My whole apartment (5 rooms) is all paneling, so every spring I like to wash it with Murphy's Oil soap. I use to get my clothing and hands caught on the nails that hold all my pictures, so this year I went to the dollar store and bought a sponge mop that has a wringer that doesn't get your hands wet. This with a bucket of warm water with Murphy's worked great.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
Our baseboards are in dire need of a good cleaning and I just hate to do it. They are painted with white semi-gloss paint and they show everything. Having a Saint Bernard and 3 cats doesn't help either. Does anyone know an easier way to clean them than the "on my hands and knees" deal. Thanks so much.
I sweep mine regularly with a broom and use a mop to clean them!
Pay a neighbor kid 25 cents per foot to clean them. Hehe.
homeschoolin_mum has the right idea. I am a janitor and this is how I do them. Much faster and a lot less painful.
Place an old pair of sports socks, sprayed with a bit of vinegar and water. Then just use your feet to do a quick cleaning.
Use a sponge mop and put a squirt of mop-n-glo in the water and the next time all the gunk will wipe off easily.
Next time you paint, use glossy paint on baseboards for easier cleanup.
You can buy a tub cleaner. It is a plastic wand with a sponge and scrubber attached. I clean my kitchen floor under my table with them. My chair legs have the rubber caps and it leaves black marks on the floor. This way you don't have to get down on your hands and knees. I also agree with the gloss paint.
Would 409 cleaner give them a kick? I'll do anything not to have to get down on all 4's to clean them. I use a mop too, but it does get the ground in stuff up.
Help
try mr clean magic erasers,they clean almost everything.
I love sock method. Sweeping them every time you vaccum the room is a quick preventative measure that prevents heavy buildup and back-breaking work.
I read a few of the tips on washing walls but still had a question or two. Can I use a mixture of water with either bleach or sunlight dish soap? How much should I use? I have the worst luck washing walls! My mother used to use Tide. Her walls were fine, but I am thinking I used too much Tide? I tried the mop idea before too, but it left a worse mess than I had in the first place. :-( I really don't like the idea of ammonia either. Any advice would be helpful.
I use a spray bottle. I use a solution of 2 tbs of alcohol(this helps the walls dry faster) then half water, half vinegar. I wipe the walls with a damp sponge, then mist the walls with the vinegar solution. Then wipe again with the sponge. I keep the sponge rinsed out and damp only.
I use a spray bottle. I use a solution of 2 tbs of alcohol(this helps the walls dry faster) then half water, half vinegar. I wipe the walls with a damp sponge, then mist the walls with the vinegar solution. Then wipe again with the sponge. I keep the sponge rinsed out and damp only. It may seem like double work to wipe first but if your walls are really dusty you could get rivers of dirt if you don't wipe first. I use this solution on all my walls, they vary from painted, papered and wood. Good luck.
buy a tried and true product called TSP ask for it
in home depot, lowes or stores like that it does not
cost much and it WORKS. my girlfriend smoked and walls had a tar coating sticky and yucky ....she never opened windows.
After trying different products, I have gone back to the one from my early years of marriage, Mr. Clean. I use it on the woodwork, walls, in my mop water, in the showers, etc.
I use a wet swiffer. There is no mess and it smells good.
Hello, I'm new and I saw your post.
I use the new Mr Clean Magic Erasor sponges.
It's white and you just wet it down with water. It works like magic. However they do wear out pretty fast.
I also agree that TSP is a good product.
For white walls, I use bleach in water and a rag. You will literally see the tar run off the walls.
We have just recently moved back in our home after hurricane Florence. Our paneled walls were awfully dirty along with our painted walls. After using a soft bristle broom I wiped all the walls down with Mr.clean antibacterial summer citrus our walls are clean and house smells wonderful
I need to know the easiest way of washing walls an ceilings? What do I use to get stains, finger prints, and dirt off? What is the best cleaning solutions and methods? Thank you.
Esther
I'm marking so I can find again and see the responses. I'm dreading doing the kitchen; would love any hints.
A quick easy recipe for a cleaning walls if they are wood or sheet rock,(dry walls). B ucket,hot water,sponge mop, & elbow grease, old saying.
TS[ (TriSodium Phosphate) available in the paint department...
www.naturalhandyman.com/
How do you wash oil based painted walls?
By Cindy Lee from Lorain, OH
There is a product called Dirtex which I love. It's a small box of power/crystals you mix with water and wipe your walls with. You can buy it at hardware stores or larger home improvement stores. It's wonderful stuff, and no smell or harsh chemicals.
If you are talking about regular plasterboard walls painted with an oil base paint, just about any household cleaner will do. You can use Mr. Clean, Dawn, Pinesol, ammonia (which I find too stinky!) in water these are just products that I can think of, a couple of cap fulls in about a 1/2 -3/4 gal of water is good. Many people swear by vinegar and water, but I think actual soap/detergent based products are better for walls, especially if they have smoke or accumulated dirt or cooking grease on them.
Can you use Murphy oil soap on walls?
By Marie
Only if they are wood walls. If they are painted, the oil will soak into the paint and leave spots. It will do the same if the walls are block or concrete or tile.
I have a bad back and find it hard to clean the walls. Any suggestions on the easiest way to do them?
By candace1978.cn.cn@gmail.com
I use a well wrung sponge mop, it's a real back saver!
Tips for cleaning walls. Post your ideas.
By cybrlee
By Ardis Ilene Barnes
By GraNita
By Kendo_Bunny
I use a capful of Woolite in a bucket of water. Dry each section with a clean rag and look at the dirt that comes off. I learned this tip in Real Simple magazine.
By Liz from Ontario
Use a no-rinse cleaner. The rags that have gone into the rinse water are rinsed out and reused if necessary. Clean from the bottom up, and don't forget the mop boards around the edges of the walls. They are dirtier than the walls because they collect so much dust. By Ardis Barnes
By siris
By Barbara Montag from St Cloud MN
Make washing down walls for fall or spring cleaning much easier. Try this: Get a new or very clean cat litter pan and a sponge mop that has a long handle. Add cleaning liquid to the litter pan. The sponge mop fits nicely into the shallow pan and the handle on the mop lets you reach to the top of your walls.
By Laura from Elberta, AL
Editor's Note: Watch out for any nails or picture hangers in the wall because they will tear the sponge mop.
The regular pad for the Swiffer dry floor mop is perfect for wiping down walls and ceilings, that are easily reached with the extendable handle. This is a page about using a Swiffer to clean walls and ceilings.
