Jun
12
2016
How to remove different stains from your walls
It’s a common sight in any home; walls marred with marks and stains that somehow appear despite our best efforts. Somehow, it’s so easy for our walls to get scratched or afflicted with different stains, often by accident. How then, to get rid of it without damaging your paint job? Below are the different stains and how to deal with them respectively.
Dirt and grime
Such marks can be easily caused by touching surfaces like our walls, cupboards or doors with our dirty hands. Use a wall eraser to remove such stains and finish up by rubbing a wet sponge gently over it to prevent scratching off your paint.
A DIY solution:
Ammonia – 1 cup
White distilled or apple cider vinegar – ½ cup
Baking soda – ¼ cup
Water – 3 litres
Mix the above ingredients together into a solution. Reduce the proportions as needed and wipe it over your walls with a sponge or cloth then rinse with clear water. This solution will not ruin your paint or leave any marks behind, making it perfect for removing stains.
Grease
A common occurrence after cooking, grease can cover our kitchen surfaces, from countertops to stoves and cupboards. On top of that, it attracts dirt and dust that plasters to the walls. Remove grease stains with your common household dish soap.
A DIY solution:
White household vinegar – 1/3 cup
Water – 2/3 cup
Mix the two together to tackle stubborn stains. Leave it to set before rinsing it off after.
Crayons
If you have kids, you should have experienced this horror at least once. Here’s what to do if you were ever in this situation. Get a wall eraser; they work wonders on crayon streaks. If you don’t have a wall eraser, try out a homemade solution:
Use normal toothpaste (not gel) and rub over the marks
Erase the marks with a pencil eraser in a circular motion
Wipe off the marks using wet wipes or baby wipes.
Sprinkle some baking soda on a damp sponge and scrub at it gently
Permanent marker
Living up to its name, ink from permanent markers can be extremely tough to remove from any surface. To do so, soak a cotton ball in rubbing alcohol and dab at the stain. Spread the alcohol around and scrub the marks away. Alternatively, spray some hairspray onto the marks and wipe the excess away.
Ink
Ink from ballpoint pens is oil-based, which makes it susceptible to foam shaving cream and dry-cleaning solvents or nail polish remover. To prevent the smell from filling the room, open your windows while cleaning with such solutions.
Water stains
This can be caused by a leak anywhere in the house, which can be a real chore. Once you have tackled the cause of the leak, it’s time to deal with the stains left behind. Mix bleach with water and use it to rinse the wall. Dry it with a hairdryer or fan. Water stains tend to destroy the paint job already, so if bleaching doesn’t help, your only option left is to repaint.
With any of these measures, it is best to test it on a small part first to make sure there are not side effects. As always, prevention is the best policy. So if able, try avoiding such stains as much as possible to preserve the look of your walls.
