Discover How to Clean Your Walls Without Removing the Paint

Maintaining your walls' color and sheen after a professional paint job comes down to routine cleaning and spot removal. Lighter-colored walls can appear dirty and dingy if they need a good cleaning. For that reason, we recommend cleaning painted walls at least once a year. Here are our tips on cleaning the walls without stripping the paint.

Not all paints are equal

Before starting the cleaning process, determine what paint types are on the wall. Semi-gloss or glossy enamel paints withstand regular cleaning and can survive harsher methods. Satin, flat, and eggshell paints don't fare well and can fade or wash away. Therefore, it's advisable to clean them only when necessary to remove prominent spots or dirt.

Prepare adequately

Remove all the accumulated dust and debris from the walls. Use a microfiber cloth and a duster to keep smaller particles at bay. Once the wall is wet, debris will stick to it and bind with the paint, and that may be challenging to remove.

If you're using any commercial products or a significant amount of water to clean large wall portions, lay down towels or rags to catch drips and other debris.

Test out any cleaning solutions on innocuous wall parts where you won't mind accidentally removing a paint layer.

Cleaning with soap and water

For walls that aren't particularly dirty, remove minor stains with regular dish soap or detergent and warm water. Use a non-abrasive sponge or a cloth, dip it into the soapy water, and start cleaning from the top, working down the wall in sections. Alternatively, use a sponge mop to reach higher spots.

Don't oversoak the wall in water and only dab it lightly when needed. If more pressure doesn't remove a stain, don't force it, or you risk removing the paint with it. Once the wall is clean, use a clean rag or paper towels to pat it dry.

Clean spots as they appear

We recommend cleaning up spills immediately after they happen to ensure stain removal for the best results. Baby wipes, makeup removers, or regular dish soap can work wonders when applied in time.

For more difficult spots

In case the soap doesn't work, step up a notch by using a mixture of 1 cup ammonia, ¼ cup baking soda, and ½ a cup of vinegar per gallon of warm water. Use a spray bottle to spritz the solution onto the wall, leave for a few minutes to work, lightly scrub with a sponge or a rag, then pat to dry.

Alternatively, look for commercial cleaning products like solvent-free degreasers or erasers. Test these products out on small sections of the wall away from view before using them on prominent spots to ensure they don't strip the paint.

Do you need professional guidance?

If your walls are thoroughly dirty, the only solution might be to repaint them completely. Contact a local professional painting service to get the best quotes and advice on paint types and colors that can resist spills and don't require too much maintenance.

Mark’s Painting offers residential and commercial painting for Tampa, Hillsborough, and Pinellas County. Exterior painting, including priming, sealing, plaster & drywall service, pressure washing. We paint interiors, including ceilings, walls, trim, baseboard, fireplaces, mantels, paneling, wainscoting, doors, and windows. We offer wallpaper removal, caulking, staining and varnishing, refinishing, texturing, specialty finishes, and more. We are licensed and insured. Call us at 813-295-7926