How to Clean Dirty Walls and Ceilings? [Expert’s Guide & Tips]

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Whether you live in a rented apartment or own a home, over a period of time, everything needs proper cleaning and maintenance. Scratches, marks, and blemishes on your walls can turn even the most beautiful room into an untidy area. Walls are the face of your room, it is the most visible thing when you enter your room. Like other household things, walls can also catch dust and grime. If there are children and pets, you may get more dirty walls with the drawn lines and marks of the pet’s paws. Cleaning this kind of wall is a creepy job.

How to Clean Wall Stains at Home

Before doing cleaning, you must know how to clean various types of walls, since every substantial needs different treatment.

Most common types of walls and their cleaning methods

Bricks wall

The exposed bricks wall has a rough and crumbly structure. It is really a tough and time-consuming job. It may be risky to use harsh substances on bricks wall because it can damage the cement and faint the color of bricks, which looks worse than before.

To get better results, make a mixture of dish-washing cleanser and salt. Blend them to make a paste form. Before applying the formula, remove the visible and heavy debris with any soft duster or cloth. You can also use a vacuum cleaner to suck the unstick dirt as much as possible.

Now apply the pasted solution on the surface and scrub it with a rigid bristle brush. Then wipe away with a wet cloth and warm water. Repeat the process if needed. Let the wall dry then check the cleaning.

Stonewall

Though stones are hard materials but don’t think that they would always last their glory. It may discolor due to harsh chemicals. There are two ways to clean stone walls.

Using of chemicals:

You need to take some useful tips in your mind when going through this method.

Do: Use stone soap or a mild cleanser.

Do: Wash with clean water

Do: To remove hard water stains, use white vinegar or lemon juice.

Do: For outer walls, apply a weather shield and water repellent to protect them from extreme weather.

Don’t use those substances that you often apply on floor surfaces.

Don’t blow heat or use a dry cleaner.

Don’t throw pressurized water, it may damage the grout.

Don’t use ammonia or bleach. It creates harmless gas.

Natural Cleaning:

This method includes steam cleaning. There is no need for chemicals to mix with steam cleaning. It is beneficial for all kinds of stone walls and doesn’t cause any damage if follow the proper instructions. It effectively removes dirt, grime, and algae build-up. It naturally disinfects the surface and kills 99% of germs and bacteria.

Wooden Walls

By Chemically

You have to follow 3 steps i.e. cleaning, rinsing, and drying. Do this procedure section-wise. First of all, blow away dust and cobwebs from the wall surface. For this, you can use a microfiber cloth or a soft brush.

Blend ½ cup of gentle dish soap in 1 gallon of warm water. Fill another bucket with warm water only. Dip a soft sponge into the solution, squeeze it and wash a section of the wall. Then dry the wall with a microfiber cloth.

Exaggerated Oil Additive

Use a microfiber cloth or soft brush to remove the dust and cobwebs from the wall surface.

Make a mixture of 4 things.

  1. 1 cup of water
  2. ¼ cup of vinegar
  3. ½ cup of mineral oil
  4. 20 drops of lemon juice

Dip the soft sponge into the solution and wash the wall. After this dry the wall with a microfiber cloth and buff the wall to shine.

By Naturally

You can use steam on the wooden wall, as this is the safest method of all. Just follow the steps given below.

Step1

Remove loose dirt and dust by duster or a soft brush vacuum hose attachment.

Step2

Attach an appropriate tool and pads with the steam cleaner to steam clean the wall.

Step3

Do it section-wise. Start from the top of the wall to the bottom side.

Step4

Move the steamer slowly in a vertical wave. If you see a tough spot on the wall, apply steam again over that spot. Don’t stick on one place for more than 10 seconds, as it may damage the surface.

Step5

Repeat this process if required.

Step6

Let the wall air-dry.

Painted Walls

Cleaning of painted walls is a bit tricky and needs precautionary measures. Paints are of different kinds and can be destroyed with an excess amount of moisture or physical damage. Moister may penetrate into walls, which then leads to discoloration to mold infestations. Don’t worry about this, just follow our cleaning guidelines, you will get better results.

Like other materials, painted walls can also be cleaned naturally or with detergents.

By Chemically: Mix 2 tablespoons of vinegar or dish cleanser in a small bucket of water. Dip a soft sponge into a bucket, squeeze it and gently rub it on the wall to remove dirt and grime. Repeat the process if needed.

By Naturally: If you don’t want to use any harsh chemicals on your expensive painted walls, then you have a better option of steam cleaning. It is a safe and best sanitizer for any surface. You just need a good steam cleaner along with an appropriate attachment. Apply it with a recommended heat temperature.

Note: It is suggested to use low moisture steam on painted walls. High heated steam with an excess quantity of moisture may cause damage to your paint.

FAQs:

How to clean walls without damaging/removing paint?

There are several methods for wall cleaning, but you should adopt the safest one

Method 1: Pour 3-4 drops of dish detergent into a small bucket of water.

Method 2:  You can also use white vinegar in 1 gallon of water

In both procedures, dip a soft sponge, wring it and rub gently to clean the walls.

How to wash walls fast?

For quick washing, you can use 2 tablespoons of white vinegar with 1 gallon of water. If you encounter stubborn stains and marks, add baking soda in water and rub with a soft sponge or cloth on the targeted area.

Can we use the mop for washing walls?

Yes, but you should look at some key factors in a mop for walls and ceiling.

  1. Weight
  2. Extendable handle
  3. Pivoting/swivel Mop head
  4. Large Mop head
  5. Soft Mop Head

What is the best thing to wash walls with?

You can add mild detergent or baking soda in plain water to wash the walls. This is the best and simple formula to clean dirty walls. Vinegar can also be used but it can dull or damage oil-based finishes. If you want to use only things to get the clean wall, then grab the steam cleaner, it will do safely and effectively.

Andrews

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