Use dish soap, baking soda, and warm water, but keep your sponge a little damp while you're scrubbing the dirt away. The dish soap should give you enough dirt-busting power for oil-based paint, while the baking soda acts as a mild abrasive.
Mix water and dish soap
Now that the dust is wiped away, it's time to wash walls. Fill one bucket with a gallon of warm water and mix clear liquid hand or dish soap and water in the other. Soak a cloth in the solution, and wring it out well.
Use a small amount of dye-free hand soap or dishwashing detergent dissolved in warm water. Glossy and semi-glossy finishes are a bit hardier, and you can use cleaners with a degreasing agent, including stronger types of dish soap.
Work top to bottom, left to right, and gently spray (more mist than stream) the wall down with your wall cleaner of choice. Apply some pressure and literally mop the wall.
Latex-based paint responds very well to vinegar or dish detergent. Add just a few drops of dish detergent or a few tablespoons of vinegar to approximately half a bucket of water. Once these solutions have been mixed together, use a soft sponge to gently remove dirt and grime from your walls.
A Gentle Cleanser. Because it's such a mild cleaner, dish soap is an ideal first line of attack for dirty walls. A mixture of 1 ounce of your favorite dish detergent per gallon of warm water removes general dirt from most surfaces as well as smudges from walls with a gloss or semi-gloss finish.
To help keep walls clean, vacuum painted walls with a soft brush attachment. Then wipe them down with a cloth-covered broom or mop (spray with a dusting agent for best results), or use an electrostatic dusting wipe. Wipe away fingerprints and other marks like sticker residue soon after they appear.
Mix three or four drops of dish detergent in half-filled bucket of water. (Or you can go “old school” and do the cleaning with vinegar: Use two or three tablespoons of distilled white vinegar to a gallon of water. Using vinegar to clean a painted room can be surprisingly effective.)
While you can use your Magic Eraser sponge on a (non-glossy) painted wall or other surface, avoid using it on untreated or “natural” finished wood, like wood paneling or stained furniture. You'll likely damage the finish and could potentially scratch the wood itself.
Regular Cleaning
If you need even more firepower, create a solution containing 1 cup ammonia, 1/2 cup vinegar, 1/4 cup baking soda and one gallon of warm water. Add the solution to a spray bottle, spray the solution onto the wall, and lightly scrub with your sponge.
Use the Magic Eraser to remove scuffs, dust and grime from the surface of your walls. In just a few firm swipes, you should be able to see the Magic Eraser work its magic. When you're done, your walls will be clean, prepped, and ready for your new paint.
Steps For An Expert Clean
Add about ¼ cup of your favorite Pine-Sol® scent to a gallon of water. Dip a sponge, rag or cloth in the mixture and wring out until it's lightly damp. Then, start wiping down the walls from top to bottom, using Pine-Sol® at its full strength on stubborn marks.
One way to clean stains is with warm water and a mild detergent or soap mixture. Simply mix the ingredients together, apply them to a rag, sponge or even paper towel, and rub at the stain. Make sure to rub firmly but not enough to damage your paint. For stubborn stains, we recommend using a rag or soft sponge.
All-Purpose Cleaner
Mix 1/3 cup of bleach, one gallon of water and one teaspoon of Tide powdered laundry detergent. It works amazingly well on walls, bathroom surfaces and pretty much everywhere else!
Vinegar will not be harmful to the paint on the walls, so do not worry when applying how to clean the stain on the wall with vinegar. Fill a bucket with clean water and add the vinegar, making sure to replace the water when it becomes dirty.
It's okay, all walls get grubby – especially if there are children or pets in the house! Wipe with a very lightly dampened sponge, dipped in a solution of washing-up liquid. Don't rub hard or you may damage the surface. To make cleaning easier, consider using washable paper or paint.
If you think about what dish soap like Dawn or Dial is made for like removing grease and caked-on food, then you'll understand why it's not good for your car. While it does a good job, it's good because it's considered an abrasive soap.
The abrasive nature of Windex does not lend itself well to wood or varnished surfaces. This is because the ammonia can eat through the surface and cause damage. A less abrasive wood cleaner is recommended for such surfaces. The unique ingredients in Windex are also hazardous if swallowed or sprayed in the eyes.
Around the home, vinegar can help eliminate odors and remove dirt. It can also be mixed with other ingredients, like baking soda, to scrub hard surfaces. Vinegar can be an effective alternative to harsh cleaners, but it does have a few drawbacks, especially when it comes to its disinfectant abilities.
Pine-Sol vs Bleach
Bleach is great at disinfecting and whitening toilets, tubs, clothes, and sinks. On the other hand, Pine-Sol is used to break down grease and clean household floors. Still, each of these products should be used separately. That way, the fumes produced do not react to create toxic chlorine gas.
Wipe down walls with a dry duster. Dilute a multi-surface cleaner like Pine-Sol in a gallon of water. Consult the product instructions for the best cleaner-to-water ratio. Use a sponge that's dampened (not soaking) with the solution to wipe down walls, using a dry cloth to wipe down clean areas as you go.
The Swiffer Sweeper floor mop is a go-to cleaning tool for homeowners with hard floors, but did you know that it's also perfect for dusting walls, trim and other hard-to-reach areas of rooms? Attach a dry cloth to the Swiffer's rectangle end and swipe it along the wall to pick up dust, cobwebs and dirt and more.
This “soft” sponge is abrasive, and it can cause a great deal of damage to paint or other delicate surfaces. Even though the Magic Eraser works wonders around the house, you should not use it on any painted, shiny, or delicate surfaces of your car.
Mix one cup of white vinegar into a bucket of warm water, and use a soft sponge to tackle stubborn stains. You can also try using washing-up liquid and warm water. For glossy finishes, which are less durable when it comes to cleaning, avoid harsh substances and consider using heat instead.