Manufacturer Recommendations For The Cleaning Of Colored Walls

Friday, February 21, 2014

Manufacturer Recommendations For The Cleaning Of Colored Walls

Manufacturer Suggestions for the Cleaning of Painted Walls

Painting is one of the easiest and most budget-friendly ways to transform a room or an entire house. It can give a shabby room a chic look almost instantly. But after spending time and money painting your walls, it's important to maintain them and extend the life of your paint.

Paint Sheens

Painted walls can be cleaned, but how well it works depends largely on their sheen. According to glidden.com, flat paint should be used only in low-traffic areas because its surface does not lend itself to cleaning. An eggshell finish can be washed and scrubbed and is ideal for high-traffic areas such as family rooms. A satin finish provides both sheen and cleanability and can be used in any space. A semigloss paint is durable and washable and can stand up to the moisture in a bathroom or the shenanigans in a child's room.

Maintaining Painted Walls

Sherwin-Williams.com says regular cleaning will help painted surfaces look nice longer. It recommends using a nonabrasive cleaner that does not contain harsh chemicals. Don't use products containing ammonia on water-based paint. Test your cleaner in an out of the way spot before applying it to an entire wall. Tried and true soapy water usually works well, Sherwin-Williams says. Wait at least 2 weeks before cleaning a freshly painted surface. This will ensure that you don't harm the paint before it reaches its final stage of hardness and washability.

Using a Concentrated Cleaner

If you want to use concentrated household cleaners on painted walls, be sure the cleaner is nonabrasive and gentle. Don't skip the step of diluting it but add water according to the instructions. You can adjust the strength of the solution to fit the cleaning job, if necessary. Use more water for light cleaning and less when you need more cleaning power. Use a sponge or cloth to wash the wall, always cleaning from the bottom to the top, Sherwin-Williams says. Don't allow the cleaner to dry on the wall. Rinse it thoroughly with water, then repeat the cleaning process if needed.

Using a Premixed Cleaner

When you use a premixed household cleaner, Sherwin-Williams advises spraying the problem area just enough to wet it. Using a sponge or cloth, wipe the dirt and debris off the wall, also wiping up any extra cleaning solution. If your wall has a stain, scrubbing may be required to remove it. If the cleaner's instructions recommend it, rinse the wall when you're finished.

Cleaning Mildew

According to benjaminmoore.com, painted surfaces can be affected by mildew, especially when they are in a high-moisture area such as a bathroom, laundry room or kitchen. Rooms that don't get a lot of sunlight also may be at risk. If a painted surface has brown, gray or black spots, it might be mildew. You can test it by applying a few drops of bleach; if the spots go away, you probably have mildew. The paint company recommends using one part bleach to three parts water to clean the mildew. Wear rubber gloves and something to protect your eyes and scrub the affected surface. Rinse the area well. To keep the mildew from returning, consider repainting with a high-quality latex paint or installing an exhaust fan in the room to keep the moisture down.

19th century paint colors

Friday, February 21, 2014