How to Clean the Walls in Every Room of Your Home (Including Wallpaper!)

Having a clean home means more than just sweeping floors and cleaning off the counters. You want to look at every surface to see what needs cleaning — including the walls. When dust and grime build up, it can be confusing to know what to do — especially if you have unique surfaces. Here are the steps experts suggest on how to clean walls in every room of your home. 

Before cleaning any wallpaper, find a small, inconspicuous area to test your cleaning method. You want to be sure it won’t harm the wallpaper. Once you’ve done that, Sarah Merenda, founder of Merenda Wallpaper, says to follow these steps for standard wallpaper.

1. Get a damp microfiber cloth.
2. Gently wipe the wallpaper without too much pressure.
3. For stubborn dirt, add a drop of dish soap to warm water and dampen the microfiber cloth, then wipe over it again. “Be careful not to make the cloth too wet, as this could cause the wallpaper to soak and reactivate the adhesive, leading to bubbling,” Merenda says.

If your wallpaper is more detailed or fragile, like grasscloths, hand-printed wallpapers, or painted papers, clean them with a vacuum with the brush attachment or a dry microfiber cloth, Merenda says. Attempting to wash them with any liquid can damage or stain the more fragile materials.

For flat/matte painted walls, follow the same steps as above, but first wipe away any dust bunnies or cobwebs with a dry microfiber cloth. Afterward, use a damp microfiber cloth to wipe the wall, adding soap for more stubborn spots. “Think of it like giving your walls a spa day!” says Ross Pascale, CEO of Neeet House Cleaning. “Work in manageable sections and rinse the cloth often to avoid streaks. Nobody wants a wall with racing stripes!”

Eggshell-painted walls are cleaned similarly to wallpapered and flat/matte painted, with one major difference: You don’t want to use any soap. Pascale says this is because eggshell paint is more delicate. Warm water and gentle wiping are the way to go.

Thanks to the crevices in textured walls, they can be a bit trickier to clean. Pascale says to follow these steps.

1. Run over the walls with a vacuum with a brush attachment to remove all the dust that builds up in the nooks and crannies.
2. Dip a soft-bristled brush into warm water and shake it nearly dry. Use the brush to gently scrub the walls. Remember to rinse the brush often, Pascale says, otherwise dirty water can pool in the crevices.
3. Wipe away any dirt from the brushing with a clean, damp microfiber cloth.
4. Dry the wall with a clean, dry microfiber cloth.

Pascale also shared some don’ts for cleaning every type of wall. Don’t use too much water, especially if you have wallpaper; don’t mix cleaning solutions from various cleaners; don’t clean the entire wall without tackling greasy areas first; and don’t skip the corners and baseboards, where dust easily accumulates.