I've been Spring cleaning - not because it's Spring, but because I'm aware that if we want to sell this house (which we will, one day, when we get around to it) then it's got to have no broken or dirty bits.
It's hard to do proper cleaning for two main reasons: one is that I don't enjoy cleaning, and anything I don't enjoy feels difficult; the other is that The Little Madam tends to get overly interested in the bucket of soapy water/filthy rag, so doing it while she's awake is really inefficient, but on the other hand there's no way I'll be doing anything un-fun while she's asleep.
One day I tried removing the grime from the wall underneath the bay window in the master bedroom. I ended up using a toothbrush. If you want a bit of advice on wallpaper, here it is - don't buy textured wallpaper that looks like billions of pixel-sized tiles, because the dirt gets trapped in the grout-y bits. Do you want to end up cleaning your walls with a toothbrush?
I don't understand why walls get so dirty in the first place. We don't draw on them or kick balls against them. Being vertical, you'd think that dirt would just skim down walls and end up on the floor. Does anyone know whether Teflon make wall coverings?
10 comments:
Have you tried Mr. Clean Erasers? I love those things. They get dirt out of the craziest places!
It's just years of dust, grit, cooking smoke/residue/smoky oil, and to a lesser extent, pollution from outside. If there's a smoker in the house, then that will surely ad to wall grit.
I believe they do have wall papers and paints that, while they may not have teflon in them, are designed to be wiped down easily with a soft sponge.
You are doing better than me at the spring cleaning. My current strategy is looking helplessly at all the accumulated dirt we live amidst, feeling completely overwhelmed and then giving up.
There used to be wallpaper that you could take down, wash in the sink, and rehang
Honestly.
I think I will wait to clean the walls till I paint them. That will probably be next year or the year after that, or earlier if Gregory sticks food to it. I try to keep the counters and floor clean. I don’t have the energy for the walls.
aprilbapryll: It must not be available in New Zealand. Is it, by any chance, a nice young man with his own cleaning equipment and an urge to mop down people's homes for free?
jon: yeah, but this is a bedroom wall! We don't cook in it, smoke in it or play Paintball in it...
I've heard of wipeable wallpaper, though you still have to wipe 'em. Maybe I'll get some next time we redecorate (chortle, chortle).
mtnw: that's my usual strategy, but every few years I just have to do something, even if it's just to wipe down a single wall.
cathi: well that sounds dumb. 'cos hanging wallpaper takes ages and is easy to do badly.
angela: Most of the time I don't notice it, because it's a dark house. But if I can see it then it's got to be pretty bad.
Ooh Mr. Clean erasers... good idea.
Teflon should certainly make more stuff. Any other ideas?
guilty secret: I saw Teflon underwear on tv once.
i tend to stick to painting walls in general. a semi-gloss finish will also help keep maintenance low and easy. wallpaper is just a nightmare in my mind. my old wallpaper had the adhesive backing seep through and was sticky to the touch. gross.
no milk: my walls are coveredin painted wallpaper. The previous owners probably did it as a cheap and nasty way to freshen the place up, and I've never gotten around to replacing it.
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