All right ladies. All of you cleaners out there need to help me out. How do you wash non washable (paint)ed walls? Not my choice of course, but when we bought the house, no one offered and we didn't think to ask if the paint on our walls was washable or not. Now, two kids and two dogs later, our walls are gross and we are trying to sell our house. I either seem to smear the dirt, or take the paint off, so I am desperate for any ideas on how to at least make them presentable.....
Thanks ladies! I think I am just going to have to "suck it up" as they say and repaint(but not with flat paint!) I think, because our house is not empty, I will put that we will have the house freshly painted as an incentive. Or maybe just a "paint allowance up to x amount of dollars" so they can decide what they want for themselves. I will be using the Old English on my cabinets as my next question was going to be how to tackle the fading from steam above the stove!
Time to repaint, dont think you can wash non washable painted walls. You can get the stuff called kilz and paint the walls then paint the color you want. The kilz covers all dirt and crayons.
Hi MK.....well I hate to tell you this but it sounds like the walls were painted with cheap builders grade paint. If I were selling my house I would just bite it and re-paint. That is always a plus side for selling anyway and you don't have to buy the most expensive paint but a decent one for maybe 11 to 14 a gallon with a eggshell washable finish. Good Luck to you!
The only thing that I can suggest is to repaint the walls. Use a nice neutral color. Use a high gloss white for the trim. We've sold several houses and that's what we always do. Good luck.
I ditto what everyone else is saying...go to Home Depot or something and price out the paint...you can go with the cheap stuff but I am a believer in you get what you pay for...cheaper stuff usually needs 2 coats of paint and painting is a pain in the butt...do it once and be done with it. Behr is my favorite brand these days. The paint chips are EXACTLY what you will get. I would get the 5 gallon drum (as those are cheaper than individual gallons) and tint it the color you want and go at the whole house. The most popular color on houses selling now is a caramel color. Ivory is also a good neutral color to go with. Have a friend or family member babysit the kids for the weekend and you and hubby just go from one room to the next painting it all.
It used to be that home buyers would balk at newly painted houses wondering what the owners had covered up or hidden, but now everyone just wants to move into something they don't have to do anything to. Pick a nice neutral color and go with it. You won't regret it and the house will probably sell much faster. I'm sure even your realtor would agree. I know it's not the news you would like but if you have to go through cleaning all the walls your wasting your time...just invest the time with painting the walls anew.
Did you give the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser a try? I love that thing! It worked great for us, but if there is a LOT of surface area that needs cleaned up, might just be easier to put on a new coat of paint.
Good luck!
Repaint your walls with washable GLOSS paint.
I hate to bring bad news, but the other ladies are right. We have a rental house, and like all rental houses, they use cheap flat paint. I have tried every option out there to clean the walls, and anything that takes off the mess also takes off the paint. If you really want them presentable, you will have to repaint. It will add to the value of your house to have newly painted interior, so you will get a return on that investment.
I used the magic eraser to clean my baseboards and they took the paint off the walls. Its sad but your probably going to have to repaint. I hope your one of those who like to paint because we arent. In this real estate market your going to need all the help you can get to sell your house and fresh paint looks so good. (I worked in real estate). Good luck and I hope everything goes well for you!
Hi MK, My Mom used to clean houses and a bucket of hot soapy water and a rag always went a long way. If you have tried this and it hasn't worked, I suggest going not to Home Depot for paint but Sears, and I recommend this because I have a whole bunch of paint I bought there for $5 a gallon or less, they are marked clearance, but they are mis-tints, and I know for a fact that the mis-tints are more expensive elsewhere. Good luck with whatever you decide.
M.
Whether your wall are cleanable or not, a common suggestion to sell your house is to paint anyway. You may want to skip trying a litany of cleaning suggestions and just put on a fresh coat of washable paint!
I'm sure someone else has said this, but paint the walls. It's better to paint the walls than have the house on the market forever.
