Tips for cleaning very flat paint?

[MariesMama]

So we just moved into an adorable house, the ONLY issue I have is that the walls are painted with the flattest, most matte paint I've ever seen in a rental. Even the doors.

How do you clean walls like this? I don't want to take the paint off or discolor it, but I have a toddler. We've been here for a week and a half and it's already starting to show.

[ElaynesMom]

I live in an apartment that has flat paint on the walls. I guess some flat paint is washable, but mine sure isn't. If I wipe mine with a wet cloth the paint comes right off. We've been here almost 3 years so the walls are starting to look awful with a messy toddler running around. I think I'm going to repaint our whole apartment with a washable paint.

Sorry I don't have any great suggestions for you, but I feel your frustration

[Llyra]

We have the worst flat paint. Seriously, you can't even look at it wrong, or it gets a mark on it. My landlord paints the place, so I have no say in what is on my walls. And I have three little kids. Anyway, I haven't ever found a "natural" solution. I will probably lose my MDC membership card when I admit I use Mr. Clean's Magic Eraser. It works great on flat paint as long as you're careful to squeeze ALL the water out after you wet it.

[ElaynesMom]

I'll have to try the mr. clean magic eraser and see if it works on my flat paint. I just talked with our landlord about repainting, and that conversation didn't go as well as I'd hoped. I guess I'm crazy for wanting to have clean walls without actually taking all the paint off the walls

[MariesMama]

So far just a rag and water has worked on mine ... I was so scared to try, thinking it would just wash the paint off.

ElaynesMom - what did your landlord suggest doing? Or did they just tell you not to paint? I know that landlords do have to paint every so often - call the city and ask about rental regulations. Good luck!

[ElaynesMom]

Originally Posted by MariesMama

So far just a rag and water has worked on mine ... I was so scared to try, thinking it would just wash the paint off.

ElaynesMom - what did your landlord suggest doing? Or did they just tell you not to paint? I know that landlords do have to paint every so often - call the city and ask about rental regulations. Good luck!

It's quite a process apparently of submitting requests and paint samples, and getting letters of approval. And then I have to paint when I leave, which I know is standard when you are painting different colors, but I even offered to use the same colors the landlord uses, but in a washable finish and was told I'd still have to repaint it back to the flat paint when I moved out, even though if I don't paint at all, they will repaint it when I move out for the next tenant. This isn't about me wanting to redecorate to some horrid color, I just want clean walls.

I was also told that if I got any paint on the carpet whatsoever (obviously I would cover the carpets if I decided to paint) I would be charged 2500 dollars for replacement carpet, even though when we moved in the carpet was from the previous tenants and had 2 large runs and several cigarette burns in it.

By this point I was a bit annoyed about renting in general, so I told my landlord I'd just live with the dirty walls then because I didn't care to spend THAT much money when I'm hoping to move in a couple years anyways.

I really hate having to rent.

[MariesMama]

Elaynesmom - Your landlord HAS to repaint when you move out anyway, so unless he/she requires extra coats or labor because of what you do, they can't charge you ANYTHING regarding paint. (Holes, yes.)

Same with carpet. They can't charge you for the entire cost of replacing the carpet if you've been there five years. Carpet and paint depreciate over time. When I managed apartment, we figured carpet's "life" at seven years. If you were to move out after five and the carpet would need to be replaced, you would pay 2/7 of the value.

I'm sorry! Maybe just paint without telling them, just for your convenience, and never mention it? Haha, yes, as an ex-apartment manager, I'm saying to do that. Whoops.

[meriberi_00]

I have the flattest paint on panelling it's not fun to clean, and it's white, so it shows EVERYTHING! I have a big dog and a toddler, so you can imagine what the walls in my house look like Glad to know there is something out there that works! Thank ladies!!

Meredith

[ElaynesMom]

Originally Posted by MariesMama

Elaynesmom - Your landlord HAS to repaint when you move out anyway, so unless he/she requires extra coats or labor because of what you do, they can't charge you ANYTHING regarding paint. (Holes, yes.)

Same with carpet. They can't charge you for the entire cost of replacing the carpet if you've been there five years. Carpet and paint depreciate over time. When I managed apartment, we figured carpet's "life" at seven years. If you were to move out after five and the carpet would need to be replaced, you would pay 2/7 of the value.

I'm sorry! Maybe just paint without telling them, just for your convenience, and never mention it? Haha, yes, as an ex-apartment manager, I'm saying to do that. Whoops.

I'm in Ontario and according to the Tenants Protection Act landlords do not have to paint when a tenant moves (though the company I rent from does as their policy), nor do they have to repaint at any point for worn paint. Basically I could live in my apartment for 20 years and they don't have to paint it at all during that time. I think I'm going to call the head office though, rather than talk to my local agent because I'm unable to keep my walls clean at all with the current paint as the paint literally washes off the walls. I can't just paint without telling them because it's stated in our lease that we need express permission to paint, so I could be evicted if I paint without consent.

On the carpet note, I won't be paying 2500 dollars for new carpet when we move out because they carpet was not new when we moved in, was damaged already, and we'll have lived here for likely 5+ years. There is no damage done to our carpet by us that I would consider beyond normal wear and tear.