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Post by KyMama on Jan 4, 2016 12:50:14 GMT
I've cleaned my walls in the past and not had good results. They are streaky and have areas that still look dirty. I plan on painting my kitchen soon and desperately need to clean the walls first. My main questions is what type of cleaning solution works best? I've been googling, but there are so many mixtures that I'm not sure what to use. Any help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks
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Post by Skandi on Jan 4, 2016 13:27:29 GMT
Sugar soap is what I use to strip grease before painting, it will still look streaky if the paint on the walls is cheap or a non washable kind, nothing much you can do about that. in my house I cannot wash the walls, since the previous owner used cheap paints that come off when you rub them.
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Post by motdaugrnds on Jan 4, 2016 13:55:22 GMT
When I first got this old trailer, the kitchen looked like it had never been cleaned. Grease on the walls, cabinets and even ceiling. I went to Lowe's Dept Store and asked in the paint department if there is some sort of "primer" I could use to cover the grease so it would not come thru the new paint I wanted to put on. I was told there was and I purchased some. It worked! I have forgotten the name of it; so you might want to ask your local hardware store.
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Post by KyMama on Jan 4, 2016 14:24:51 GMT
Sugar soap?
I don't know what the paint is that's on the kitchen walls because I've never gotten around to painting it myself. Kinda ashamed to admit we've lived here going on 14 years and my kitchen is still the boring white it was when we moved in. I have some primer that I should probably use before I put my pretty blue paint on the walls. More work, maybe this is why I haven't painted the kitchen yet. lol Not to mention that I need to paint the ceiling first and eventually get all the cabinet doors painted and put back up.
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Post by farmchix on Jan 4, 2016 15:13:11 GMT
You would be amazed at the power of ammonia! When I am painting and scrubbing walls, I make up a bucket of ammonia water. It is also great for cleaning up any kind of build up on floors.
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Post by tenbusybees on Jan 4, 2016 15:31:38 GMT
You would be amazed at the power of ammonia! When I am painting and scrubbing walls, I make up a bucket of ammonia water. It is also great for cleaning up any kind of build up on floors. Ammonia is a fabulous degreaser too. |
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Post by KyMama on Jan 4, 2016 18:40:34 GMT
I have ammonia on hand, but is the smell very strong? It's too cold here right now to open the windows for ventilation. What would y'all recommend as a ratio of ammonia to water?
Thank you
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Post by farmchix on Jan 4, 2016 20:11:05 GMT
I use about a cup to 3 gallons of water. (Use lukewarm water instead of hot to eliminate some of the fumes.)
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Post by Skandi on Jan 4, 2016 21:39:13 GMT
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Post by grillbilly on Jan 4, 2016 23:18:38 GMT
Ammonia in the summer with all the windows open, Simple Green in the winter.
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Post by motdaugrnds on Jan 5, 2016 13:32:23 GMT
I used Ammonia to clean a kitchen many, many years ago and was seriously damaged by the fumes....will never use it again!
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Post by shin on Jan 5, 2016 15:17:36 GMT
I've always been told to use vinegar instead of ammonia for cleaning, speaking generally.
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Post by manygoatsnmore on Jan 6, 2016 3:21:43 GMT
A nice bowl of Dawn dish washing liquid in hot water gets a lot of gunk off, without doing any damage. Wipe with clear water, then towel dry.
If that doesn't work, Mr Clean Erasers work very well, too, especially if there are marks like crayon, etc to be cleaned off. The cheaper ones from Dollar Tree work just as well for a lot less money.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 7, 2016 4:32:53 GMT
If you have plaster walls (Kal-Kote plaster) that are not painted, aka "virgin" white, bleach works like a charm. You can spray it for areas that have smoke stains. For other stains such as box elder bugs/bugs, coffee (who hasn't sloshed coffee?), you can wet a white cleaning cloth and press on the stain.
I remember a product called "Big Wally" for cleaning walls, not sure if it is available these days. And Jubilee for cleaning appliances!
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Post by Deleted on Jan 7, 2016 16:16:00 GMT
There is a product called TSP that you can get at a hardware store that is for cleaning walls.
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Post by manygoatsnmore on Jan 9, 2016 0:10:27 GMT
There is a product called TSP that you can get at a hardware store that is for cleaning walls. Just a caution - be sure to wear gloves when using TSP - it is Tri Sodium Phosphate and it will eat your hands! Cleans well, but can strip poor quality surfaces a bit, too. We used it when my sister had heavy smoke damage from a fire, and it worked a charm. |
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Post by shin on Jan 9, 2016 4:34:06 GMT
There is a product called TSP that you can get at a hardware store that is for cleaning walls. Add a little of it to your dishwasher detergent and it will clean your dishes sparkling clean like the days of old again too! |
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Post by shin on Jan 9, 2016 4:36:45 GMT
Bit of vinegar can help with that too!
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Post by farmchix on Jan 9, 2016 11:08:36 GMT
Bit of vinegar can help with that too! I put vinegar in the dishwasher as well. It helps get rid of hard water deposits when you have well water. |
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Post by wolfmom on Jan 22, 2016 19:11:31 GMT
There is a product called TSP that you can get at a hardware store that is for cleaning walls. Yuppers - TSP. I only use that. It also works well on gloss paint to dull it (deglossing) so new paint will adhere. You do not have to use a primer today as most paints come with a primer already in it. I recently had to repaint a whole house! I use Behr (Home Depot) as that routinely is a Consumer Reports Best Buy. BTW: start from the bottom and work your way up as many times you can't remove streaks (water runs) from working top down. |
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Post by KyMama on Jan 25, 2016 18:11:29 GMT
Thanks everyone! My husband didn't want me using ammonia since I couldn't open any windows for ventilation. I was going to just use dish soap and water, but I saw a huge container of Simple Green in Sam's and decided to try that instead. It's working great so far and it cleaned my bathtub, which is a battle with a son who spends his school day in auto. Now if I could just get used to the paint color. It's freaking me out a little because it's a lot darker than I normally choose.  |
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Post by manygoatsnmore on Jan 28, 2016 5:57:15 GMT
KyMama, I love the color! In fact, I have a guest bath in that color.  Glad you found a good way to get the walls clean (and the tub is a bonus - score!).
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