How to Clean Walls with Flat Paint 2023

Published by Ahmad Jamal on March 9, 2022 | Last updated on May 13, 2023

Walls don’t just reflect the prestige of the house, they also reflect how clean and tidy the homeowners are with their own house.

Therefore, maintaining a clean wall regardless of what paint is used for it is an essential part of maintaining the beauty and cleanliness of the house.

Used a flat paint? Doesn’t seem like a problem to me. Even if it gets messy more often, this Cleaners Advisor will teach you how to clean walls with flat paint in a step-by-step guide.

If you’re not as familiar with flat paint, this guide will provide the basic information on that type of painting, explaining the pros and cons of flat paint along the way.

Then, you’ll have the detailed guide on how to clean walls with flat paint.

Table of Contents

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What Is Flat Paint?

Flat paint is a type of paint that gives one of the best color payouts when used correctly.

It’s mainly known for its fast drying upon being used, in addition to its minimum reflective finish.

Recently, Flat paint’s main job is covering wall patches and uneven textures on the wall.

Pros & Cons of Flat Paint

Since I’ve only talked about how “great” the flat paint is, and why it is used, I’ll summarize the pros first:

Hides Wall Patches
Covers Most Types of Uneven Wall Textures
Gives a Soothing Look
Provides an Excellent Looking Finish

Moving on to the empty half of the flat paint cup, to the cons:

More Susceptible to Various Dirty Types
Can Be Removed Easily If Cleaned with Much Pressure
Requires Much Effort to Clean Properly

Why Is It Important to Know How to Clean Walls with Flat Paint?

Since you’re not dealing with a regular type of paint, you should always know what you’re dealing with, to make sure you’re making the right decision when it comes to cleaning dirt off walls.

Whether you’ve installed it yourself, or you’ve purchased a flat that has already been painted with flat paint, you should always know how to clean walls with flat paint, for a better outcome every time you clean them.

The Flat paint is susceptible to dirt more than other flat types, meaning you’ll need to clean them more often to maintain a clean & shiny look.

Going with force on the walls while cleaning them can get the flat paint damaged, therefore, you should always watch for the equipment you use on flat paint, and how much power you’re using on them.

What Tools You’ll Need to Master How to Clean Walls with Flat Paint

Soft Sponge
Warm Water
White Vinegar
Dish Soap
Towel
Bucket

Elephant in the Room: How to Clean Walls with Flat Paint?

This sector will contain a proven step-by-step guide to help you know how to clean walls with flat paint properly, without damaging the paint, or leaving any type of dirt behind.

Start with Removing Dry Debris

Instead of going all guns blazing with the soap and vinegar, start your cleaning of the flat painted walls by removing dry debris and dust first.

Use the dry towel, and sweep the walls with little-to-no pressure on the walls, and get rid of any type of dry debris on the wall.

Soft Sponge + Warm Water

Found that the wall with flat paint is still dirty and the dry sweeping didn’t get much, you can dip the soft sponge into warm water, as the second attempt on cleaning the walls with flat paint.

Use this to remove any type of stubborn dry debris that can easily be removed with warm water, in addition to any type of wet debris, but still maintain soft strokes.

Add Soap to Warm Water in the Bucket

Some would opt to go for Vinegar alongside soap, but I personally liked my experience with soap only since it’s made specifically for this task.

Go for circular motions now with the same soft sponge, and don’t apply much pressure on the area you need to clean.

In this step, the soap should have the chemical power to dissolve the dirt on the flat painted wall.

I’ve used dish soap, as it’s the softest on the surfaces it touches.

Final Touches

Going all guns blazing with a soft sponge, dish soap, and warm water should most of the time be enough to get the dirt off walls with flat paint.

After cleaning the whole area, rinse the cleaned walls with warm water as a final step towards a clean wall.

Using the dry towel softly on the wall can add another layer of fast-drying, instead of leaving the wall to dry on its own

More Expensive Ways on How to Clean Walls with Flat Paint

That was the easy and simple way of getting back the clean and shiny walls to their original beautiful look, but what if that doesn’t work out, you pressed too hard on the wall or it just didn’t get back to that shape?

There are other options, but they are expensive compared to a bucket of dish soap and warm water.

Touch Up Paints

Touch-Up paints mean work perfectly if you’re the one who have painted the walls with flat paint, as you’ll have some left-over paint or you already know the exact color level you need to obtain.

You will just need to do just touch-up repaint of small areas, instead of going for a full repaint of the wall.

This is still an expensive option compared to the normal cleaning way, but not as expensive as the next option.

Full Repaint of the Wall

This is the most expensive method when discussing how to clean walls with flat paint, as you’ll be required to paint the whole wall, instead of some touch-up paintings here or there.

It’s also going to require more effort on your part, but it gives you another option: changing paint type.

Therefore, you can go for the same flat paint, or opt for a more powerful or glossy paint type.

Despite being more expensive, this option works best when you fail your task or don’t know how to clean fire smoke off walls, as the full repaint will be mandatory by then.

Professional Tips on How to Clean Walls with Flat Paint

Start Cleaning as Soon as You Spot Dirt on Walls.
Don’t Use Cold Water, Go for Warm Water Instead.
Refrain from Using Magic Eraser, They Destroy Flat Paint.
Always Go Soft on the Wall, No Matter What Tool You’re Using.

How to Clean Walls with Flat Paint FAQ

Can you wash walls that have flat paint?

Washing walls that have flat paint doesn’t seem the most effective way to get it cleaned properly. Going for the step-by-step cleaning of the walls is way better and provides cleaner results.

Does flat paint wipe clean?

Sometimes, but not all the time. It depends on the dirt type you’re facing, as wiping can be effective on a small list of those types, while the aforementioned cleaning method is the most effective on flat paint walls.

Can you use a magic eraser on flat paint?

No, you shouldn’t use the magic eraser on flat paint. I’ve used it and with little pressure only it has damaged the flat paint immediately. It’s not made for cleaning flat paint.

To Wrap Up

Now that you’ve mastered how to clean walls with flat paint, you only need to make sure that you clean them as fast as possible, and follow up on the other professional tips I left at the end of the guide.

If you have any inquiries regarding how to clean walls with flat paint, whether it’s about the tools & equipment you need, or regarding the process itself, leave it in the comments section below, and you shall receive my answers shortly.