How To Remove Wall Stains Before Painting

How To Remove Wall Stains Before Painting

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Big party! Left  with just a few stubborn stains? Mmm what now?

 

Before considering dipping that roller into the tray, those wall stains must be removed. If not you’ll find stains will show through your paint finish or worse still,  cause the paint to peel.

So how are stubborn stains tackled? Like those from teenage parties, heavily used kitchen areas or living areas with budding Picasso's?

 

These tips are sure to help get walls ready for painting:

Grease and oily walls

Oil degreasers are out there but they can be harsh on walls. These steps still work for professional painters.

 Common grease stains –

  1. Mix ½ teaspoon if dishwashing liquid into a cup of warm water and rub over these stains with a wiping cloth/sponge.
  2. Rinse with clean water and then dry with a clean cloth. Avoid wipers/cloths that leave fibres.

 

For stubborn grease stains – mix 1/3 cup of white vinegar with 2/3 water into a clean cup, then wipe this over the walls before carrying out steps 1 and 2 above.

 

Crayons

You’ll find using an eraser in a circular motion tends to do the trick. If the eraser hasn’t worked then you can try:

  • Cleaning wipes (avoid the citrus types), baby wipes work well.
  • Rubbing toothpaste onto crayon stains. Leave for a few minutes then clean off.
  • If neither of these 2 steps work, use baking soda on a damp wipe/sponge and scrub.

 

 

Permanent marker

One of the hardest stains to remove so aggressive removers are needed. Alcohol wipes or cleaners work but dab onto the stain and slowly remove otherwise you risk damaging walls.

 

Ink

Nail polish remover and solvent cleaners work but try to avoid these if possible as they aren’t the safest. Shaving cream foamers also do the trick.

 

Dirt/Grime

All walls cop a build-up of this from contact with human life. There are many household solutions to clean walls but these days Eraser sponges work best and are cheap. Just remember to use gently so not to damage the wall surface.

 

Mildew

White vinegar still works a treat with mildew. Mix 1 tablespoon into 1 litre of clean water and add solution into a sprayer bottle. Spray over the stain and then rinse with clean water before wiping dry.

 

Now you are ready to paint. Our Monsta Prep Seal (3 in 1 primer, sealer, undercoat) is recommended after stain removal to prep the area for the best paint finish.

 

If you have any stains that we haven’t listed here, please let us know as our Monsta Crew are ready to help.

 

Or, let your kids draw on the wall... walls covered with Monsta WritePaint, that is!

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