Mucky walls aren’t a pretty sight. They can affect the potential sale of your property or make your home look untidy and poorly maintained. Unfortunately, they are not as easy to clean as most other surfaces around the house are. To help you ensure the success of this process, here are the biggest dos and don’ts of cleaning your walls.
Do: Remove Cobwebs and Dust From the Walls First
In this cleaning escapade, cobwebs and dust must go first. They are easier to remove when dry. And remove them you should if you are serious about cleaning your walls. It is understandable to feel some sympathy for the spider peacefully living in the top corner of your bedroom, but you don’t want to have that kind of roommate.
Do: Inspect the Wall Finish and Choose Cleaning Tools
Each wall is a story of its own, so treat yours as a unique part of your house, which it truly is. A wall can have many different finishes, ranging from fully matte to super glossy ones. As for the cleaning requirements of each one, it all comes down to this – the glossy finish is easiest to clean, and as it becomes more matte, the cleaning becomes more delicate. The best way to ensure there are no mistakes made in the course of cleaning is to hire some professional help. Otherwise, you should do some research to discover the best method of dirt removal from your particular type of wall.
Before you start cleaning, inspect your wall’s surface to determine the best method for its cleaning.
Don’t: Rush the Whole Endeavor
Never rush the whole thing because rushing can cause you to make some costly mistakes. It is understandable to feel under pressure to finish cleaning the walls as part of your relocation process. Nevertheless, make sure you devote enough time to this activity. This way, you won’t create additional problems for yourself. However, if it all seems too much for you, hire professionals to take some weight off your shoulders. Even local moving in LA can be a complex procedure, but an expert crew can handle it with ease. That would create some space for you to focus properly on the tasks you are doing.
Don’t: Use Solutions that Are too Aggressive
It is only natural that you turn to super-strong cleaning agents, hoping they will do the job quicker. Not only will this not simplify the process of cleaning, but it might make it even longer. Harsh cleaning products maysignificantly damage your walls which would cost you. They also represent a health risk because some of them can cause an allergic reaction just by inhaling them, among other things. Besides, natural solutions that include baking soda or a simple mild soap are just as effective in paint wall cleaning.
Do: Test the Product First
Speaking of damages, don’t immediately assume the solution you will be cleaning your walls with will not harm them. You’ll need to test your product first on a small and secluded part of the wall and revisit the area in 24 hours. In case you choose wrong, at least you will not have to repaint the whole wall, but only that small piece.
Do: Clean the Paint Wall with Water After a Cleaning Product
To be absolutely sure no active substance remains, use water as the last step in cleaning your wall. This advice can be applied to cleaning any delicate surface, especially after a major renovation project. Residues of cleaning agents can cause some damage on surfaces that are very hard or even impossible to fix.
One of the Biggest Dos and Don’ts Of Cleaning your Walls – Don’t scrub them aggressively
Never apply too much pressure when cleaning your walls or using aggressive strokes. That way, you will surely destroy the wall finishing. Aggressive cleaning can cause discoloration and other types of damage that will have you repainting the whole thing from scratch. Repeating soft strokes is a much better approach which only takes a bit more time and patience.
Don’t: Leave your walls to dry on their own
Even the mildest of all cleaners, water, can damage the walls if too much of it remains for too long. One of the steps mentioned above is to wash the walls with water after all other cleaning products. But water also needs to go. Dab the remaining surplus water from your walls using a soft cloth and applying gentle pressure. If it is really warm outside, open the windows. This warm air will act as a blow dryer. Otherwise, you will need to provide a source of warm air yourself. The point is, do not leave a wet wall in a cold room to dry on its own, as some damage can appear. Some people make similar mistakes when they hurry to embellish their home to sell it fast. As mentioned before, rushing leads to mistakes that can sabotage your sale.
Bottom line
After analyzing all dos and don’ts of cleaning your walls, it can be concluded that it all comes down to being well-informed and not rushing the process. Being hasty and not careful enough leads to costly mistakes that take even more time to fix. Also, not getting enough information about how to properly handle the surface of your wall is a huge and costly mistake, both in terms of money and time. And finally, if you are unsure, ask for professional advice or help and test your cleaning technique and product on a small part of the wall. With all that, you will get your pristine walls at minimum expense.
