Health & Fitness
Have a Budding Artist at Home?
Do you occasionally end up with writing and marks on walls? The good news is that most modern wall paints are generally washable.
By Maid Brigade of Northern CT
Do you have a young child at home and occasionally end up with writing and marks on walls?
The good news is that most modern wall paints are generally washable.
In any case, it's best to use milder solvents to clean up your toddler’s graffiti to avoid removing the paint.
For best results, work on the stain soon after the budding artist has marked the wall to keep the ink or pigment from setting in.
Removal is simplest on walls painted with gloss or semigloss paints since these naturally repel stains. But you can usually remove the marks from flat paint too, although it may take more effort. With proper cleaning, the marks disappear and the walls look clean again.
The first thing you’ll need to do is determine the cause of the mark. Pencil marks, scuffs from shoes, and non-oily dirt are considered non-grease stains.
Crayon, wax, and grease marks are considered greasy stains.
Erase non-greasy marks with an art gum eraser. Rub the eraser over the wall until the stain disappears, then wipe the eraser residue off the wall with a dry cloth.
If it is a greasy stain, scrape the crayon or wax from the wall with a dull object, such as a plastic knife, spoon, or spatula. You’ll want to remove as much of the crayon or wax residue from the wall as possible.
Then dampen a clean rag with dry-cleaning solvent. Blot the grease mark, wax, or crayon stain with the solvent until it lightens and disappears.
You can combine dry-cleaning solvent and crushed white chalk powder to create a paste for heavy grease spots. If you do this, rub the paste onto the mark and allow it to dry completely. Brush the dried paste from the wall. The paste absorbs and removes the grease mark.
One thing you may notice after is that the cleaned area may appear lighter than the rest of the wall since it was thoroughly cleaned during removal of the mark.
Wash the rest of the wall with a solution of a ½ cup of ammonia, a ¼ cup of vinegar, and a ¼ cup of baking soda, and a gallon of water so the entire wall is clean and the same color. Do not mix bleach with ammonia.
Still need some help? Give us a call at 860-645-6243 and we can help clean up after your little Picasso.
