How to clean painted walls

It’s a fact of life that your walls will get dirty.

High traffic areas such as a hallway or landing are naturally going to get scuffs from bags and coats, while staircase walls tend to get hand prints over time.

Your kitchen walls and cupboards (if painted) will be impacted by changing
temperatures and may get marked during the cooking or cleaning away process. Grease can build up quickly.

Your bathroom walls, meanwhile, will be impacted by steam and general wear and tear.

In fact, every area of the home will start to show the dirt at some point. But there’s no need to redecorate as Zhoosh paints are scrubbable and very easy to clean!

Here, our experts talk you through the steps to clean painted walls.

Tools for the job

You need a soft microfibre cloth. Don’t use a brush or a coarse textured sponge of any kind, as you risk peeling the paint. We tested the ‘scrubbability’ of our paint against the leading brands and we were delighted to report that our paint was resistant to scrubbing, but it is still best to use the softest tools to clean painted walls.

Dust

First, remove any dust or small pieces of surface dirt using a duster or a vacuum
cleaner with a brush, to prevent it being smeared around.

Wipe

Once the area is clear, wipe it with the cloth. A damp cloth may be enough if you
have a mark that has just appeared; but if you are tackling a build-up then warm
soapy water will be best used with your non-abrasive sponge. Don’t let the sponge get too waterlogged as then the water could start to impact on the paint’s finish.

Soap

Once the wall is damp, apply the soap: a mild cleaning detergent is perfect for cleaning painted walls. Again ensuring your sponge or cloth is not too wet, use circular motions to gently rub the marks.

You shouldn’t need to rub too hard if we are looking at general marks and by using a soft sponge or cloth, you are less likely to scratch the paint itself. Work from the top downwards.