Washing your walls is a fantastic way to deep clean and refresh your home.
Cleaning walls for painting.
In order to choose the best method you will need to know what type of finish you re working with.
So start with the washing step then fix the nicks and dings.
Cleaning a wall before painting it can be either a quick job or a major effort depending on the condition of the wall itself.
Cleaning the wall before applying a new coat of paint always means more than just a simple washing down with warm water if you really want to make sure the job is done right.
Texture painted walls such as those with a troweled finish can be dust catchers and might require deeper cleaning.
Wash the walls first.
Cleaning walls before painting as seen in our how to prep walls for painting video clean walls are key in preparing a room for painting.
When cleaning walls in large rooms or ones with particularly high walls consider using a sponge mop with a long handle.
While there is no best way to clean walls before painting most walls can be washed using a sponge and warm water.
With a small brush apply the paint around trim and in the corners of walls where your larger brush can t reach.
Start in the corners of the wall and up near the ceiling cutting in the paint with an angle brush.
Semi gloss or enamel paint will stand up to washing.
When considering the potential success of your painting project grimy substances can affect adhesion of wall repair materials as well as paint.
A great tip is to do a w pattern to paint walls.
Wring the sponge or cloth until only slightly damp.
Vinegar is a great all purpose cleaner and can also be used to effectively clean walls.
Avoid colored soaps or dyed sponges which can cause stains.
Also be sure to use a white sponge and cloth to avoid the sponge color bleeding onto the wall.
Before you clean determine what kind of paint is on the wall.
Plan to wash your walls before any other prep work.
Although it can be a bit time consuming cleaning painted walls is a relatively easy and straightforward task.
Here s how to clean painted walls without damaging them.
Wash walls painted with oil based paint in the same manner substituting a detergent solution see recipe below for the cleaner or white vinegar mixture.
Even though it s a natural solution be sure to perform a spot test before proceeding.
Before painting protect wall sconces and wall trim with painters tape.
Most walls can be washed using a sponge and warm water for surfaces that have exposure to oil or grime like kitchen walls wash with a solution of water.
Cleaning them regularly is key to keeping your house looking sparkling.
Consider washing walls on a warm dry day so you can open the windows afterwards which will help the excess water to dry faster.
Walls get dirty especially at kid and dog level.