Anonymous
Post 09/27/2022 16:38     Subject: If you aren’t washing your walls
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Op here. I also forgot to mention that my walls smell amazing! I feel like I just hit the lottery. This will be my new go to. I left a few weeks ago and came back home to a house that didn’t smell fresh. It wasn’t the first time.
I will be leaving in a few days and can’t wait to see if I come back to that same stinky smell or if perhaps taking the time to clean the walls have helped!



I don’t know but I fully believed my house smelled bad all the time and I could only smell it when I’d been away, but then we went away and had a house sitter and when we came back the house smelled normal/clean. So I think when a house is shut up and empty it can just smell stale. The house sitter didn’t do any out of the ordinary cleaning.



Op here. I think you may be right. I am less than a week post wall cleaning and just came back from a trip and sure enough, my house had that same old stale odor.
Anonymous
Post 09/20/2022 21:49     Subject: If you aren’t washing your walls
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I have Eggshell paint. I spot cleaned a few fingerprints with the Magic eraser years ago and that was a bad idea.


Magic Eraser is actually abrasive on several surfaces. Read the box carefully.


It’s abrasive on all surfaces, that’s how it works.
Anonymous
Post 09/20/2022 19:58     Subject: Re:If you aren’t washing your walls
Gently wipe down the walls not missing any spots


What a pain in the @ss
Anonymous
Post 09/20/2022 18:38     Subject: If you aren’t washing your walls
Anonymous wrote:I have Eggshell paint. I spot cleaned a few fingerprints with the Magic eraser years ago and that was a bad idea.


Magic Eraser is actually abrasive on several surfaces. Read the box carefully.
Anonymous
Post 09/19/2022 22:27     Subject: If you aren’t washing your walls
I use a few squirts of dish soap in a bucket of warm water and a sponge.
Anonymous
Post 09/19/2022 22:24     Subject: Re:If you aren’t washing your walls
I typically clean my bathroom walls once in a while, both painted and tile (imagine all the invisible grossness!) but maybe I'll do my other walls, too.
Anonymous
Post 09/19/2022 21:53     Subject: If you aren’t washing your walls
Hot water and a bit of tide is all you need. Gently wipe down the walls not missing any spots. My water was almost brown and we have no animals and don't smoke or anything.

Such an easy fix. Same with light switches. Take them off, soak, scrub and put back on. I also used a toothpick to make sure to clean the nooks and crannies.
Anonymous
Post 09/19/2022 16:39     Subject: Re:If you aren’t washing your walls
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I generally find people use way too much cleaner and too powerful chemicals. But I really am sold on the powdered tide. It’s easy to control the amount and it has surfactants and enzymes.

But for walls it still seems like overkill to me and I’d start with a squirt of a more gentle all purpose cleaner.



I wonder if there are any natural detergents that have enzymes?


“Natural” is pretty meaningless so I wouldn’t stress about it.


I’m sorry, I didn’t mean this to be insulting. You could try a solution of diluted Dr Bronner’s, and maybe rinse with water later. It’s not naturally occurring but it’s pretty simple. Or a solution of Borax and hot water. Or vinegar and water. Just do a spot test.





I didn’t find it insulting at all but am so thankful that there are still kind people on the internet. Thanks for your input!
Anonymous
Post 09/19/2022 16:38     Subject: If you aren’t washing your walls
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:You are missing out on an easy opportunity to freshen your home and to ensure that your paint isn’t look dingy. I started a thread last week about paint sheen and someone mentioned cleaning the walls. I honestly had never given it any thought other than wiping prints etc off. I always thought they washing the walls were overkill. Boy was I wrong! I washed the walls today on the first floor (as high as I could reach) with an all purpose cleaner and immediately my house looks, and smells cleaner. I am Type A so I keep my house fairly clean anyway. This was what I was missing for that extra touch. I also cleaned the baseboards as well. Dusting them has nothing on wiping them with a solution. Everything looks pristine and I’m so happy. Now off to do my second floor.
PSA: if you aren’t washing your walls, you should! You will not regret it.


I’m the one who said they might be dirty! I’m glad it worked.



Pp thanks so much! I have been raving about my walls all day to anyone who will listen. 😁 This was really life changing for me.
Anonymous
Post 09/19/2022 16:36     Subject: Re:If you aren’t washing your walls
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I generally find people use way too much cleaner and too powerful chemicals. But I really am sold on the powdered tide. It’s easy to control the amount and it has surfactants and enzymes.

But for walls it still seems like overkill to me and I’d start with a squirt of a more gentle all purpose cleaner.



I wonder if there are any natural detergents that have enzymes?


“Natural” is pretty meaningless so I wouldn’t stress about it.


I’m sorry, I didn’t mean this to be insulting. You could try a solution of diluted Dr Bronner’s, and maybe rinse with water later. It’s not naturally occurring but it’s pretty simple. Or a solution of Borax and hot water. Or vinegar and water. Just do a spot test.
Anonymous
Post 09/19/2022 16:28     Subject: Re:If you aren’t washing your walls
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I generally find people use way too much cleaner and too powerful chemicals. But I really am sold on the powdered tide. It’s easy to control the amount and it has surfactants and enzymes.

But for walls it still seems like overkill to me and I’d start with a squirt of a more gentle all purpose cleaner.



I wonder if there are any natural detergents that have enzymes?


“Natural” is pretty meaningless so I wouldn’t stress about it.
Anonymous
Post 09/19/2022 16:27     Subject: If you aren’t washing your walls
Anonymous wrote:You are missing out on an easy opportunity to freshen your home and to ensure that your paint isn’t look dingy. I started a thread last week about paint sheen and someone mentioned cleaning the walls. I honestly had never given it any thought other than wiping prints etc off. I always thought they washing the walls were overkill. Boy was I wrong! I washed the walls today on the first floor (as high as I could reach) with an all purpose cleaner and immediately my house looks, and smells cleaner. I am Type A so I keep my house fairly clean anyway. This was what I was missing for that extra touch. I also cleaned the baseboards as well. Dusting them has nothing on wiping them with a solution. Everything looks pristine and I’m so happy. Now off to do my second floor.
PSA: if you aren’t washing your walls, you should! You will not regret it.


I’m the one who said they might be dirty! I’m glad it worked.
Anonymous
Post 09/19/2022 15:32     Subject: Re:If you aren’t washing your walls
Anonymous wrote:I generally find people use way too much cleaner and too powerful chemicals. But I really am sold on the powdered tide. It’s easy to control the amount and it has surfactants and enzymes.

But for walls it still seems like overkill to me and I’d start with a squirt of a more gentle all purpose cleaner.



I wonder if there are any natural detergents that have enzymes?
Anonymous
Post 09/19/2022 15:12     Subject: If you aren’t washing your walls
Anonymous wrote:Too much work




It really isn’t a lot of work. You don’t have to do it all in one day. I do wonder how often one would wash their walls. I can’t see myself washing them more than once every few months or so. Perhaps just washing the kitchen and adjacent areas would be a big help. My house feels so much cleaner. I am astonished at how much better it looks and feels. It’s definitely worth it to me.
Anonymous
Post 09/19/2022 15:09     Subject: If you aren’t washing your walls
Just paint