Suzi
It sounds like you have a flat paint on your walls. I had the same problem, and our house is brand new. I had to repaint the whole house. But you have to use a semi-gloss paint. The really good kind is about $25 a gallon, but you can get some pretty good quality paint at Wal-Mart, too for less $$. Good luck with this. When you paint, I've found that sometimes the paint peels off when you remove the painter's tape. For me, it was easier to just use an angled 2" brush and paint arount the trim with that, instead of using the tape.
About all you can do is paint, but that is a very cheap and easy improvement when trying to sell. Most realtors will tell you to do that rather than just clean.
flat paint is hard to keep clean and a lot of times the cleaners rub off the paint to the primer underneath which looks worse than the dirt sometimes. It would probably be easier to repaint the walls with semigloss paint which is washable and if you are selling your house, stick with neutral colors or white.
M K,
Wow, sounds like my house and mine are washable and they still are hard to get clean. You really just need a fresh coat of paint! My daughter uses the magic eraser for crayons etc, but not sure about the rest. My husband and his brother have been in the painting business 20yrs and do a fast very reasonably priced job. If you want an estimate just call them.
Heritage One Inc Dave Bennett ###-###-#### or Byron Bennett ###-###-####. Can't guarantee they can do it asap but they can give you and estimate anyway. I recommend more than one but I can bet they will be lower! Good luck!
J.
Not sure what the others have said, but magic eraser should work. BUT, you should probably just repaint anyway. There is nothing worse than seeing other people's dirt marks on a wall of a house you are considering buying. Fresh paint always looks much better and brighter. You will notice a big difference. Chances are there are some chips in the paint on the walls and the corners, so only painting would fix that anyway. Just repaint. (They have those eco-friendly, no-fume paints now).
You might have to paint them over again. Besides, that is the cheapest way to make your house look fresh and clean - new paint. It really brightens up a place.
What have you tried to use, I would suggest maybe some vinegar water or spic an span. Spic an span should not take the paint off the walls at all. If you have one spot that is marked with crayons or ink pens I would first use some goo-gone on it to take that off an then go back with spic an span as I don't think spican span will take the ink or marks off the wall. Goo-Gone you can find just about anywhere, I do know that home depot sells it.
We love the Mr. Clean Magic Erasers. That's what we use in our old home to clean it up before family events. I don't have a larger scale solution though.
I say repaint in a nice neutral color. You can then advertise "newly painted."
Mr. Clean erasers has worked for me...
I would repaint all walls with the same or shade darker color using semigloss paint that will not only help the loo of your walls but the appeal of them to potential buyes will be worth it because I would look at them and if they are gross i'll pass without looking at he rest of the home and lots of people are very critical in the appearance of a home to buy
I live in a rented duplex. We have the same problem, just daily living...kids trailing a hand along the wall, the wall in front of the cat bowls, the wall in front of the trash...you wipe it with a sponge or a magic eraser and the paint comes off too. Sorry but your only option is painting that I know of. You can paint it the same cheap paint or you can pay a little extra for the paint that can be washed w/o coming off. I wish I had better advice.
Good luck, I will be watching the responses too = )
B.
I am the wife of a long-time professional painter ........
I'm sorry, but your only option is a fresh coat of paint.
It doesn't have to be the most expensive paint if you are short on cash, since you are only trying to freshen it to sell.
Most paint should hold up to a general wiping down. There is paint that is more durable and can take a harder scrub.
Flat paint is the worst to try to keep clean, it absorbs dirt and cheap flat pain just rubs off.
So honestly it sounds like you need to repaint.
You can try warm water and dawn dish soap and "mop" the walls with a sponge mop. TSP is common to wash walls with it's a little bit harsher, so I worry about you using that.
4 words. Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. It works, buy several of them though cuz they dissolve and one wall may take two depending on how bad they are. I swear by them, pencil, permanent marker, food, juice, dirty hand marks around corners and light switches, even stains on a white counter top. Have wood cabinets? Take a soapy washcloth and clean them then take Old English furniture polish and do them up any nicks or scratches will be hidden from quick glancing prospective buyers.
Hope this helps, A.
paint you walls, your investment will be returned 5 fold
Old Realtor
