Cleaning walls : Wallpaper

When you are cleaning your wallpaper, no matter what room you are cleaning you will need to be careful that you don’t use to much water to make the wallpaper peel off. As you are cleaning your wallpaper for the first time, you will also need to rub gently, so that you don’t rip the wallpaper. If you are using a certain cleaner on your wallpaper for the first time, be sure to try it in an area that you do not see out in the ‘open’ because some types of ink on the wallpaper can run or fade if you are not careful.

►If you are trying to get over sprayed hairspray off of your wallpaper you can use a about a cup of fabric softener to two cups of cool water to wipe this film from off your walls.

►Cleaning grease from your wallpaper in the kitchen or in the dining room can be a chore but you do have a few options. Using about a half a cup of Ajax or Dawn dishwashing liquid to a half gallon of water will cut the grease for a deep clean. Drying off the walls with a towel (lightly) will keep your wallpaper sticking to you walls as well. You can also use about a cup of ammonia and half a gallon of cool water to cut grease on your wallpaper. Again, using a towel to dry the walls will make sure that the wallpaper will continue to stick to your walls.

►If you have scuffmarks on your wallpaper you can erase these marks by rolling up a piece of bread and rubbing gently over the area.

►For glossy wallpaper that has pencil or crayon use an eraser to gently rub the effected areas.

►If you have found gum stuck to your wallpaper, gently picking off, as much of the gum you can without pulling on the wallpaper will give you a good start. Then you can use an ice cube to harden the gum area and continue to ‘pick’ at the gum even more. As you are getting down to the last little bits of gum possibly stuck in your wallpaper (only when it is dry!) using an eraser rubbing gently over the wallpaper area will bring even more of the gum out.

►For a deep clean on stubborn stains you can use a loaf of bread, soak it in ammonia, and roll up into ball like shape so that you can rub onto the wall for a grease and dirt cutter. This will also remove smoke and spots while leaving a fresh scent.

►To clean dust off of your wallpaper and for general cleaning use a hand towel or soft rag and wet your rag in a solution of ammonia and water. A solution of one-cup ammonia and one gallon of cool water will work fine, but you will have to remember to ring out your rag as tightly as possible to prevent your wallpaper from peeling after wiping with water.

►If you are remodeling and you want to strip your old wallpaper from the walls, you can use about four tablespoons of fabric softener in a spray bottle of very hot water. Spray the wallpaper until the area is saturated, possibly dripping wet and let it sit for a few minutes. You will be able pull or scrape the wallpaper off much easier. The hotter the water, the more the glue will loosen, which is why when you are cleaning your wallpaper you should always be using cool water to clean.

►You can also use this same formula of hot water mixed with vinegar to loosen the glue on the wallpaper and pull it (or the border) down easily.