Learning how to clean walls with flat paint is fairly simple and easy to do. You just need to have a few household cleaning supplies and a few simple tips to get you going. 

What are the Benefits of Flat Paint? 

Flat or matte paint delivers a smooth, subtle look and shows very little sheen when dry since it absorbs light. Because it covers so well, flat finishes cover up blemishes and imperfections sometimes caused by poor quality work done by contractors or framers. Using flat paint keeps these minor imperfections from being so noticeable and makes it an excellent choice for your walls. This is why it works great in bedrooms, living rooms, dining rooms, and ceilings.  

Do I Have To Prime Before Painting?

Things to Watch Out For 

The drawback to flat paint is that it’s very quick to smudge or scuff and isn’t very durable. The trick to cleaning your walls when this happens is to start by doing as little as possible. You should also take further measures as needed so you don’t damage the integrity of the finish. If you start by trying harsh treatments or chemicals, you will more than likely not get the results you were hoping for. In this instance, less is definitely better than more. 

What Supplies will you need? 

• Warm water 
• Clean rag or soft cloth 
• Mild detergent 
• Vinegar 
• Cleaning pad or eraser 
• Touch up paint and paintbrush 

How to Clean Walls With Flat Paint

Here are some simple yet highly effective methods to get rid of those ugly scuff marks or stains from your flat paint walls. These tips will help you do it without damaging your paint: 

1. Cloth and Sponge: The first thing you should try is warm water and a clean cloth or sponge. Sometimes just water alone is enough to remove stains. Try gently rubbing the area and see what happens. Make sure you clean dirt and stains from flat paint walls as quickly as possible. The longer you ignore them, the harder they are for you to clean!
2. Vinegar and Water: If warm water alone doesn’t do the trick, try adding a very small amount of vinegar to your water or even a few drops of mild detergent 
3. Specialty Sponges: If the stain still persists you can try using one of the melamine-foam-based white sponges such as the “Magic Eraser” or the “Easy Eraser”. They are non-abrasive and are not likely to mar flat-painted surfaces. But be careful because as these sponges wear down, they have a tendency to leave a white residue on walls that are darker colors such as dark grey, navy, brown, or green.  
4. Touch Up Paint: A can of touch-up paint may come in handy right about now if nothing else has fully removed the stain. Flat paints are much easier to touch up than semigloss or satin. You just want to make sure the paint on your wall isn’t faded or dirty so the spot you are touching up will match perfectly after the touch-up paint has dried. 
5. The Last Resort: Last but not least, if all your previous methods have failed, and you have enough matching paint, you can always resort to repainting the entire wall. This will obviously take you more time and prep work but might be worth it in the long run to give you the desired look of a beautifully clean wall. 

Conclusion

There you have it! Now you know how to clean walls with flat paint. If you end up needing to repaint your walls and you live in the Sacramento area, contact us. We serve the entire Sacramento area with interior and exterior painting services. We’ll give you PaintRite Pros for a free quote and we’re always happy to be of service! 

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