Washing Walls: If Your (Dirty) Walls Could Talk

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Oops! Now what? It only takes a second to mar your wall with a shoe scuff or permanent marker. But what goes on might very well come off, and cleaning experts Don Aslett and Jeff Campbell are about to show you how.

Evaluate Both Paint and Blemish

One of America’s most diverse cleaning experts and the author of more than 40 books on the subject, the dynamic Don Aslett weighs in on removing wall dirt. He should know: He began his career 50 years ago cleaning walls in his hometown of Pocatello, Idaho, where he was also a licensed painting contractor. “Newer paint is better than it’s ever been,” says Aslett, meaning it’s formulated to avoid long-term relationships with stains. But accidents will and do happen.

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“Most paints are washable — gloss, semi-glass, even latex — with a better surface tension that makes them more cleanable," he says. "Many offenders are on the surface and haven’t penetrated the paint. You must ask first: ‘Is it dirt or damage?’”

If the answer is “damage,” it’s best to do an overall paint job. The same applies if you feel overwhelmed by multitudes of marks on your flat-painted wall. The sense of satisfaction you’ll feel may well be worth the paint versus the patience-trying exercise of “one spot here ... another there” removal. But if you can spot clean, you are looking at a lot less work.

Proceed with Care

Professionals know this, now you do too: Before you begin stain removal, use an inexpensive dry sponge — like a big eraser, made of virgin rubber — available at hardware stores or from Aslett’s site, www.cleanreport.com — to remove loose surface dirt. Whatever the method you choose for the next steps, pre-test the wall in an inconspicuous spot.

Although you may have heard that toothpaste or powder-type cleansers are good for this task, they’re also somewhat aggressive and abrasive and may leave a dull spot that doesn’t reflect light — which can look worse than the original mark, cautions Aslett. Don’t use bleach, which removes color and oxidizes the surface.

All purpose cleaner and water teamed up with a wet white nylon scrub pad or cloth, rubbed, not scrubbed, will lift most wall marks, says Aslett. In the case of crayon, he recommends an all-purpose citrus orange cleaner solvent. Blot or rub gently; “don’t dig,” he counsels. Water is your best friend here, “allowing ‘lubrication’ so you slide over the paint. You want the mark to come off — not the paint.”

Yes, ammonia is cheap and highly alkaline, says Aslett, but it’s also quite caustic and let’s face it, the fumes can cause your eyes to tear up. He’s not a fan, even though, in many circles, ammonia does remain one of the most popular cleaners around, especially when dealing with smoke-covered walls.

Out, Darned Spots

Author, speaker and founder of The Clean Team, Jeff Campbell suggests you add a fine steel wool pad to your wall-cleaning inventory, along with a toothbrush and that all-purpose cleaner. Easy does it, he cautions, and use targeted pressure to scrub right on the spot, not around it. We’ve all met “the spot that grew ...”

It may be necessary to clean stains even if you plan to paint, since some will eventually seep through your fresh coat, affirms Campbell. When using solvents, he notes, apply with a sponge or cleaning cloth and use a toothbrush gently to help “coax” the stain off the paint. You may need to use a heavy-duty cleaner like 409, Fantastic or his Red Juice to remove the last of the solvent.

Campbell likes a wax-less furniture polish with a toothbrush for really stubborn crayon: Wipe with a cloth, spray with all-purpose cleaner, then wipe clean. Use judiciously, since the polish contains oils that would likely soak into absorbent surfaces and may cause their own stain.

Grease? It’s the worst offender, since it interacts with paint in such a way that to remove the grease, “you can’t help but also remove the paint. Fingerprints are like a light grease and are usually easily removed with a heavy-duty liquid cleaner, as above, or you need to repaint,” says Campbell.

An Ounce of Prevention

Campbell is quick to remind us that preventing a stain from setting is one key to its removal. When doing your weekly cleaning, be on the lookout for wall stains and tackle with your all-purpose cleaner: spot clean.

He offers proactive tips here, and we’ve added a few of our own:

Use an air deflector if your furnace vent is blackening the wall.
Put pillows on your couch back or pull furniture a few inches away from the wall to prevent marks from naturally oily hair.
Move furniture to less-damaging locations if it’s banging and marking.
Ban rough play and kids’ art projects from your more formal living areas.
Do your nails on a protected surface.
Move that candle away from the wall and choose cleaner burning varieties.
Take off shoes at the front door and wear “house shoes” or non-scuff slippers.
Position your main work area and desk far from wall contact.
Be creative: Hang a picture or move the bookcase in front of the wall mark, and wait until next year to paint!