Proper way to clean/wash walls in a house?

Question

We are buying a house and the walls look pretty bad. They are dusty, have a few holes from nails and such, they look like if I started to paint them now you would be able to see dirt or marks showing through. Is there a good way to clean the walls w/o causing mold to grow or can i just paint over them w/ some primer?

Answer 1

towel

Answer 2

No matter what material you put on the walls, without the proper preparation, you've merely wasted your time.

Here's what we did when i did this for a living.

Per gallon of water, add 1/2 cup bleach, 1/4 cup of powdered detergent, like Tide, and 1/2 cup of TSP which stands for trisodiumphosphate, and availiable in paint stores, hardware stores such as Lowes and such. You want the type in the blue and white box. It is a powdered mold, mold spore and mildew killer. The only thing that does what it claims. Anyhow, if you've senstive skin, wear rubber gloves and mix all well. Apply liberally to all surfaces with a sponge or sponge mop. Let stand about 10 minutes and wipe off. No rinsing needed. Let dry completely. Use some Spackle type material and with a narrow, fairly stiff putty knife, fill in the nail holes and holes from years of curtains. Let that dry and sand flush with the wall surface. If there are stains from water damage, crayon, grease, etc, get a can of Kilz, which is an oil-based sealant and cover those areas well. Let dry completely. For rooms such as bathrooms and kitchens, where high humidity exists,and fingerprints are inevitable, I would use at least a semi-gloss finish to facilitate wall washing in the future, without leaving flat spots from cleaners.

Then get a good quality latex acrylic primer and cover everything. Have the primer tinted to the shade of paint you're going to use for maximum coverage. Let the primer dry overnight and make sure you don't see anything behind. Then two coats of a good quality paint, allowing a few hours in between coats and you're good to go.

I guarentee a good finish and something you would be proud of. The only way it would be better, is if you ised an oil-based paint, but that would require more expensive brushes, thinner to clean up, odor for a day and longer drying time. The other side is that it would last twice as long and would be hold up to years of washing.

Answer 3

Kristina gave some great advice.  I would just add that you could vacuum first if the dust is real thick.  That way you won't make mud.

Answer 4

Using a bleach solution (2 parts bleach 2 parts water) mold won't grow if there is proper ventilation. Fill the holes with putty let it dry. If your painting the walls light you need to clean first. If your painting them darker than the original then you don't need to clean them. If you go to Home Depot or Lowe's they have wall cleaning solution. But Bleach is cheaper just remember it is strong smelling and wear clothes that can get ruined because they will.

Answer 5

I assume you mean interior walls.

dust off the walls, depending  on how long has it been since painted last?

I would prime and paint  or put on two coats of paint.

Answer 6

First sweep the walls down or use a shag mop. Purchase a Mr. Clean magic eraser and use it on areas that have dark marks then patch the holes, sand the entire wall, prime, then put 2 coats of paint and it should look great. It's really not necessary to wash the walls since you'll need to sand anyway and the primer will block any stains from coming through.