Cleaning Guides

How to Clean Walls After Removing Wallpaper

Fantastic Team
Published: Jan 28/2020
Last update: Jun 12/2024
4min read
Views: 24,272

Not many things can beat the feeling when you find the right wallpaper for your interior. But with time our tastes in design often change. You might start craving a newer, simpler look for your room. So it makes sense to remove the current wallpaper and replace it with another one of a different pattern or maybe paint the room with the appropriate colour instead.

Either way, you will probably spend a lot of time cleaning up the wall after the wallpaper is off. In this article, the Fantastic Services team will explain how to clean walls after removing wallpaper.

Table of Contents:

Tools you need
How to clean a wall after removing wallpaper
Hire professionals

Cleaning the walls after removing wallpaper is not just a cleaning matter, but depending on the damage, you might need to do some spackle work as well. If you’re ready to take on the challenge, then this is the right article for you! Keep reading if you:

Have decided to remove your wallpaper;
Are doing a DIY renovation.

Tools you need

A bucket of water and sponges;
Liquid dish soap and baking soda;
Rubber gloves;
Putty knife;
Dry rags.

How to clean walls after removing wallpaper

Time needed: 4 hours.

Once the wallpaper is off, you’re probably looking at the state of your walls and thinking “What have I done?” The room is a mess, everything is covered in plastic and the walls seem like they belong at a construction site rather than in your property. But fret not! Follow this simple guide and you will easily prepare your wall for painting or for the new wallpaper.

Mix a cleaning solution.
Prepare a solution of liquid dish soap, baking soda and a cup of vinegar in a bucket full of hot water. Stir it well and pour it in a spray bottle with a pump. This is the easiest cleaning solution for walls you can do by yourself. It should be enough to clean them up from any glue residue.
Proceed with the cleaning.
Spray the wall evenly with the solution and use a sponge to remove any unwanted speck of dirt and glue that makes the wall look uneven. Make sure to use rubber gloves as you work. If you’re doing this after you’ve removed the wallpaper, you might find it a bit physically challenging. Have some rest before you continue.
Scrape off any stubborn glue residue.
Unfortunately, some glue residue might be a bit more difficult to get rid of. So, use a putty knife to gently scrape it off the wall. Be very careful on this step, as many people tend to chip off tiny parts of the wall and end up having to spackle it later. And no, it’s not a good idea to leave glue residue on the wall, no matter how unnoticeable it is. Even a speck of leftover glue can stand in the way of a future paint job, so make sure to remove it completely.
Clean up the wall.
Once you removed all the glue residue, clean the wall again with the mixed solution and a sponge, concentrating on the sturdiest areas. Repeat until you are satisfied with the results.
Dry the wall.
After the cleanup, use a dry rag to soak up some of the moisture and help the walls dry faster. Open all windows and doors to ventilate the room properly. Leave it like this and go get some well-deserved rest. On the next day, your walls will be ready for a paint job.

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Rely on professional cleaners and handymen

Now you know how to clean walls after removing wallpaper. And as you’ve seen, the work could take some time. It’s also possible that you will need to sand and spackle the wall before applying the appropriate layer of paint or different wallpapers.

This job is a piece of cake for professional painters with Fantastic Services. Whether you need a paint job or to replace your old wallpaper with a new one, you can always trust the Fantastic Services team.

Need a professional to clean your house?

Fantastic Services is here for you!

Takeaways

To clean up a wall that used to be covered in wallpaper, you need a solution of hot water, liquid soap and baking soda;
For stubborn glue residue, you’ll need a putty knife, but bear in mind that this poses a high risk to chip away parts of the wall and end up needing spackle;
Removing wallpaper and preparing the walls for a paint job is a tiring job that could take up your entire day. That’s why it’s recommended to leave it to professional handymen.

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Did we miss something? Have you ever had to clean a wall after removing wallpaper? Tell us in the comments!

Image source: inxti/shutterstock.com