Textured walls offer greater aesthetic appeal over plain and smooth painted walls. But when it’s time to clean them, you’ll regret opting for a textured finish. The reason is simple. Where you can easily use a soap water solution and sponge for ordinary walls, cleaning textured walls is far more challenging, primarily because the rough surface will collect more dust and grime than a smoothly flowing coat of paint.
Fret not! We’ve decided to come to your aid and are sharing a step-by-step guide on how to clean textured walls around the house.
Let’s begin…
Cleaning Textured Walls at Home in 7 Easy Steps
What makes it so difficult to clean textured plaster walls is that the texture features an uneven surface with plenty of gaps and ridges for dirt to hide away into. Thus, while our textured wall cleaning tips will help, it is an overall time-consuming task and only to be taken up when you have plenty of time on hand. With that said, here’s how to clean textured walls around the house:
- Gather the Right Cleaning Materials
- Clear Away the Dust
- Prepare the Cleaning Solution
- Spot Test the Cleaning Agent
- Scrub the Wall
- Rinse the Surface
- Let the Wall Dry Naturally
Please note that we’re covering tips for cleaning indoor textured walls, as most outdoor walls can easily be washed out using a hose and a strong stream of water. Put your finger partially on the mouth of the pipe to make the flow even more impactful and target specific nooks and crannies.
Here’s our detailed step-by-step guide to clean textured walls.
Step 1: Gather the Right Cleaning Materials
Before you begin cleaning a textured wall, you’ll need to gather the right cleaning supplies. This includes old toothbrushes, cleaning brushes, old nylon rags, buckets, a vacuum cleaner or an air blower, a handheld duster, an all-purpose cleaner, or mild dishwashing detergent, a ladder or a step stool, and water to fill the buckets.
Step 2: Clear Away the Dust
Once you have collected the cleaning supplies, do not wet the wall immediately. It will be easier to dust off some of the dirt and cobwebs while the wall is still dry. Ideally, use a vacuum cleaner with a brush attachment to suck all the loose dirt from the wall. If a vacuum cleaner is unavailable, you can consider using an electric air blower, which will dislodge some of the dirt using air pressure.
If you do not have either of the devices, simply use a handheld duster and gently brush the entire wall with it, particularly in places that are the dirtiest. You will, of course, need to climb onto the ladder or the step stool to clean and dust parts of the wall that are higher up and out of your reach.
Vacuuming or dusting the entire wall will take time, but this will help you get rid of loose dust, which will become stuck to the wall once it is wet, making the chore more tiresome than it already is.
Step 3: Prepare Your Cleaning Solution
Next, prepare a cleaning solution. While the measurements for the solution may vary based on your cleaning agent, a quarter cup of all-purpose cleaner or dishwashing detergent in a gallon of warm water can work well. Mix this solution in one of the buckets. Fill another bucket with clean water that will be used during the rinsing process later on.
Step 4: Spot Test Your Cleaning Agent
There’s a reason why we recommend using a mild cleaning chemical, as you do not know how a stronger compound will react with your wall. The safest bet, however, is to make the solution and to perform a spot test to determine whether the solution is staining your wall. Choose a part of the wall that will not be as noticeable even if it does stain. Dip your nylon rag into the solution and touch it against the wall. Clean it with another wet rag, and check the results. If there is no discolouration, you’re good to go.
Step 5: Scrub the Wall
Now you are ready to clean textured plaster walls. Begin by applying the solution to the wall using the nylon rag. Continue to dip the cleaning cloth into the solution and gently scrub parts of the wall as you go. We advise tackling the wall in sections if it’s huge. Use the cleaning brushes to clear dirt from crevices. For smaller nooks, use a toothbrush.
There’s a reason why we didn’t ask you to do the same with a sponge. Although sponges are great to clean smooth walls, the rough surface of the textured wall might actually tear the sponge apart, and pieces of it can get caught on the wall, which can be a pain to remove. So make the task as easy as possible and opt for nylon.
Step 6: Rinse the Surface
Once you are done with all or the first part of the wall, it’s time to rinse the solution that you’ve applied before you move on. Use the bucket with the clean water and a fresh cloth to wipe off the solution. You can use the brushes to clear out smaller gaps.
Make sure that you remove all of the cleaning solution. Otherwise, it can leave a soapy residue behind once it dries onto the wall. This will show up as white marks on the wall and can damage the beauty of your textured surface, especially if you’ve painted it in a darker colour.
Step 7: Let the Wall Dry Naturally
Continue to clean and rinse your textured walls using the textured wall cleaning tips mentioned above until the job is done. The amount of time it takes will depend on the type of texture that you’ve applied to your wall. If the texture creates waves and swirls on the wall, there will be fewer nooks and crannies gathering dirt. The same is true for popcorn walls. But if you have a wall that’s been decorated using the slap brush technique, there’ll be plenty of gaps to clear out individually using your brushes.
Once each wall is clean, let it dry naturally. You can consider turning on your ceiling fan to make the drying process quicker. If you want to clean your fans as well, it’s best to do that before cleaning the walls, because the dust removed from your ceiling fans, in particular, will settle on the wall once again.
Now you know all the steps for effectively cleaning textured walls at home. This deep cleaning checklist will also help you tackle other cleaning chores around the house. Remember that there are effective methods to clean each part of the house, and you need to separate the cleaning myths from the facts in order to do the job right.
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