How do I Clean my Wallpaper? | Decorating Centre Online

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From messy dogs, to kids, and even just everyday living, anything-and everything- can make your beautiful wallpaper messy and dirty.

Although you may have the toughest, most durable wallpaper- which you obviously love- the durability of your wallpaper does not stop it from becoming mucky.

However, there are so many ways in which you can clean your wallpaper meaning that living with messy walls- or even having to buy new rolls of wallpaper- is definitely a thing of the past.

Below is a list of a few of the different ways in which you can keep your beautiful wallpaper looking as clean and fresh as the day you bought it:

Dusting your wallpaper frequently

Although this may seem like a somewhat redundant point, dusting your wallpaper can prevent a whole myriad of damages which your wallpaper is likely to endure during its lifetime.

The main reason why a build-up of dust may attribute to damaged, or even old-looking wallpaper is the subtle ways in which dust can sit on the texture of the paper, making the colours and patterns less bright and vivid than before.

This means that dusting your wallpaper frequently can potentially extend the life of your paper, as well as keeping it looking as fresh and beautiful as when you first bought it.

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Using a feather duster

Although some types of wallpaper are much more delicate than others, dusting your wallpaper is likely to be a less damaging process than many other cleaning techniques.

If you remain light and gentle when you are using a feather duster on your wallpaper, it is likely that it will do little to no damage to your wallpaper.

However, depending on the quality- as well as how delicate your wallpaper is- you must ensure that you use the appropriate tools and vigour.

In order to reach areas which may be difficult to dust manually, it may be easier to attach a dry duster to the end of a sweeping brush.

If you intend to dust using this technique, you must make sure that you start from the top of the wall ad work your way down in order to ensure that the dust will fall onto the lower parts of the paper- which you have not cleaned yet- first.

This means that you will not have to clean the bottom half of your wallpaper multiple times.

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Using a vacuum cleaner

Again, as detailed above, depending on the strength of your wallpaper, you must make sure that you are using the correct tools to clean it with, however using a vacuum cleaner can be an efficient way of cleaning wallpaper for some variations.

Firstly, you must ensure that you attach the brush nozzle to the end of your vacuum cleaner to complete this step.

Depending on the wallpaper you intend to clean, the bristles should not damage the wallpaper- however, again this is very much dependent on your individual choice.

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Using a sponge

Although the methods detailed above are very useful for wallpaper which is only dusty, if your wallpaper is also stained, a more thorough clean may be necessary.

The easiest- and most efficient- way of doing this is by cleaning your wallpaper simply with a soft sponge and a mixture of highly diluted dish soap and water.

However, it is absolutely essential that you must check to see whether you wallpaper can withstand this type of cleaning before you start.

Some wallpaper is unable to withstand even the slightest amount of water applied to it, which may damage- and potentially completely destroy- your wallpaper.

Usually, the wallpaper's washable symbol is located on the roll- with various symbols meaning various levels of cleaning- however, there are more practical ways of determining this too.

Perhaps you have already thrown away the packaging which your wallpaper was delivered in, or just forgotten how it is to be cleaned, you can always check this by applying the solution suggested above to a smaller, and hidden, part of your wallpaper. Some of these areas are located behind furniture, or even in a small corner which would be unnoticeable if damage did occur.

You can check if the solution would be damaging by seeing whether the water applied is soaked up by the wallpaper, resulting in colour runs, or whether your wallpaper has hardly any reaction to the solution.

If the latter is true, then it is safe to go ahead and clean your wallpaper this way.

After this step is completed, dry off your wallpaper with a clean, dry towel- or even a clean dry cloth- to ensure that your wallpaper will not harbour any damp.

It is also essential that you make sure you do not scrub your wallpaper too hard, as this may result in damage to your wallpaper.

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Using wallpaper dough

If you are unable to use a sponge to remove those thicker stains on your wallpaper, then considering using wallpaper dough may be a good option for you.

Wallpaper dough is specifically designed to remove stains off of your wallpaper without wetting, or damaging, it in any way.

It can be bought from anywhere which sells wallpaper- even hardware shops- and is usually sold in a pot.

Wallpaper dough is also reusable, so not only is it cheap and inexpensive as it can be used multiple times for multiple purposes, but it is also good for the environment too!

In order to re-use your wallpaper dough, simply roll the area which picked up your dirt back into the roll until the dirt is not visible anymore.

However, when the dough is visibly dirty, it must be thrown away and a new piece of wallpaper dough bought in order for it to achieve its purpose to the best of its ability.

If you are still unsure, the video below will take you through a step-by-step guide on how to clean your walls properly!