How To Keep Your Wallpaper Clean

Wallpaper was and continues to be, a popular option for many, who prefer it to wall paint. Wallpaper gives your walls and your home a completely new look, at a relatively lower cost. However one needs to learn to maintain the wallpapers, especially if you have wallpapers in lighter shades then you will have to be careful not to stain them. How difficult or easy will be the task of keeping your wallpaper clean is determined at the time of buying the wallpaper.

Though most of the wallpapers these days are washable, take enough care to check with the seller whether it’s washable or not. A little extra money invested while buying good quality wallpaper will save you from a lot of headache in the time to come. One cannot imagine a wallpaper to be stain free without it being washable and if you have young children at home then it’s almost impossible task to achieve. If you have already bought wallpaper without checking if it’s washable or not, then select a corner area that wouldn’t easily visible to test if it can be cleaned with water or not.

Washable or not washable, do clean your wallpaper regularly with a vacuum cleaner. Generally a vacuum cleaner has an attachment of a smaller brush that you can use to clean the wallpaper. In case you do not have that attachment in your vacuum then you can just use your ordinary broom and tie a piece of cotton or a terry towel to it and use it to clean the dust from the wallpaper. If your paper is washable mix some mild detergents in water and rub it in soft circular motion on your wallpaper to clean the remaining dust. Do not allow the soap water to dry on the wallpaper, quickly clean it with another piece of rag or a sponge soaked in clean cold water. It is a commonsense of course that its always better to first clean the dust with broom or vacuum first and then use detergent and water to clean the remaining stains or dirt on the wallpaper. Make it a routine to clear off the spider webs and dust every now and then, if you save all the dusting and cleaning for the month ending or just before the party then it’s going to be more time-consuming and difficult task to clean the wallpaper.

If your wallpaper is marked as ‘can be scrub-cleaned’ then the task of cleaning the wallpaper especially the stains will be much easier. The wallpaper made up of fabric is also quite fashionable these days and have become common now. But then again it’s always safer to do a ‘patch test’ on a relatively non-visible corner of the wallpaper to see if the water and detergent will stain your wallpaper or not. Else if you are very particular and do not want to take any chances at all with your wallpaper then it’s better to check with the manufacturer about the cleaning procedure and they are best people also to recommend you the wallpaper cleaning detergents.