularly those sticky spots. The lingering fragrance will also leave you feeling refreshed.

Cover the carpet and furniture in the cleaning area. Anything that could be damaged by water or cleaning solution splashes should be covered. Old bed sheets work well for this. If you don’t have any, consider checking out thrift stores for inexpensive options. Other materials that work include old newspapers, towels, and painter’s drop cloths.

Start cleaning from the base of the wall. Gradually work your way up, drying as you go. This method prevents water streaks from forming.

• To dry the walls, you can use a soft, clean towel.

Wear a wristband to prevent sweat when washing the walls. This way, water won’t drip down your arms while you’re cleaning higher areas.

Use two buckets for washing walls. One bucket holds the cleaning solution, while the other is filled with clean water for rinsing after using the cleaning solution. Replace the rinse water when it gets dirty. (Of course, this doesn’t apply to walls that can't be washed with water—see below).

Dust the walls. Use a soft brush, broom, or vacuum with a brush attachment to remove dust before washing. This step helps eliminate anything that could cause more stains during cleaning.

First, tackle any stains or marks. Identify the stains and treat them properly. Here's a tip: before cleaning the entire wall, always test on an inconspicuous area to ensure the product you’re using won’t peel the paint.

• A simple and effective cleaner is a paste made from baking soda and water. This mixture can remove stains like crayon marks, pencil, highlighter, scuff marks from objects rubbing against the wall, ink, and similar stains. Use a cloth to dab the paste onto the stain and scrub until it's gone.
• Crayon marks can be removed with a cloth dipped in turpentine or a bit of toothpaste (leave it for a few minutes, then wipe clean).
• Toothpaste can also clean black streaks left by objects rubbing against the wall. Simply apply toothpaste to the stain, let it sit for a few minutes, then wipe it off with a soft, damp cloth.

Wash the walls. Most painted walls only need a warm soapy water solution. For a stronger solution, add one cup of white vinegar to a bucket of warm water. Vinegar leaves no residue, so there's no need to rinse it off.

• Avoid products that contain alcohol for washing the walls. These products can cause paint surfaces to crack and leave light streaks on the cracks.

Prepare a stronger wall cleaning solution if necessary. If warm soapy water doesn’t do the trick, you may need a more powerful solution. You can easily make it at home as follows:

• Dissolve 100g of washing soda powder in 4 liters of water.
• Clean the wall with this mixture, rinse it with water, dry it, and check if it meets your expectations.

Rinse the cleaning solution off. Use a cloth dampened with warm water and gently wipe away the cleaning solution. Use a soft towel to dry the surface.

• No need to rinse if you're using a vinegar solution.

Wallpaper comes in various materials, some of which are washable and some are not. It’s helpful to know what kind of wallpaper you have. If you're unsure, test on a hidden spot first.

Dust the walls. Use an old t-shirt wrapped around a broom, a soft brush, or a vacuum cleaner with a brush attachment to dust the surface.

Remove stains from waterproof wallpaper. Stains should be addressed after dusting and before cleaning the wall. Common stains include:

• Ink, crayon, and highlighter marks: Use solvents such as WD-40 or a dry cleaning solution to clean them.
• Grease stains: Use warm soapy water.
• Other stains: Follow the manufacturer's instructions, if available.

Wash waterproof wallpapered walls. Generally, after dusting, you can wash the walls with warm soapy water or warm water mixed with a little ammonia.

• Vinyl-coated wallpaper can also be cleaned with a cloth dampened with white vinegar (do not apply vinegar directly to the wall).
• Follow the manufacturer’s instructions if available.

Rinse thoroughly. Use a cloth dampened with warm water to gently wipe away any cleaning solution. Dry the surface with a soft towel.

Cleaning non-waterproof wallpaper. Cleaning non-waterproof wallpaper can be more difficult because using any liquid could damage the paper or adhesive.

