How to Clean Bathroom Walls? Here are the Facts!

When we clean the bathroom, we usually focus on the floor, the toilet, the faucets, and the tub. We often overlook the walls, even though they catch a lot of dirt and moisture over time. For a comprehensive bathroom cleaning, you will have to sanitize the walls as well. So, we will discuss how to clean bathroom walls the right way in today’s article and here you can read another article about how to clean bathroom wall tiles easily.

You can clean bathroom walls by using simple household items like vinegar and baking soda. The cleaning procedure will slightly vary depending on the type of wall and tiles. 

In the following paragraphs, we will explain what cleaning strategies suit your bathroom walls the best. How can you clean painted bathroom walls? Do the same strategy work for tiles and natural stone? 

Keep on reading to find out.

Things You Need

• Microfiber mop
• Baking soda
• Vinegar
• Detergent
• Sponge
• Toothbrush

How To Clean Bathroom Walls: Painted Walls

Step 1. Prepare The Walls

At first, take a dry washcloth and wipe the wall. Try to take out as much dust and moisture as you can. Do not use a regular dust mop unless the walls are absolutely dry.

Step 2. Prepare A Cleaning Solution

You can go for a commercial cleaning solution, but it is an avoidable expense since you can cook up a highly effective cleaning material in your kitchen with everyday kitchen materials like vinegar and baking soda. Create a baking soda vinegar paste by mixing half a cup of vinegar with equal amounts of baking soda. 

Once you blend vinegar and baking soda, it will take a few minutes to form a thick, creamy texture. Once it is ready, get some paste on a microfiber mop and run it across the wall to spread it. The mop will grant you access to the hard-to-reach angles. So, make sure you cover the whole wall. Let it dry for 15/20 minutes.

NOTE: If you are not confident that your paint will hold up to the cleaner you are using, first try a small amount of the cleaner on a small, unnoticeable patch of the wall. If it discolors the wall, then refrain from using the cleaner unless you are planning to do a new paint job. However, natural mixtures are highly unlikely to harm the paint.

More on paint safety in later paragraphs.

Step 3. Rinse Off The Paste

Wash the microfiber mop in clean water and run it all over the wall once again. Start from the top and work your way down to stop the paste and water spilling into a clean area. This time, it will remove the paste as well as the grime and soap scum. Turn on the bathroom exhaust fan so that the wall dries off quickly afterward.

How To Clean Bathroom Walls: Natural Stone

Step 1. Wipe The Wall Dry

Before applying the cleaner, wipe the wall with a dry cloth. The cleaner would work best on a dry surface.

Step 2. Prepare The Solution

Prepare the baking soda vinegar mixture we mentioned above. But, only use this on the lines between the stone blocks. For the blocks themselves, use a vinegar-water combo. Or, go for raw vinegar. Lemon juice would also be a good choice. If you want to dilute your vinegar, add equal proportions of water and vinegar.

Step 3. Apply The Solution

Take a used toothbrush and dip its head on the mixture you made. Brush it along the lines so that it reaches the intermediary space between the stone blocks. Those lines can harbor moisture and dirt, slowly becoming a petri-dish of germs. So, do not forget to address the block lines before attending to the blocks.

Use a footstool to get to the upper portions of the wall. After covering the block lines, take the sprayer bottle and squirt the cleaning liquid of your choice over the stones. Once you have worked the whole wall, take a half-hour break.

Step 4. Clean The Paste And Liquid Off

Again, soak a microfiber mop in water and rub it across the wall. The stains should come off as you go along the wall. For stubborn stains, spray some more liquid on them and rub them with a wet sponge. Finally, switch on the bathroom fan to drive out the moisture and accelerate the wall’s drying process. 

How To Clean Bathroom Walls: Tiles

Step 1. Wipe The Tiles

Wipe the bathroom wall tiles to get rid of the extra dirt and moisture. Once you do that, you are clear to move on to the next stage of the cleaning.

Step 2. Prepare Separate Cleaners For Grout And Tiles

Assuming this is a regular clean-up, you can make do with vinegar or lemon juice for the tiles. However, for grout lines, you would need an extra kick because they accumulate a lot of dust, soap remnants, and moisture. Therefore, make the vinegar-baking soda blend, which offers a superior degree of aggression.

Step 3. Spread The Cleaners

As we did on the natural stone block lines, work on the grout lines with an old toothbrush. After that, spray the liquid cleaner on the tiles. Allow it to sit for some time.

Step 4. Rinse The Tiles

The cleaners should work their magic within half an hour. After that, scrub them off with a sponge or a mop. As you scrub, the stains and dirt should also go away. Spray some more cleaners on stains that refuse to disappear without a fight, and scour them. Your tiles will give the impression of newly installed ones after you finish the cleaning.

How To Deal With Bathroom Wall Mold?

If you notice signs of mold in your bathroom walls, you need to act fast before it spreads even further. You might think a fresh coat of paint would be enough to take care of the situation. Unfortunately, it is not as simple as that. As folks from dengarden.com rightfully point out, the mold will reappear if you paint over the mold without eliminating it. 

Why worry about molds? They are not just unsightly blotches and streaks that ruin the looks of your bathroom walls. Long-term mold exposure can cause several health complications, including stuffy noses, skin rashes, and bloodshot eyes. So, you should tread lightly while dealing with mold infestations in your house.

Bleach is the first thing that would come to mind while trying to get rid of mold, but we have reservations about it, and there are good reasons for it. While bleach is pretty effective in killing mold, it is also highly likely to impose permanent damage to the paint or the tiles.

On top of that, bleach is toxic. Without exercising proper caution, you might have to get hospitalized handling bleach.

If you do not have any other options, then we would advise using a heavily diluted solution of bleach. A cup of bleach in a gallon of water sounds about right.

Here is the drill: you take a sprayer bottle full of bleach solution and spray it on the affected region. Wait for 20/30 minutes, then clean the affected region with a wet sponge. The mold should die off by then, and as you scrub, the stains will come off.

Natural solutions like vinegar and baking soda are available, but we believe those are a bit underpowered for the task at hand.

We strongly recommend buying a high-quality anti-mold spray to tackle mold problems in your bathroom. Even if you do get good results using vinegar and baking soda, you should follow up with a coat of anti-mold spray to prevent future occurrences.

How To Clean Bathroom Walls Without Harming The Paint?

Painted finishes can barely tough it out with abrasive cleaners. So, do not use ammonia and bleach on the walls. While buying a commercial formula, check the ingredients to find out whether or not it is suitable for your painted walls.

As we had recommended earlier, experiment on a small area of the wall before using a new cleaner. If no discoloration takes place in the said region, the cleaner will be safe for your bathroom wall paint.

Abrasive sponges can also have damaging effects on your walls. Use microfiber washcloths and mops, which are soft and will not compromise the paint.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Use A Paint Roller To Spread The Cleaner On The Wall?

Using the paint roller to apply the cleaner all over the wall might sound convenient, but it is far from a good idea. Paint rollers can leave some hideous streaks on the wall, which will not be easy to remove.

Conclusion

Even though we ignore cleaning bathroom walls regularly, it is undeniable that neat as a pin bathroom walls increase the appeal of a bathroom in an instant. Apart from the visual exquisiteness, keeping the bathroom walls clean is part and parcel of maintaining a healthy and hygienic bathroom.

So, we went through the trouble to show how to clean bathroom walls effectively. We hope this had been a helpful read for anyone trying to get shinier, cleaner bathrooms.