5 Simple & Effective Ways to Clean Your Walls
We’re sharing the best ways to clean every inch of your walls without ruining them.
Ever wonder how to clean your walls? Yes, I said walls. It’s one area most of us tend to avoid or forget about altogether when cleaning our homes!
Forget no more because I’m sharing the best, easiest, & most effective ways to clean your walls – no matter whether they’re tiled, painted, or wallpapered!
Helpful wall cleaning tips before getting started:
- Before using any of our wall cleaning tips, test your favorite technique in a small area first to ensure it will not damage your wall or finish.
- Keep in mind that using any liquid on flat paint is not ideal and will likely leave streaks.
1. Aunt Fannie’s All-Purpose cleaner will clean any wall surface & it’s extremely clean itself.
You will need:
After seeing a video on Instagram about this cleaner taking off a wall scuff, I was already totally sold! Plus, it’s even awarded the highest health & safety rating for cleaning products by the EWG so, in my opinion, it doesn’t get any better than this.
Not only is it ideal for cleaning your painted walls, but it’s also wonderful for your removable wallpaper, sinks, tile, stone, and everything in between! Aunt Fannie’s All-Purpose Cleaner comes in 4 essential oil scents and is the perfect wellness-inspired cleaning product for your walls.
Hip Tip: Have harder to clean marks or scuffs on your wallpaper? Many people swear by using an Artist Gum Eraser to easily get rid of scuffs on wallpaper. Plus, they don’t crumble like magic erasers tend to do.
2. Make your own earth-friendly & frugal all-purpose cleaner with vinegar & water for basic spot cleaning.
You will need:
- Distilled white vinegar
- Empty spray bottle
- Filtered water
- Essential oils (optional)
- Microfiber towel
Vinegar is super inexpensive and has many benefits when it comes to cleaning which makes it a great way to clean your walls! If you’re also looking to clean your walls in the most natural way possible, vinegar mixed with water is an easy & effective DIY wall cleaning idea so grab a microfiber cloth and read how to make it in your home!
In an empty spray bottle, simply mix equal parts distilled white vinegar and water, and add essential oils if desired. Essential oils are a great way to disinfect naturally and they smell amazing! Our DIY blogger, Lina’s, favorite refreshing scent combination is Tea Tree Oil & Lemongrass Oil! Or you can add in your favorite citrus and herbs, such as lemon and rosemary.
Here are 9 other ways you can use vinegar in your home.
3. Use a reusable Turbo Mop to get rid of cobwebs, dust, & fingerprints from the kids.
You will need:
- Turbo Mop System (reusable pads included)
You may not have ever thought about using an actual mop to clean your walls, but the Turbo Mop couldn’t be the more perfect solution! Similar to a Swiffer, these microfiber mops are even better since they’re reusable. They’re also perfect for walls of any finish or texture since they use a gentle, non-abrasive microfiber pad.
Even better, they can also be wet or dry so whether you’re just getting rid of some hard-to-reach cobwebs or you’re battling little dirty fingerprints, it’s sure to get the job done quickly and easily. Best of all, when you’re done, you just throw the microfiber mop head in the wash when done and use it for next time!
Read more about why I love my Turbo Mop!
4. Use some of your laundry detergent & water to do a deep cleaning of your walls.
You will need:
- Your favorite laundry detergent (clear is preferred)
- Warm water
- 2 Microfiber cloths (white is preferred)
- Dropcloth or towel
- 2 buckets or 2 large bowls
- Stepstool or ladder
If your walls are in need of a seriously deep clean, laundry detergent is an easy way to scrub down all your walls from head to toe. Just keep in mind this effective way on how to clean walls is the most time-consuming. However, it can also be the most rewarding too!
Simply fill one of your large buckets with about 1/4 of laundry detergent and 1 gallon of warm water. Then fill your other bucket with plain, warm water (this will be used for rinsing).
Grab your stepstool (if needed for harder-to-reach areas of your wall) and place your dropcloth or towel in the area you’ll be cleaning first to avoid any drips on your floor.
Dip one of your microfiber cloths into the soapy water and begin to wipe your wall clean with the damp cloth. (White is preferred to eliminate the possibility of color transfer to your walls.) Use your other dry microfiber cloth for wiping any remaining drips or streaks off your wall. Repeat until your entire wall is complete!
5. A cloth, hot water, & Pine-Sol is a traditional way for how to clean your walls & cut through grime.
You will need:
- Pine-Sol
- Microfiber cloth
- Hot water
Some of my Hip sidekicks learned the best way on how to clean your walls is simply to stick with tradition. If you already have some PineSol laying around, it’s definitely a simple tried & true way to scrub down those walls since it’s popular for being able to cut through grease and grime – perfect for those kitchen tile walls! However, with some hot water, it’s also great to simply clean walls of all kinds.
Plus, if you love the fresh, pine smell, it’ll freshen your home for days with its deodorizing abilities.
“I’m a bit old-school and I just use Pine-Sol and hot water on a microfiber cloth or sponge.” – Jessica, Hip2Save sidekick
“I use a little bit of Dawn on a sponge then follow up with hot water and Pine-Sol. Just don’t do this on flat paint as it will ruin the sheen – speaking from a friend’s experience!” – Angela, Hip2Save sidekick
I use one of the sponge mops from dollar tree to clean the walls. Works quickly and effectively!
Awesome! Thanks for letting us know what has worked well for you!
That turbo mop looks similar in design to the dollar tree ones. I use that and the swiffer all the time on my walls. Also my fav cleaner combines two of yours. I use any spray bottles and fill it 3/4 with water , 1/4 with vinegar, and just a squeeze of dawn. This gets rid of everything and cleans walls, floors, stainless steel, glass, etc. it’s our daily all-purpose home and kitchen cleaner.
does that vinegar break down anything since it’s acidic? i’ve been wanting to try this but wondering if it will break the sealant on my countertops.
No bc I use a smaller % of the vinegar and wipe it straight away. I have birds And use it on hardened bird poop in or around the cage or home. Nothing cleans it as quickly as my mixture. I actually found it through a Fb bird group I I’m in.
Thanks! I’m gonna try this now
I use dove non-aeresol hairspray and it has left little shiny spots all over the walls and ceramic tile floors. I can’t even get it off the tile, which I thought would be easier than the walls. Any ideas? Also, are there any non-aeresol hairsprays that won’t have this problem??? Help please 🥺
Make a paste of borax and warm water. You’ll need to scrub a bit. Rinse well.
Clean it with a mix of shampoo and water, wipe down with a sponge or cloth. You can also wipe the floor spots with rubbing alcohol.
I second the alcohol.
Search “microfiber flat mop with bucket” on Amazon or eBay. They’re like a turbo mop with a bucket and they work great for walls and ceilings.
Thanks for the helpful suggestion, Michelle!
I am very interested in these for my tile floors! I just looked on Amazon and there are LOTS of them. Can you recommend one or any of them?
The best mops are Ocedar Spin Mops. They are super easy to use and the mop head cleans in the washer. Just hang to dry and they will last for years.
I’ve bought about four of them. The brands change a lot. I’m a janitor and use these a lot, and they’re not super sturdy, so I’ve had a couple break on me where the heads attach to the mop “stick” part. I would just buy the cheapest one and make sure it has a few mop heads. I have found that the mop heads are mostly interchangeable through the brands. I did get a mop that I sent back because the head did not rotate smoothly, it clicked, but they’re all pretty similar. The one I liked best isn’t sold anymore.