One (Really Big) Spot that People Forget They Should Clean

On the list of things I didn’t realize I would need to clean until I became a card-carrying adult (y’all didn’t get your cards?), “washing walls” is right up there at the top. Walls are vertical and usually out of reach from fingerprints, so you wouldn’t expect them to collect dust and smudges. But they do. Oh, they do.

If you’ve never cleaned your walls before, I’m so excited for you to start today. And if you have, you know how gratifying it’s going to be to give them a good spruce up for the year ahead.

Let’s get started!

We’re going to clean the walls, all the way down the floors. There are many right ways to do this, but I’ll cover my favorite—if hacky—method.

• First, remove artwork or anything that’s easy to take down from the walls.
• To dislodge dust from the walls, drape a cloth over the bristled end of a broom, and simply wipe the walls from top to bottom until you’ve covered the whole surface. You can also just do this by hand with a clean cloth or hand duster.
• Next, dust the baseboards. You can use a cloth for this, but a foam craft brush works really well too (especially on intricate molding), if you have one lying around. Or use a vacuum cleaner with a brush attachment.
• Next, you’ll want to spot-clean any spots on your walls. You can do this with a cloth and cleaning solution: try soapy water, a mix of water and vinegar, or commercial all-purpose cleaner. You can also try something like a Magic Eraser instead, but make sure you spot test! (Magic Erasers tend to work better on white walls or molding painted with glossier, heartier paint.) Just walk around and wipe any dirty smudgy areas with your method of choice.
• If you need to go back and rinse any soapy areas with clean water, rinse.
• If you can, crack open the windows or turn on a fan to help your wet areas dry quickly.

If dusting and cleaning every wall in every room feels overwhelming, it’s ok to limit your efforts today to just the room you spend the most time in. Or skip the dusting part, and just do a walk through and spot-clean any smudgy areas you see.

One more day left in Spring Cleaning! See you again tomorrow.

• You can visit the 2020 Spring Cleaning page if you miss any assignments
• Download and save or print the Spring Cleaning Calendar
• Share your progress on Instagram or Twitter: #ATSpringCleaning
• Join the The Apartment Therapist Facebook group and catch up with fellow cleaners