How Do I Clean Walls Before Painting?

How Do I Clean Walls Before Painting?

Painting is something that you should avoid just jumping right into. You need to make sure that everything is ready before you decide to get started. For instance, if you were to start painting a dirty wall, then your results are not going to be ideal. The dust and dirt that you are trying to paint over can have a negative impact on your painting job.

It may seem to be common sense that a wall should be cleaned before painting can begin but many people actually do forget to do this step. You should remember to do a thorough cleaning before deciding to move forward with your painting project. If you aren’t entirely sure how to go about cleaning your walls before painting, then have no fear. It is actually a pretty easy task to accomplish even if it does take a bit of time.

Dust the Walls

Sometimes the only thing that you will need to clean off before getting started is a layer of dust. Dust is a nuisance that you will be constantly dealing with throughout your life. Even people who clean very thoroughly will have to dust more often than they would like. It is always going to be a good idea to dust the walls before moving forward with painting.

One of the most common spots that gets neglected on walls will be along the baseboards and in the corners by the ceiling. These spots tend to harbor a bit more dust than other spots because they are often covered by furniture or other decorative items. The corners of the wall are usually out of your reach too so it is a good idea to get your step ladder and give things a good dusting. This step shouldn’t take too long and if everything else seems clean, you might be able to start painting.

Wash the Walls with Soapy Water

People who are trying to paint rooms that have dirtier walls are going to need to give the walls a better cleaning. The best thing to do is going to be to clean the walls off with soapy water. Get a bucket and fill it with a soapy water mixture. You can then get a sponge or a washcloth to use for wiping the walls down. This may seem to be an arduous process but it shouldn’t take a lot of time to finish things up.

Before getting started, it may be a good idea to lay some towels down on the floor. The soapy water may drip down the wall and come into contact with your carpeting or hardwood floors. You don’t want to make a mess on your floor so create some type of barrier that will protect the floor while you are cleaning.

Try to be as thorough as you can with your cleaning. Remember that you are trying to prepare the entire surface of the wall for painting. If there are any greasy spots from people touching the wall, then be sure to scrub them out completely. Most people won’t have to scrub too hard to get the walls clean but mileage may vary. If you have children who touch the walls often, you may have several spots on your wall that need your attention.

Dry the Walls Off with a Towel

Once the wall is nice and clean, you will be able to start drying it. Take a towel and dry the wall as well as you can. You don’t have to worry too much about drying every inch of the wall but you don’t want to have a bunch of water dripping on your floor after you remove your barrier. It might be a good idea to let the walls dry for several hours before you get started with your other painting preparations.

Start Painting

Now that everything is clean, you will be able to start painting. There may be some other preparations that you will want to perform before moving forward, though. You may wish to sand the walls down or you might want to do a coat of primer. Either way, your nice, clean walls are going to make things much easier for you. Most people who are going to clean the walls will not be sanding them so you’ll be safe to move on to applying primer or paint whenever you are ready.

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