How to Remove Spots, Marks, and Stains from Wallpaper
No matter how hard you try, spots or marks eventually appear on wallpaper, especially if you have kids. Wallpaper in a kitchen is especially hard to keep clean because of grease and food particles that inadvertently end up on the walls. The time eventually comes when you look at your beautiful wallpaper-covered wall and see mysterious splashes of grease or food. You wonder how the spots and marks ended up on the wallpaper, but that doesn’t help remove those marks. The longer the marks and spots remain on wallpaper, the harder they’ll be to remove.
There are methods of removing spots and marks from wallpaper, and these spot removing methods are a cheap and easy alternatives to replacing expensive wallpaper or expensive wallpaper cleaning solutions. If you’ve discovered a mystery spot or mark on your beautiful wallpaper, try the following methods of removal. These wallpaper cleaning methods work like magic, and you’ll be amazed at how easy spots and marks come off.
Removing Old Grease Spots and Marks
Not all grease spots and marks on vinyl wallpaper are noticed right after they occur. If you discover a grease spot or mark that’s obviously been on your vinyl wallpaper for a while, it can still be successfully removed. Simply make a solution of dishwashing detergent and warm water, and gently rub the spot. Rinse the area, and repeat the cleaning process until the grease spot is gone. Alternately you can use commercial vinyl wallpaper cleaner to remove an old grease spot or mark, but more than likely it won’t be any more effective than dishwashing detergent and warm water. Dishwashing detergent for hand washing dishes contains degreaser, and it is an effective but mild way to remove old grease spots and marks from vinyl wallpaper.
Removing Food Spots and Marks
Food spots and marks can be removed from vinyl wallpaper by gently scraping off the matter and gently scrubbing the spot with a soft bristle toothbrush and dishwashing detergent mixed with warm water.
If your wallpaper isn’t washable vinyl you will have a harder time removing stains and spots, but you can attempt to remove spots and marks using a clean art gum eraser. An art gum eraser can be found at most stores that sell art supplies. Knead the eraser and gently rub the spot or mark.
An alternative to an art gum eraser is in your kitchen cabinet, pantry, or bread box. Remove the crust from a slice of bread and knead it into a ball. Use the ball of bread to gently rub the mark, stain, or spot from the wallpaper.
Removing Fresh Grease and Oil Spots
This is a great method for removing fresh grease or oil stains from vinyl wallpaper. Gently blot the grease or oil mark with a clean dry paper towel. Set your electric iron to “warm” and place a new piece of paper toweling over the grease or oil mark. Gently press the mark, and the oil will be absorbed into the paper toweling. Repeat the process with clean sections of paper toweling until the oil or grease spots disappear from the wallpaper.
Grease spots on regular wallpaper are harder to clean. Grease spots won’t easily come off regular wallpaper, especially old grease spots. Try brushing talcum powder into a grease spot on regular wallpaper. The talcum powder will absorb the grease, and it can be brushed away with a soft clean paintbrush. Repeat the process if necessary until the grease or oil stain is fully absorbed and gone.
Removing Crayon Marks
Crayon marks are hard to remove, and the new “erasers” for cleaning walls aren’t appropriate for delicate wallpaper or shiny surfaces. Remove crayon marks from vinyl wallpaper with solvent for dry cleaning. Any leftover color after using dry-cleaning solvent will come off easily with a solution of ½ cup of water and ½ teaspoon of liquid bleach. Before using bleach on your wallpaper, test the solution on a piece of leftover wallpaper for color fastness.
Crayon marks on wallpaper can also be successfully removed using silver polish. Simply apply a dab of silver polish to a clean rag, and gently wipe the crayon marks. Test this cleaning method in an inconspicuous area or on a piece of scrap wallpaper before trying it on the crayon marks.
Removing Ink Spots From Wallpaper
When little kids get a hold of pens, they sometimes make marks on walls and wallpaper. Don’t panic if you have ink marks on your beautiful wallpaper. Ink can be removed from wallpaper using straight bleach. Test a hidden area first to determine color fastness, and if the wallpaper isn’t damaged, use a cotton swab to go over the ink marks. They should come right off. After removing the ink, wipe the wallpaper with a clean damp rag.
