Clean and smooth walls are always a prerequisite for a smooth and successful house painting job in Pleasant Hill, CA. Before starting to paint, be sure to clean and prepare your walls to achieve the best results.
Not only do dirt, stains, grime, and fingerprints make your walls look bad, but they can also make things difficult for you once you apply a fresh coat of paint. Fortunately, removing dirt and fingerprints is possible with some careful effort.
Suppose your walls are already painted. Follow the tips below to clean your walls so your new paint job will look fantastic:
1) Know the type of paint finish on your walls
Make sure what type of paint finish is currently on your walls before proceeding to clean them.
- Semi-gloss – This type of finish is durable and easy to clean. Certain areas of your home, such as the kitchen cabinets and bathroom walls, can be painted semi-gloss. You would not have to worry about accidentally rubbing the paint off while removing those stubborn stains, as semi-gloss paints are scrubbable.
- Satin – This type of finish plays between flat and glossy. It also emits a fair amount of sheen. Satin is great for high-traffic areas such as kitchens, bathrooms, and hallways. Like its high-gloss counterparts, satin stands up well to scrubbing and regular cleaning.
- Eggshell – An eggshell finish is more durable compared to a flat paint but not as durable as its glossier counterparts. It can also be considered resistant to scuff marks but may need to be cleaned around light switches where the hands are most likely to leave marks and prints.
- Flat or matte – Flat paints are the dullest of all the finishes and the most difficult to clean. Because of their porosity, flat paints are the most prone to dirt, dust, stains, and scuff marks. Also, applying hard cleaning pressure on flat paints may cause them to get rubbed off easily. If there are scuff marks or stains in a flat paint, find an inconspicuous area and test-clean it to determine the appropriate cleaning methods for flat paint.
2) Prepare the work area
Stains, fingerprints, and scuff marks on walls are usually localized or in one section only, which means you may not have to prepare the entire room for the cleaning job. Place a large plastic sheet only under the area to be cleaned to protect the floor below from spills or splashes. While canvas drop cloths are not totally waterproof, they should provide adequate protection against a few drops of sudsy water or cleaning solution.
3) Dust the wall
Start by removing dust and dirt from the wall with a feather duster, dust mop, or clean damp cloth. Move from side to side, from the ceiling down, and one wall at a time. This will prevent the walls from forming dirty streaks on the surface.
4) Clean the wall
Once you are done with light dusting, clean the walls.
Important note: If you place your cleaning water near the area you are dusting, the dust may get into the water. You will end up with dirty water, making the surfaces look worse. Use a microfiber cloth or dampen an eraser sponge with sudsy water. Then, start gently wiping the fingerprints. You do not want to spray a cleaning solution directly onto the wall, as doing so may cause the colors to fade.
Keep in mind the type of paint finish your wall has so you can adjust your wiping pressure accordingly to avoid damaging the surface. If you are dealing with a semi-gloss finish, for example, applying hard pressure while wiping off dirt will be fine, as semi-gloss paints are extremely durable. But if you are cleaning walls covered with a less glossy paint finish, be careful not to apply too much pressure, or else you may accidentally rub the paint off.
If you are washing the entire wall, start at the base of the wall instead of the top of it. If one section of the wall is very dirty, use a mild detergent or prepare a solution of one cup of distilled white vinegar and plain water.
5) Rinse the wall and let it dry completely
After washing and cleaning the wall, rinse it in about three-foot widths. But if you use the vinegar and water solution, rinse is unnecessary.
After rinsing the wall, dry the section you have just finished cleaning. You may use fans to facilitate drying or use a clean, soft, and lint-free towel to dry out that area. Once you clean and dry one section, move on to the next section if needed.
Advantages of cleaning the walls
Why should you be cleaning the walls in your home? When it comes to keeping your home spic and span, it is easy to remember to vacuum your floors, scrub the sink, or wash your bed linens. However, not a lot of people remember that their walls need some TLC, too.
If your walls have noticeable and unsightly dirt, stains, and scruff marks, you need to remove them immediately. While it’s true that cleaning walls is indeed a chore, it will improve the condition of your home in several ways:
- It makes your home look good – Needless to say, clean walls make your home look good and neat. Clean walls reflect a well-maintained home, so why not clean every nook and cranny of it? Keeping your walls clean and dust-free will also refresh and improve the look of your paint. It will make the colors look brighter and more vivid, making your home look and feel inviting.
- It improves indoor air quality – Dust, soot, and other particles building up on your walls can contribute to poor indoor air quality. By keeping your walls clean, you’re also helping to improve your and your family’s health.
- It prevents mold and mildew from occurring – Mold and mildew usually thrive in damp environments. If the walls are not kept clean and dry, mold and mildew can occur and spread, compromising the structural integrity of your home and putting your family’s health at risk. Regularly cleaning the walls, disinfecting them, and keeping them consistently dry can prevent these harmful fungi from taking hold.
- It makes for easy room upgrades – Updating your walls with paint or wallpaper is a quick and easy way to change the look and feel of your home. Cleaning the walls will help you prepare your base for upcoming renovations, such as applying paint, stain, wallpaper, or other wall treatments. Clean walls provide the best surface for durable and long-lasting results.
Cleaning the walls is not only for cosmetic benefits but also for health and overall wellness. That’s why you should prioritize cleaning walls and enjoy a fresh, clean, and healthy home.
Cleaning the walls can also make home upgrades easier. If you plan to paint the walls, cleaning them and doing the necessary repairs will provide the perfect surface for the topcoat to adhere to, leading to durable and long-lasting paint results.
You can hire professional help to clean and paint the walls. A professional crew dusts the walls, cleans fingerprints and grime from around light switches, and then washes the walls. Once the cleaning is done, you will be ready to do house painting in Pleasant Hill.
Call Custom Painting, Inc. today at 925-294-8062 to set up an appointment. Or fill out our Contact form, and someone from our office will contact you soon.
