If you want your paint to last a long time, it’s essential to have clean office walls. Even if your office walls look clean at a glance, they could be covered with dirt, dust, and grime that will prevent the paint from properly adhering to the surface of your wall.
Your color might stay at first, but the chances of cracking or peeling are much higher.
Your best bet is to clean your office walls before the paint crew arrives to ensure your paint job will last for years to come.
But how should you clean your office walls? What kinds of cleaners should you use that will clean without causing damage? That’s what we’re discussing in today’s blog. We’ve got all of the information you need. Keep reading to learn the best ways to clean your office walls before painting them.
Supplies You’ll Need
Of course, you’ll need some supplies to accomplish any cleaning job. We recommend gathering the following supplies:
- Putty knife
- Sandpaper
- Spackle
- Masking tape
- A bucket
- Microfiber cloth or vacuum for dusting
- Non-abrasive sponge with a soft side
- A mop with a sponge attachment
- A bucket
- Warm water
- Cleaner
- Dry cotton towels
For the cleaner, it’s up to you what you use, but a mild cleanser is a good idea. Mild dishwashing soap will do the trick. So will warm water mixed with white distilled water.
Prep Your Office Walls for Painting
Before you clean your walls, let alone paint them, you’ll need to take the following steps:
- Clear the walls. Whether you have watercolor paintings, picture frames, or decor hanging, you’ll want to take them down temporarily.
- Take down any window curtains or blinds that might get in the way.
- Use masking tape to protect your outlets from water getting in them, which could lead to electrical damage. The same goes for light switches and in-wall wiring outlets.
- Dust the walls. You can use the hose attachment of your vacuum cleaner or a cloth to remove dust from your walls. Also, keep an eye out for cobwebs, as these should also be removed.
- Finally, wash the walls with a soft sponge. Avoid any sponges that have abrasive edges, as this can damage your office walls, and we don’t want that!
Pro tip: Use your soft sponge or a mop with a sponge attachment to clean your walls. Your preference will probably depend on how tall you are compared to the height of your office walls. Some spots that could be hard to reach are easily cleanable with a mop.
We recommend submerging your sponge (whether a hand-held sponge or one attached to a mop) and wringing it out before cleaning your office walls. You want sufficient cleaner to get your walls sparkling without having water running down your walls, as this can leave residue behind.
Cleaning Difficult Stains
You can get most wall stains out with a soapy mixture. But what if that doesn’t work? That’s when you’ll want to bring out the big guns: baking soda. When mixed with warm water, you’ll have a paste to apply to your stains. This even works for smoke stains!
Only apply the baking soda mixture to the stains, not the entire wall. Leave the paste for five to 10 minutes before removing it with a soft sponge coated in warm water. Once you’ve gotten the stain out, dry off the area, and you’ll be good to go.
What if the stain still doesn’t come out? You’ll want to get a commercial foaming wall cleaner. You’ll want to contact a professional cleaner if that still doesn’t work.
Cleaning Grease Stains
Stains are one thing; grease stains are another. And baking soda paste isn’t likely to get grease stains out. Instead, you’ll want a dish soap that contains a grease-cutting formula.
If further action is needed, try getting a cleaner with trisodium phosphate. TSP will remove grease, crayon, dried-up soap, and chemical residue.
Just keep in mind that TSP is a powerful cleaner that requires safety goggles, rubber gloves, and adequate ventilation. It’s ideal for kitchens, bathrooms, high-contact areas, walls, and overheating registers.
Do I Really Need to Clean My Walls?
We highly recommend cleaning your office walls before painting them. At the very least, you should wipe your walls down to eliminate the dust that’s bound to accumulate. This is true, even if the room has recently been painted, is only used by adults (no kids visiting office employees), or is an office-type setting where nothing ever happens.
Are you hiring a professional painting service to apply those new coats of paint for you? You’ll still want to clean your office walls as pre-cleaning isn’t included in painting services.
If you don’t want to clean your walls yourself, you can pay the painters extra if they include that service. Otherwise, you’ll need to hire a professional cleaning service.
Town & County Office Cleaning
Cleaning your office walls might be enjoyable for you if you like cleaning. Or it could be a chore you don’t have time for. That’s where we come in. Town & Country Office Cleaning has been cleaning office buildings for over 40 years. We’ve built a reputation we’re proud of and that we continually strive to maintain.
Our services include day porters, nightly janitorial services, and room-specific cleaning services. We can also come in and deep clean an area that hasn’t been cleaned in a long time. We provide daily, bi-weekly, and monthly cleaning services.
Whether you work in an office building, medical clinic, or college, we’ve got you covered. Commercial cleaning services are ideal for any business, however small or big.
Ready to get started with our cleaning services? Call us at 801.486.3441 or contact us via our website. We offer free quotes, and if you need more assurance, know that we’re licensed, bonded, and insured. You can trust us when it comes to clean office walls!
