It's essential that surfaces are cleaned before painting even if they don't look dirty. Any residue on the wall can stop the new paint from properly sticking. Sugar soap will effectively remove any grease and grime—just ensure the sugar soap is washed off the surface prior to painting.
Liquid Dish Soap
Liquid dish soap is another alternative to sugar soap before painting. It works like soap flakes, but it is easier to dissolve in warm water.
An essential product for washing down, apart from warm water, is sugar soap. And, although it can seem like an unnecessary expense at first, will pay dividends in the long run. Sugar soap comes in liquid or powder form (from amazon.co.uk).
Apart from warm water, a sugar soap helps in removing all that grease and dirt so the new coat of paint looks fresh. Cleaning with sugar soaps helps the new paint to stick to the walls without hampering the adhesion.
Use sandpaper or a sanding block to dull any uneven surfaces, wipe away dust with a damp cloth and let dry thoroughly. Smoothing walls before painting is necessary for surfaces previously painted with a gloss or high-gloss paint. For previously painted water-based paint, sand with a fine-grit sandpaper.
After you have finished cleaning your walls with sugar soap, 1 to 2 hours should be enough time for the walls to become dry. If you can, however, you should wait a full 24 hours to ensure that they are definitely dry and that you will get that perfect professional paint job look that you want.
Sugar soap will help cut through stubborn stains – on your walls, benches or floors – but you will need to change up your tools of the trade. Switch out the soft sponge for a non-scratch scourer and pour the non-diluted sugar soap concentrate straight onto it.
It doesn't need to be done straight away. Let the sugar soap sit for a minute, then wipe down with a clean cloth/sponge, leave for a couple hours. Then safe to apply your fresh coat of paint. 1 hour is fine.
With fine sandpaper, remove lumps, bumps and any paint flakes. Brush off excess dust and then wash down the walls with Poly Sugar Soap to remove grease and grime. Let the sugar soap dry completely before filling.
Use a mild detergent like sugar soap and a microfibre cloth to clean mould off walls, floors and tiles. Make sure to dry the area thoroughly after wiping mould off surfaces.
Yes, open the hairline cracks a little before you apply the filler. Thing to remember here is to first remove the old paste residue from the walls, I would suggest sugar soap for this, you can apply it with a large brush 4" or above and wipe clean with rags.
2 Answers from MyBuilder Painters & Decorators
It does depend on how dirty they are and if there is staining. The best way is to wash with sugar soap but this means getting the paper quite wet. A solution is to apply a coat of white emulsion first. This should absorb the surface dirt.
But here in North America, you won't find much sugar soap on the shelves. Instead, the most similar thing to sugar soap is TSP (trisodium phosphate).
Sugar soap, as typically found in Commonwealth countries, is a cleaning material of variable composition sold for use on surfaces affected by greasy or tarry deposits which are not easily removed with routine domestic cleaning materials.
If you're painting the kitchen, there may well be grease on the walls, so try using a slightly stronger solution of washing-up liquid. Make sure you rinse off any residues with clean water and leave the walls to completely dry before painting.
Sugar soap is a type of chemical cleaner usually used to wash walls before painting them, but also to refresh dingy-looking paint. You can sugar soap and reveal your beautiful walls by applying the product and then thoroughly rinsing it off.
Clean the gloss
Use sugar soap and a clean sponge to wash the surface. Directly apply the sugar soap to the gloss and lightly scrub to eliminate all the grease, dust and dirt. Work in small sections to make sure you've thoroughly cleaned it. Then use water and a clean rag to wash off the sugar soap residue.
Despite the name, the common form of sugar soap contains no sugar. The name comes from the way it looks: The powdered form resembles sugar crystals. Although ingredients vary from brand to brand, the main ones are sodium carbonate, sodium phosphate and sodium silicate.
Ingestion: This material has been classified as non-hazardous. Corrosion/Irritancy: Eye: this material has been classified as a Category 2A Hazard (reversible effects to eyes). Skin: this material has been classified as not corrosive or irritating to skin.
Sugar soap is a highly effective cleaner and is particularly useful for preparing surfaces for painting but it is not designed for killing mould. Sugar Soap will not penetrate porous substances and kill mould at the roots nor will it kill airborne spores.
Lining paper is susceptible to dampness, so if you have lining paper go very easy with the water. If you have heavy staining or dirt the best cleaning agents are the traditional ones: a solution of washing soda crystals or sugar soap (the decorators favourite).
Use a sugar soap solution and a sponge to wipe down and clean your skirting boards. You need to remove all dirt, dust and grease as you don't want this immortalised in paint. We don't recommend painting your skirting boards without sanding them first.