Monday, December 21, 2009

Does anyone know what to wash wallpapered walls with that will remove the grease and grime and smoke odours?

My husband quite smoking at Christmas and I want to get rid of the odours of cigarette smoke in the house. I know how to get it off of painted walls but not papered walls.Does anyone know what to wash wallpapered walls with that will remove the grease and grime and smoke odours?
If it's washable wallpaper, I have always used good old soap and water mixed with pine sol......worked for me, a little dish soap, pine sol, warm water and two buckets...one with the original water and the second to rinse the cloth in, and empty the bucket often............Does anyone know what to wash wallpapered walls with that will remove the grease and grime and smoke odours?
UNLESS YOU HAVE VINYL PAPER DO NOT WASH IT--IT WILL ROLL UP AND COME OFF.
Damp cloth with all purpose cleaner.
If it is a vinyl covered paper you can use warm water and detergent to wipe them down. However use the water sparingly.


If it is uncoated printed walpaper there is not much you can do other than strip and re paper or paint over the top.


If it is painted wallpaper you can re paint over the top.


I quit at the start of feb so I know how stinky it is. My office still smells but in a way it is a good reminder for me.


Hope he continues to stay off them. Best of LUCK!!!
Use a product called Sugar Soap, dilute it and use on a soft cloth, squeezed out. Be gentle so as not to damage the pattern.
Grease Lightning is wonderful! I love the stuff.
To remove grease from wallpaper, first blot the grease with a cloth or paper towel, then, make a paste out of cornstarch and water. You want this to be a thick consistency, a little thicker than gravy. Put it on the wall, you want it to cling to the wall. The cornstarch will dry and draw the grease into it, then brush it off or vacuum off with the brush attachment. You pat on the paste, then let it dry.





If there's more left that didn't come off, (you'll have to test this on a small area first to make sure it won't damage the wallpaper), if there's more left and you've tested it's safe, put some rubbing alcohol on a paper towel and blot it off.





If it's still there, and the top two things didn't help, take some hair spray and spray it on the grease, let it sit, then blot it up.





If there's still some left, take a brown paper bag, like a grocery bag, but with NO writing on it, lay it over the grease, then take a medium warm iron, press over, the paper acts as a blotter to draw the grease out. Keep changing the brown paper as needed until it all comes up!





To clean the wallpaper, use white bread!! Yep, white bread! Take the white bread, roll it up in your hands, then use it to erase the smudges, it is spongy so it absorbs the grease, smudges, etc!





I have not personally used any of these methods as I don't have wallpaper, I know this from Linda Cobb, the woman who is the Queen of Clean on DIY Network, she has books out. I hope this helps!
Greased Lighting.....at a dollar store is where i found it.
try a product called tsp from the hardwere store


soaps work good for oils and such
Tide, or any other poweder laundry soap and vinegar will produce a natural oxidization that will absorb odor and break down grease without damaging the wallpaper. Good for you for quitting!
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