Walls are one of the main components of the home. Despite its importance, people often forget that walls need cleaning too. It doesn’t matter if the walls of your home have wallpaper or paint. It’s important that you take the time to care for them. Or if you cannot, ask a company like Helping Hands Cleaning Services in Itasca IL to do it for you.
Housekeeping Tips Itasca IL: Clean Flat Paint Walls
Why You Should Clean Walls
There are many benefits to keeping the walls clean. Here are the top three reasons you should include it in your home cleaning schedule:
- It will help keep you healthy. The walls are one of the largest components of any structure. It’s also exposed to a lot of dirt, grease, germs, etc. These unsavory elements remain on walls until they’re wiped off. Cleaning the walls will mean better air quality for your family or workers.
- It makes your space look good. How your home or office looks is important. A clean wall will make a home look welcoming and fresh. An office will look brighter and very professional.
- It helps the structure last longer. Your wall finish also helps keep it functional. Wallpaper can mitigate hits from the furniture. Paint muffles noise and can help keep small cracks closed.
What Is Flat Paint?
Flat paint is a popular wall finish. This type of paint has more pigments and soaks up light directed towards it. It’s what gives the paint a flat quality. Flat paint is also called a matte finish.
It’s easy to apply and cheaper than other paint types. This is why many choose this paint to conceal imperfections on the walls. Flat paints are a good choice for surfaces with a lot of holes and bumps. It’s also effective in covering up scratches.
You should use this paint in low traffic rooms with lots of light. For example, offices and formal rooms are ideal spaces for it. Avoid using flat paint in bedrooms and kitchens. These are high-traffic areas. They’re often used, so there’s more dust and dirt. This makes flat paint walls harder to clean. Flat paints don’t hold up well to moisture, so you should never use them in bathrooms either.
Steps to Cleaning Walls with Flat Paint
People love flat paint because it’s easy to use and affordable. But the matte finish also makes stains and dirt stand out. Flat paint is also quite delicate. You need a gentle touch when wiping down walls with this finish. Harsh cleaning materials or a hard brush can remove the paint. But the cleaning process itself is simple. Here’s how to clean walls with a flat paint finish:
Prepare Your Cleaning Supplies
You don’t need any special equipment to clean painted walls. It’s because most of the cleaning tools you will use for this job are already in your house. You should prepare –
- Water
- Sponge
- Liquid dish soap or detergent
- White vinegar
- Water bucket
- Towel or clean cloth
Remove the Dust
First, remove dust or any dry debris on the wall. If you don’t, you may end up with dark streaks if you start using water or cleaning fluids on the wall. Sweep the wall with a feather duster or a broom with soft bristles. You can also wipe it down with a clean, dry towel.
Wipe with a Soft Sponge
Soak a soft sponge with water. Wipe it across the wall. Use a steady but gentle motion. Move the sponge in a circular motion. Your hold should be firm enough to clean the wall of dirt. But it must not be so hard that the paint will become stripped off. You can also use other light materials if you don’t have a sponge.
Use warm water when cleaning the wall. It would be ideal if it could be cleaned with soap and water. This will lower the risk of damage.
Try a Diluted Cleaning Mix
Are you dealing with a stubborn stain? Many old walls have water stains or dirt streaks that have been there for years. If water isn’t enough, you should consider a different cleaning mix. Try diluting a small amount of liquid soap in warm water. Do not apply a detergent on the wall right away. It might be too strong for the paint. Soak a sponge in the soapy mixture and start cleaning.
Professional cleaners also use a white vinegar cleaning solution. Mix a teaspoon or two of white vinegar with a gallon of water. It will clean the surface and kill mildew and mold.
Rinse off the Solution
Rinsing is a vital part of the cleaning process. Make sure you rinse the walls with warm water. This is to ensure that you won’t leave any residue. Decrying a cleaning solution on the wall could also lead to sticky spots. Wipe down the surface with another clean sponge or cloth.
Pat the area dry with a clean towel. Remember to be gentle. Do not scrub the towel against the wall. Its fibers might damage or peel off the paint.
Consider a New Coat
Sometimes cleaning the wall is not enough. The walls might still look dull and stained after a thorough wash. Repainting might be in the cards in this case. You must decide if the entire wall needs a new coat of paint or only a small section. The latter is quite tricky. The repainted section might stand out from the rest of the wall.
Breathe New Life to Your Itasca IL Home
Cleaning will transform your space. Helping Hands Cleaning Services in Itasca IL can help you with that. We are one of the best cleaning companies in the country. You can leave the cleaning to our team of hardworking and skilled cleaners. They are well-trained and certified. We offer home and office cleaning. We also do move-in move-out cleaning. You can reach us at (630) 530-1324 or click here.