Daily living tends to deposit smudges, smears and fingerprints (especially if there are small children in the household), marring the beauty of walls and woodwork. Regardless of where the smudges on your walls originated, wall marks and stains can be bad news, especially if you’re a renter whose landlord is coming over for a move-out walk through. And some of those blemishes seem impossible to remove.
Don’t you worry now, we are here to save the day with our DIY tips for cleaning stains from the wall
The Prep
First things first, push all the furniture to the centre of the room, and lay down old sheets to catch soapy drips. Avoid plastic tarps; they don't absorb water and they become slippery when wet.
Then, assemble your wall-washing tools: wool duster, a natural sponge (avoid coloured sponges, since they can deposit dyes on light-coloured walls) and two buckets (one filled with our magic cleaning solution* and one filled with clear water for rinsing).
Use rubber gloves to protect your hands. Also, make sure you have a step stool handy somewhere as it makes it easier to get to the high reaches for easy cleaning.
*Magic Cleaning Solution Recipe:
- 4 litres of warm water
- 1/4th cup of baking soda
- 2 spoons of lime juice
- 3 spoons of vinegar
- 3 spoons of baking soda
Start With Loose Dust & Grime
Get a bucket of clean cold water and one or more cleaning sponges/cloth. Soak them in water and rinse the excess water out. Now wipe down the walls with the cleaning sponge/cloth to remove the loose dust. Once you have all the loose dust removed, fill the bucket with a solution of warm water and detergent. You can use dishwashing detergent or laundry powder. Now use our Magic Cleaning Solution to wipe off the oil and grime from the wall. Be careful to rub the drywall gently because too much pressure may take the layer of paint off and damage the drywall.
Removing crayon, pencil, ink stains,etc.
Fresh crayon wall-stains can be removed quickly using a cleaning wipes or baby wipes if you have one handy. A wet cloth dipped into our Magic Cleaning Solution can also be used as a pencil stain eraser too. For oil-based materials such as ballpoint ink and permanent markers you can try using foaming shaving cream to dissolve the stain. Spray it on and rub it over the ink stain. Wipe off with a wet cloth afterward. Hairspray and nail polish remover will also work. You can also try using the white chalky type of toothpaste (not the gel type) by rubbing it onto the stain, letting it sit on the stain for about fifteen minutes, and then wiping it off with a wet cloth.
Cleaning off mildew.
Mildew is the result of a fungus feeding on grime deposited on the wall, or on the material of the wall itself. For mildew wall stain removal, use our Magic Cleaning solution to wipe off with water and detergent. You can also use enzyme-based laundry detergent to clean off mildew.
