How to Wash Your Walls Without Damaging the Paint

How to Wash Your Walls Without Damaging the Paint

It might be that your wall’s paint has begun to yellow and it’s time to treat and restore it before it gets worse. It might be that your walls have been stained and you need to clean them. It might be that your walls have begun to chip and you want to make sure that they are restored to their proper condition. There are any number of reasons why you might be looking to clean and restore painted walls, but whatever the reason, one hurdle looms large – the issue of accidentally removing paint while cleaning them.

Given the strength and chemical consistency of many cleaning agents, it should come as no surprise that this is one of the chief concerns among those looking to clean painted walls.

Nevertheless, these tips can allow you to clean your walls without sacrificing the integrity of your paint.

  1. Pick Out the Paint

First thing’s first – what kind of paint are you dealing with? For example, satin paints can be more delicate when washed than semi-gloss or enamel ones, so you’ll need to be gentler and apply less pressure when dealing with them. By contrast, oil- and latex-based paints are hardier and may require more force.

  1. Start Out Small

You may not want to try and clean the whole wall at once, especially if you don’t know the impact of the cleaning solution on the paint. That’s why it’s always smart to start out small. Try cleaning a tiny corner or dot with whatever cleaning solution you have chosen. 

If it causes problems, then at least you’ll only have a tiny area in need of touchup rather than an entire wall or room.

If it works, then you’re good to begin.

  1. A Quick Guide

To clean your walls quickly without removing paint, you’ll want to:

  1. Take a couple of drops of detergent (two to three drops should be sufficient) and pour it into a bucket before pouring in some warm water with it. Gently mix the two together.
  2. Take a sponge, rag, or whatever else you are using to clean the wall and dip it into the solution. Keep it in there until the rag is completely soaked. Take it out again and allow some of the excess water to run off into the bucket.
  3. Take the cleaning instrument and begin to clean the wall. You ideally want to do this in a smooth motion, wiping straight up and down in a consistent motion. 
  4. If the solution is too weak, consider adding more detergent.
  5. Allow the wall to air dry, check your progress, and proceed as necessary.
  1. Additional Tips

Some other things to consider:

  • Try starting at the top and working your way down
  • Rinse the rag in between uses
  • Do not mix the clean water with the dirty water
  • Take care around electrical outlets
  • Ring out the sponge or rag as needed

Following these tips can enable you to clean your walls without sacrificing your paint job.

Scroll to Top