Use a mixture of lukewarm water and mild soap, gently rubbing in a circular motion. Rinse your walls using a slightly damp cellulose sponge.
However, in general, warm, soapy water is typically the best approach. Fill up a bucket and gently scrub the wall with a sponge; start from the base and work your way up. You'll eliminate most of the dust and grime, resulting in a surface that's much smoother for applying paint.
For the best results, you'll want to clean your walls first. This helps ensure that dust isn't trapped in the new paint and that the new paint adheres better, for a longer-lasting result.
A solution of warm water and mild detergent is the best thing to wash walls with before painting and generally recommended by the major paint companies.
The vinegar and water solution alone is great to use for washing walls before painting as well as routine wall washing in the home. *Note, if you need a little extra scrubbing action switch from the smooth side of the cloth to the scrubbing dots side.
Use warm water and an all-purpose cleaner for walls with latex paint. Wash this type of paint with a soft sponge and a safe, all-purpose cleaning solution like water, dish soap, and distilled white vinegar. Dip a clean sponge in your wall cleaner, wring it dry, and gently clean your wall.
If you've hired a professional to paint your walls, don't expect them to wash beforehand. Most professional painters don't — so you'll either want to hire a cleaner or do this step yourself before they start working (otherwise, you may have just paid for a paint job that will just need to be redone).
Surface Prep For Painting: Remove Cracked or Peeling Paint
Scrub all surfaces with a mild detergent and a sponge or rag to remove all dirt, grease, oil, etc. Rinse surface well and allow to dry. Spot-priming will help the new paint adhere and give a better finished look.
You can quickly clean smooth-surfaced walls with a wet Swiffer mop. It can touch hard-to-reach spots on the wall and slides easily along the corners. The primary downside is that fresh Swiffer pads can leave drips, which can leave marks and get behind outlets and light switches.
In addition to smoothing out walls, painters may also do a bit of cleaning, remove stains, tape over trims in the room, and remove outlet covers.
Answer: You cannot properly prime a wall when it is dirty. You may take some steps towards priming, but if your painter's work is not complete then do not begin painting until he or she has finished.
Most latex primers dry to the touch in 30 minutes to one hour. But for best results, don't paint until the primer completely dries—which can take up to 3 hours, depending on temperature and humidity. Once the primer is completely dry, it's prime time for painting.
You probably don't need a primer. If the current wall is smooth, clean and covered with the same type of paint (both are oil-based for example), you can head straight for the paint. You need to fill holes, spackle and sand*, maybe even cut a new piece of drywall in to the existing wall.
The best way to clean walls painted with latex paint is to use warm water and a non-abrasive all-purpose cleaner.
If your paint finish is eggshell, semigloss, high-gloss, or oil-based, you can clean your walls with a light washing using a diluted solution of liquid dishwashing soap and warm water.
Cleaning Walls
Mix together ½ cup of vinegar and 2 cups of warm water. Put the solution into a spray bottle, and apply a light layer onto the wall (don't oversaturate it).
You can also use most non-abrasive multipurpose cleaners on this type of paint or make your own by mixing one teaspoon of liquid dish soap and ¼ teaspoon of white vinegar into one quart of water. This cleaner should work on most latex paints. Finally, oil-based paints can take a slightly stronger cleanser.
When cleaning walls with latex paint, you want to add dish detergent and distilled white vinegar to your solution. You can use a little of both or just use two tablespoons of vinegar—or three tablespoons if you know you're going to need to use some elbow grease.
It is effective at killing mould, germs, and bacteria, so any stains you have on your wall will be removed by it too. There are a few ways to create the vinegar solution to clean painted walls. All you need to do is create a 50:50 solution of water and white vinegar in a spray bottle.
Back-rolling is typically most impactful when applying the primer for the interior walls of a home or a new construction build. While the primer is the coat that bonds with the substrate initially, airless spraying itself does not penetrate or enhance adhesion.