How To Banish Fingerprints, Scuffs And Stains From Your Wall Paint

There is nothing quite like the feeling of a freshly painted room coated in your favorite paint color. The entire surface looks clean, crisp and scuff free. Sadly, before you know it, life will happen to the walls of your Herndon, VA home by way of fingerprints, scuff marks and stains. Is it frustrating? You bet! It would be lovely if that freshly painted look lasted forever.

Try these painting tips and cleaning tricks from our professional painters and hopefully you will have your wall paint back to beautiful in no time.

When washing walls, remember to always wash from the bottom up and take breaks in between walls, not in the middle of them. This method will ensure an easier cleaning job and a less streaky finished product.

Basic Cleaning Care- (Do not attempt to clean walls within two weeks of painting.)
Start by using your vacuum’s brush attachment to clean off any cobwebs or debris from your trim and baseboards.

To dust, go over the surface of your walls with a soft cloth or even a swiffer for those harder to reach areas.

For light cleaning and fingerprint removal, go over the surface of your walls with damp/dry sponge dipped in a solution of warm water and mild cleaner. (Always test cleaner on a small area to be sure it’s compatible with your wall paint.)

Wipe walls dry with a towel before you finish up to ensure no moisture is left behind.

Scuff Marks- For harder to clean scuff marks, try rubbing a simple paste of baking powder and water onto the mark and then gently scrubbing it off with a sponge. If this does not work, or if you do not want to mess with it, try a magic eraser. Just be sure not to scrub too hard as doing so may damage your paint job.

Stains- For more heavily stained areas, try a solution consisting of:
1 gallon warm water

1 cup washing soda (such as borax)

1 cup, non sudsing ammonia,

1 cup white vinegar

Working from bottom to top, clean stained areas using the above solution and then rinsing with a second bucket of clean, warm water. As always, be sure to test any cleaning solution on a small, corner area of your wall to be sure it does not remove your interior paint or wallpaper.

We hope that these painting tips and cleaning tricks help you preserve and prolong your interior paint job. If not, or if it has been awhile since the walls of your Washington, DC area home have had that freshly painted feeling, contact us today to schedule an estimate. Our friendly team of professional painters can refresh your home with a new paint color that is beautiful, durable, and easy to keep clean.