• Start by dusting off the surface as thoroughly as possible. Use a small, soft brush or a soft broom, such as one from a dustpan set. If possible, use a vacuum to suck up the dust on the wallpaper. This will remove cobwebs, dirt, food crumbs, and similar debris.

If there are stains, you need to treat them first.

• Grease stains can be cleaned with heat. Place a paper towel over the stain, then quickly iron over it. The grease will transfer to the towel.
• You can also remove grease stains by using baby powder, cornstarch, or borax. Mix the powder with a bit of water to form a paste. Apply the paste to the stain and allow it to dry. Wipe it off with a soft cloth, and the grease should be gone.
• Use an eraser or soft cleaning pad to remove stains like those from furniture marks, ink, or pencil marks.
• For crayon marks, you may want to gently scrape first to see how much can be cleaned. Then, use a pencil eraser to rub the area, and if that doesn't work, try a suitable cleaning material (refer to the 'bread' method described below).

Consider using bread to remove grease stains from wallpaper. Bread can be an excellent absorbent for cleaning grease stains on both waterproof and non-waterproof wallpaper. You should use bread that matches the color of the wallpaper – light-colored bread for light wallpaper, darker bread for darker wallpaper.

• Remove dust using a soft broom or vacuum cleaner.
• Take a clean piece of bread (or roll it into a ball if easier) and rub it back and forth over the stain until it lifts.
• Brush off any leftover bread crumbs.

Dust first.

Wipe with hot water. Do not add any cleaning agents. Allow it to dry naturally.

Removing stubborn stains as follows:

• Prepare a mixture with one part methanol and ten parts water.
• Dip a cloth into the mixture and wring out excess liquid.
• Wipe the stained areas until clean.
• Wipe with a damp cloth to finish.

Dust the walls. You can use a broom, a broom from a dustpan set, or a vacuum cleaner with a brush attachment.

Wash the walls with soapy water. Use a mild soap solution. Instead of washing the entire wall, focus on the dirty spots.

Cleaning exterior wooden walls.

• Exterior wooden walls should be washed on dry days to prevent wood rot. If possible, avoid spraying water on the wooden panels' edges as water can run down underneath and promote mold growth.
• You can use a hose to wash stubborn stains on the exterior, but concentrate on the dirty areas. The other sections only need a light wipe down.
• Stains from lichens, moss, and similar marks can typically be wiped off with a cloth soaked in white vinegar. Wear gloves to protect your hands if you have any cuts or scrapes.

Use vinegar. If the walls are washable with water, you can use a mild cleaning solution made of vinegar and water to clean the stains around the light switch.

Use vinegar and water to scrub mold off the walls. If the walls are heavily stained with mold, it's best to use a specialized product to wash the walls – follow the manufacturer's instructions.

• Be cautious when spraying mold remover on the walls. Water droplets can permanently stain the wall surface. Spray slowly and carefully, wiping off any drips immediately before they can damage your walls.

Dry the walls after showering or cooking. Use a rubber broom or tie a cloth to the mop handle to wipe down the wet walls.

Find a long-term solution.

• Check the wall surfaces. Mold thrives in damp areas, so it often becomes a significant issue in bathrooms, kitchens, and closets against exterior walls. If these surfaces are not painted, they should be replaced as soon as possible, because the easiest way to handle mold is by using washable gloss or semi-gloss paint that can be regularly cleaned.
• Install a dehumidifier. Mold will continue to grow unless you remove the moisture source.

• Cleaning the walls is a task that is best done with help. It's recommended to have at least one person assist you to speed up the process and share tasks such as stain removal, dusting, and washing the walls.
• If the walls are covered with fabric materials, make sure to regularly brush off the dust. Stains should be treated immediately to prevent them from setting. These are probably some of the hardest walls to clean, which is why fabric is often not directly attached to walls.

• If you're unsure whether a solution (even just water) is suitable for cleaning the wall, test a small amount in a hidden spot first. If there are no issues, you can proceed to clean the entire wall with it.