Quick Answer: How to Clean Walls
Always dry dust the walls first, working top to bottom, so dust doesn’t turn to grime once it gets wet. Mix a gentle cleaner of water and a teaspoon of Blue Dawn dish soap, then mist it onto the wall at an angle (never spray directly) and clean in small sections with a damp microfiber flat mop, going straight up and down. Dry each section with a second mop head for a streak-free finish. For problem spots, use a baking soda paste, a melamine sponge, Zep foaming wall cleaner, a wet tennis ball for scuffs, or sunscreen for permanent marker. Avoid getting matte or flat paint wet.
Your walls are one of the most forgotten areas when it comes to cleaning your house, but they collect dust, marks, and grime just like everything else. Let me show you the best way to get them clean without damaging the paint.
Tools You Will Need
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Always Dust the Walls First
Before you spray any cleaner, the first step is always to give the wall a good dry dusting. Two tools work great here. The first is a simple Swiffer duster, and I highly recommend the extendable version so you can reach the whole wall without a stepladder. The second is a reusable microfiber duster that pulls dust off the wall and can just be washed when you’re done (and, honestly, it kind of looks like a lightsaber, which makes it fun to use). Either way, start at the top and dust your way down to the floor so you don’t miss anything.
You might be tempted to skip this step if the walls don’t look very dusty, but don’t. If you skip dusting, that dust becomes much harder to remove once it gets wet, and it makes the whole job more challenging. When you dust first, you always set your clean up for success.
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Mix Up a Gentle Cleaner
For the cleaner, I like to keep it simple with Dawn dish soap. If you’ve watched the channel, you know I call this the Swiss Army knife of cleaning, and your walls are one more place it shines. To mix it, fill a spray bottle with a cup or two of water and add about a teaspoon of Blue Dawn. You don’t need a lot, just enough to cut through any buildup on the wall.
There’s one important technique to get right. You might be tempted to spray directly at the wall and start cleaning, but take it from me, I learned this the hard way. Spraying directly uses too much cleaner, which runs down the wall and can cause streaking and even damage the paint. Instead, spray at an angle to lightly mist the wall, so you use less cleaner and avoid the risk of damage.
Clean in Sections With a Flat Mop
Once the cleaner is misted on, it’s time to actually clean, and my tool of choice is a microfiber flat mop. Take the mop head to the sink, get it wet, and give it a really good squeeze to remove as much moisture as possible, since you don’t want too much moisture on the wall. Then attach it and clean by going straight up and straight down, almost like you’re painting (though thankfully much easier, since painting is not my strong suit, there’s a reason this channel isn’t called Paint That Up).
It’s important to clean in sections. Mist a 5 to 10 foot area, clean it with the flat mop, then move on to the next part. If you spray all the walls at once, the cleaner will likely dry before you reach it with the mop, wasting your effort and risking damage. To really level up the result, follow your damp mop head with a dry one to dry each freshly cleaned section, which removes leftover moisture and leaves everything streak-free.
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Pro Tip: Keep your flat mop head clean as you go. After a few sections, take it back to the sink and give it a good rinse to get rid of the dirt it’s picked up. Otherwise you’ll just spread that grime around instead of lifting it off the wall. A bonus of the flat mop is that many extend, so you can reach high spots without a ladder, which is safer and faster too.
Solutions for Stubborn Spots and Marks
As you clean, you’ll likely run across streaks or spots that won’t come up with the Dawn mix. Here are a few options to try. The first is something abrasive. A baking soda paste works well: mix equal parts baking soda and water to a runny-toothpaste consistency, then scrub the mark with a towel. A melamine sponge like a magic eraser is another great choice. With both, be careful and gentle, since they’re abrasive and can damage or remove the paint if you scrub too hard. If you notice the paint starting to lift, stop.
The second option is a foaming wall cleaner from Zep, which is designed for walls. I break this out for buildup that won’t budge with the Dawn mix, like sticky hairspray buildup in the bathroom or greasy spots behind the stove or oven in the kitchen. It melts that grime away. You don’t need it for all your walls, just those problem areas.
The last two options might make you question my sanity, but stick with me. A wet tennis ball works amazing for removing scuffs, an old janitorial trick (we used to cut them open, put them on a stick, and remove scuffs from floors). It won’t get every type of scuff, but it works on many.
And finally, sunscreen is a total game changer for removing permanent marker. Spray the mark with generic sunscreen, scrub gently with a soft-bristle brush, and wipe it away. I didn’t believe it until I tried it, but it legitimately works.
‼️One note: sunscreen can get sticky, so after rinsing it with a damp towel, go over the area with your Dawn and water mix so no residue is left behind.
How Often Should You Wash Your Walls?
Good news! This is not a weekly or even monthly job. I recommend washing your walls at least once a year, and spring cleaning is the perfect time since you’re already cleaning everything and it’s a great way to reset and refresh the space. That said, if you notice a spot, scuff, or bit of buildup, especially in the kitchen, clean it sooner rather than later so it doesn’t get worse and turn into a bigger job down the road.
A Warning About Matte and Flat Paint
One important thing to keep in mind is that matte and flat paint is very challenging to clean, because it doesn’t like moisture and really should never get wet, or you’ll cause damage. You can carefully spot clean a small area if you notice something. But in my experience, if a wall with matte or flat paint is really dirty, the only real option, and it pains me to say it, is to repaint. Knowing your paint type before you start saves you from accidentally causing damage.
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