How to Clean Painted Surfaces

Knowing how to clean painted surfaces will provide you with a better idea of the steps a professional painter will take to keep paint looking new for a longer period of time. At Dunbar Painting, we understand how important it is to properly maintain and care for the interior and exterior paint on your home. That is why we offer a range of interior painting and exterior painting services, and why our professional team members will always take the time to answer any questions you might have.

How to prepare your home for professional painters.

How to Clean Interior Paint

Before cleaning the walls in the interior of your home, you will first need to determine if the walls in your home have been painted with a washable paint. In most cases, higher-quality paints in eggshell and higher sheens tend to be washable, as well as some flat paints like Benjamin Moore Aura Bath and Spa or Sherwin Williams Emerald.

How often do rooms need to be repainted?

If the interior paint throughout your home is washable, the walls can be cleaned using soap and water, as long as the walls have fully cured after painting. Paint usually takes about two to four weeks to fully cure, depending on the colour, product, temperature, and number of coats.

Learn how to prioritize rooms for painting.

How to Clean Exterior Paint

Surfaces, such as decks, painted steps, and the northside of houses, should be cleaned using a bleach and water mixture to help get rid of any mildew buildup. Once the surface has been cleaned with the bleach and water mixture, it will then need to be washed thoroughly. Any delicate surfaces should be handwashed, while non-delicate surfaces can be pressure washed.

How long does it take to paint a house exterior?

Professional painters will often use a pressure washing process called downstreaming, which uses a wider nozzle on a high-gallons-per-minute pressure washing machine. The wider nozzle and proper size machine are able to pull soap or Millicide through the water to soap the house down. A similar sized nozzle can then be used to rinse the house and thoroughly remove any soap residue. Using this process of pressure washing prevents having to rely on physical abrasion to clean a house and, instead, focuses on using chemical cleaning.

Does historic exterior house paint require special treatment?

If you would like to learn more about how to clean painted walls, or if you are interested in our interior painting services or exterior painting services, please contact Dunbar Painting at 604-788-3382 or by filling out a contact form on our website.