A painted wall should look smooth and clean — and it usually does just for a while. However, the demands placed on the average home mean that walls can become tired and dirty unless you take steps to protect them from wear and tear.
Before you reach for the paintbrush, there may be some things you can do to breathe new life into your internal walls. A combination of preventative maintenance and cleaning should keep all the painted walls in your home looking great for as long as possible.
1. Regularly wash kitchen and bathroom walls
Paint your bathroom and kitchen walls with an emulsion, as this is relatively easy to wipe clean. In most cases, you won’t need anything other than a slight dampened, microfibre cloth. Start from the bottom of the wall, and gently rub with your cloth, making sure one area is clean before moving to the next. Dry each section with a clean, dry microfibre cloth as you go. If there is mildew, grease or smoke staining present, try using a little dishwashing detergent.
2. Always spot test walls before washing them
Not all paints can be cleaned with water. Matt, for instance, will simply come off on your cloth. To make sure you won’t remove any paint, test a small area of the wall that is relatively obscured from view. Gently rub the test area with a dampened, microfibre cloth, and give the area a few moments to dry. Check your cloth for any paint; if the paint hasn’t been removed, it’s probably OK to proceed with the rest of the wall.14
3. Concentrate on high-traffic areas
Don’t waste your time washing painted walls that are perfectly clean. The chances are the only painted walls that require attention will be in high-traffic areas of your home — where people either touch the walls or brush up against them. Also, pay close attention to walls behind TVs and electrical appliances, as they can become covered in dust relatively quickly. If it’s only dust you’re dealing with, you won’t need any water — a dry microfibre cloth should suffice.
4. Keep on top of the dusting in your home
By regularly dusting the surfaces in your home, you will limit the amount of dust that can become airborne and land on your walls. Also, regularly vacuum and sweep the floors in your home. Use a long-handled sweeper to dust the tops of your walls. Alternatively, simply wrap a cloth around a sweeping brush handle for a makeshift solution to dusting at height.
5. Use a homemade wall wash in problem areas
Particularly in kitchens, painted walls might need a little more than a cloth and some clean water. Grease, dirt and small particles of food can create a very stubborn mess on a painted wall. To clean your walls without removing paint, create a solution of 10 parts water, one part ammonia and a tablespoon of dishwashing detergent. Gently rub the solution over your wall with a clean sponge, and dry as you go. In most cases, this should cut through grease without cutting through the paint.
6. Perform regular touch-ups
It’s always a good idea to have some extra paint stored away for little touch-ups here and there. If you notice a small area of chipped or flaked paint, gently sand it, and apply the fresh paint with a small brush. If you’re dealing with areas of the wall that are close to skirting, ceilings or wall-mounted fixtures, use an artist’s brush for increased precision.
7. Get a computer colour match for small touch-ups
Rather than repaint an entire room every time you notice bubbling, cracking or peeling, take a small fragment of the paint to a specialist. Whether you send the sample by post or visit a local hardware store, experts can use the latest computer technology to give you an exact match. This service is usually free if you buy the paint from the supplier.
A painted wall should last at least a decade, but only if you take steps to clean and maintain it effectively.
