How to Clean Wallpaper With Simple Ingredients
Updated: Jul. 21, 2022Wallpaper is back — on accent walls and backsplashes, in bathrooms and bedrooms. When that papered wall gets dirty, here's what you need to do.
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What happens when your trendy wallpaper gets dirty? Well, you don’t have to panic. Cleaning wallpaper is a fairly simple process that, when done correctly, can completely rejuvenate your wall’s shimmer and shine.
Make a Wallpaper Cleaning Solution
You can clean washable wallpaper with a few simple ingredients and a little light elbow grease. If you’re just doing a light maintenance clean, use this simple cleaning solution:
- One gallon of warm water
- A good squeeze of any clear dishwashing liquid
For heavily-stained walls, try this mixture:
- One gallon of warm water
- One cup of clear, non-sudsing ammonia
- One cup of white vinegar
- One cup of borax
Before you start cleaning with either mixture, always test the solution on a discrete place to make sure it doesn’t harm the wallpaper.
Wallpaper Cleaning Technique
Next, wipe the wallpaper down with a clean sponge or cleaning cloth dampened with the mixture. Start at the bottom and work your way to the top, washing one section at a time. Be sure not to scrub too hard or get the paper too saturated.
Drying the Walls
Always rinse with clean water and then use dry cloths to wipe away any excess water. Removing all water and moisture from the wall is essential to keeping your wallpaper in good condition.
The Do’s and Don’ts of Cleaning Wallpaper
Do:
- Dust your wallpaper regularly. For out-of-reach places, use your vacuum with an extension wand to remove cobwebs.
- Pro tip: Start at the top and work your way down. A Swiffer duster with an extension handle also works well for dusting wallpapered wall
- Try wallpaper dough. Graham & Brown, a company that specializes in wallpaper and wall murals, notes that wallpaper dough is a good alternative if your wallpaper is old, fragile and can’t handle soap and water. The dough lifts stains away from the paper and is reusable.
Don’t:
- Attempt to clean wallpaper that is hand-printed, textured or made from grass and other natural fibers usually cannot be cleaned. The best advice: Enjoy it while you can.
- Pro tip: If it gets too dirty, hang a picture over the spot, try to remove the dirty area and re-apply the wallpaper (if you have enough left over from the original installation) or start looking for a new style of wallpaper to replace the old.
