Ready to get some early, indoor spring cleaning done? Start with the walls. The walls? Well, okay, maybe you don’t wash your walls that often, but if you ever feel like sprucing up a painted surface, here’s how to do it.
You should have no trouble washing gloss alkyd surfaces, but latex paint — and particularly flat latex — can be damaged by some cleaners. So start with mild cleaners and move up.
First, vacuum or dust the wall.
Then mix some hand dish detergent and warm water. Wet a light-colored cloth in the solution and rub gently in an inconspicuous area of the wall. Look at the cloth and see if you’ve picked up any of the paint color. Rinse with clean water and a clean cloth, then spot-dry the wall with a towel and check to see if the color and finish looks the same. If you’re not defacing the paint, it’s safe to go ahead.
Begin washing at the bottom and work up. This way, your solution won’t drip down into the dirty section of the wall and create streaks that are difficult to clean. And keep a separate pail of rinse water, replacing the water often, so you’re not messing up your clean wall.
If you have stains or dirt that aren’t coming off, you can try a stronger solution of TSP, ammonia or laundry detergent and warm water. Test first to make sure you’re not removing paint. And make sure you wear rubber gloves when using these solutions.