Washing Walls....

[Polishbabies]

I noticed that MMs has washing walls... excuse my ignorance but how do you wash your walls? dry? wet? what do you use? And why clean them in the first place? we clean if food gets splashed or obvious fingerprints.... do you clean the entire wall?

[sunnysandiegan]

I only clean the entire wall with a "wet" wash if I am prepping for painting. Otherwise, I use a damp cloth for the "zone" (from about 2 feet off the ground to about 5 feet off the ground) once in awhile for general purpose cleaning. You'd be surprised how the less noticeable handprints and scuff marks add up and how much cleaner your walls look with a cleaning!

I also vacuuming the corners all the way from floor to ceiling and along the baseboards and along the ceiling edge whenever I break out the canister vac. This removes cobwebs effectively. We don't always see the smaller things at the time and this type of maintenance prevents the small things from adding up to a noticeable issue.

For our two-story vaulted foyer ceiling, I flip the hose around and blow the cobwebs down off the upper walls and ceiling edges once every few months.

I send DD around with a damp rag to clean all the light-switch plates and door knobs every other month. Wow! This makes a big difference.

[Ygle]

I wash my walls with Murphy's oil and water with a sponge.

[journeymom]

Originally Posted by Ygle

I wash my walls with Murphy's oil and water with a sponge.

Oh wow, really? You wash your painted walls with Murphy's oil soap? Wouldn't it stain it?

I love the smell of Murphy's.

I use all-purpose spray cleaner and a sponge, but it's not very effective. The Mr. Clean magic eraser thingy does a great job on walls, but it seems rather indulgent to use a bunch of those sponges all the way down the hall. And that hall is filthy with hand prints and dog smudges.

Edited to add, what's MMs?

[ikesmom]

I wipe with a sponge and some vinegar. If I use anything more or too much water it makes our paint look blech. We Have flat paint that came with the house.

[livinlovinlaughin]

I read somewhere that you can use baking soda in water with a damp cloth. I will be trying it soon on some nasty walls at the rental house. We will see how it works.

[treeoflife3]

yeeeaaah... I don't wash my walls. I'd never finish because I'd start hyper focusing about cleaning every single last milimeter of wall.

We just try to not touch them and spot clean if necessary.

[Usually Curious]

Originally Posted by journeymom

Oh wow, really? You wash your painted walls with Murphy's oil soap? Wouldn't it stain it?

I love the smell of Murphy's.

I use all-purpose spray cleaner and a sponge, but it's not very effective. The Mr. Clean magic eraser thingy does a great job on walls, but it seems rather indulgent to use a bunch of those sponges all the way down the hall. And that hall is filthy with hand prints and dog smudges.

Edited to add, what's MMs?

Those magic erasers are VERY dangerous w/kids in the house. Please, please keep them out of reach of your children!

[Mama Mko]

Originally Posted by Usually Curious

Those magic erasers are VERY dangerous w/kids in the house. Please, please keep them out of reach of your children!

Why are the magic erasers very dangerous? I've never heard this.

[wombatclay]

I wipe with a damp cloth in the 'arms reach' area, and use the brush attachment on the vacuum for the higher bits/corners. It makes a real difference!

[zoebird]

vinegar and water in the bathroom (removing mold this time of year); for marks from crayons, etc, i use a scrubbie with vinegar and water. i wash the walls of the bathroom once a week (when i wash the bathroom). i do marks on the walls as they occur, and then wash the walls themselves about once a month (or more if needed).

[zoebird]

oh, and i use the duster (electrostatic) on the walls every week, particularly on high corners, etc etc. and floorboards and so on.

[daytripper75]

Originally Posted by Mama Mko

Why are the magic erasers very dangerous? I've never heard this.

I don't think they are any more dangerous than other cleaning products. There have been a few instances of children getting chemical burns because their parents have tried to use the Magic Eraser on their skin to get something off. I think if you don't rub it on your children all will be well.

[journeymom]

Originally Posted by Usually Curious

Those magic erasers are VERY dangerous w/kids in the house. Please, please keep them out of reach of your children!

My kids are fifteen and eleven years old and don't touch cleaning products without a lot of haranguing. And yes, I've never scrubbed my child with anything more harsh than a wash cloth. I remember the Magic Eraser emails from a few years ago. I sincerely appreciate the concern, but this is one of those issues that got blown way out of proportion.

[Ygle]

Yes! I've been washing my walls with Murphy's for over 30 years now... says right on the bottle for painted surfaces. I've tried different things over the years when for one reason or another I didn't have my Murphy's but it's definitely the best for washing walls (when I used a magic eraser I found it not only caused damage but left a yucky film, plus it's much more labor intensive... which is what I experienced with other products, either takes more scrubbing, more rinsing, or takes off paint!). Whenever I think that maybe my walls don't need to be washed, after washing up with Murphy's (which only takes a few minutes) the room always looks brighter, like new paint... it's amazing how you just don't notice it (whatever that 'it' is, I don't even know!) until after it's gone!

MM is motivated moms I believe? I'm not even sure exactly what that is, some sort of paid for laid out plan for taking care of the house, I think?

[Mama Mko]

Originally Posted by daytripper75

I don't think they are any more dangerous than other cleaning products. There have been a few instances of children getting chemical burns because their parents have tried to use the Magic Eraser on their skin to get something off. I think if you don't rub it on your children all will be well.

Okay, thank you. I certainly don't use them on my children! They are great for walls and doors though, in my experience.

[luv-my-boys]

I use a little bonners with water and a sponge. I typically do the stairwell and around baseboards. The rest of the walls as needed to spot clean however we dont have flat paint. I think the type of paint finish also makes a difference.

[journeymom]

Originally Posted by Ygle

Yes! I've been washing my walls with Murphy's for over 30 years now... says right on the bottle for painted surfaces. I've tried different things over the years when for one reason or another I didn't have my Murphy's but it's definitely the best for washing walls (when I used a magic eraser I found it not only caused damage but left a yucky film, plus it's much more labor intensive... which is what I experienced with other products, either takes more scrubbing, more rinsing, or takes off paint!). Whenever I think that maybe my walls don't need to be washed, after washing up with Murphy's (which only takes a few minutes) the room always looks brighter, like new paint... it's amazing how you just don't notice it (whatever that 'it' is, I don't even know!) until after it's gone!

MM is motivated moms I believe? I'm not even sure exactly what that is, some sort of paid for laid out plan for taking care of the house, I think?

Excellent! i'll dig out the bottle of Murphy's and try it.

[wombatclay]

MM is motivated moms I believe? I'm not even sure exactly what that is, some sort of paid for laid out plan for taking care of the house, I think?

Yes... it's a day by day "task sheet" that includes "do every day" things (like exercise, read to kiddos, take vitamins, feed pets, etc) and "do on this day" things (like wiping down a wall, cleaning a single shelf in the fridge, planning the week's menu, watering the plants, sweeping the porch, etc) along with seasonal things (purchase gifts, send thank you cards, etc). It's usually 8 dollars for a year but since the year is half over it's 4 dollars.

Kind of like FlyLady, only (IMO at least) easier to follow since it does stuff in much smaller doses... you do the 4-7 things on the list and that's it. And it includes things like crafting or pampering on the "to-do" lists.

[leigh09]

i have ditched my magic erasers ... does anyone else find they do work really well on removing the scuff mark, but leave behind their own mess in it's place? i hate them!

and i usually wash my walls simply with warm water and a cloth.