How to clean the walls of wallpaper

Have you decided to make your own repairs in the apartment? The first thing you should do is to remove the old decorative material, so the question immediately arises: how to clean the walls of wallpaper? It would seem that it is difficult in this process, but, nevertheless, get ready - the work will take you a piece of time. Do not despair and be patient, in this article we will give you some quick and effective ways to facilitate the task of cleaning the wallpaper.

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Where to begin?

First of all, determine what kind of decorative material is on your walls. The modern variety of species is impressive: paper, non-woven, acrylic, vinyl, liquid, glass. All of them have their own technical characteristics and your approach to cleaning walls from wallpaper depends on these factors.

Before you begin the procedure:

1. Remove all pieces of furniture, or slide them so that they do not interfere with work, cover from dust.
2. Remove the curtains.
3. Sweep dust in corners and on the ceiling.
4. Disconnect and disconnect all switches and sockets, cover them with masking tape so that they do not get dirt and water.
5. Cover the floor with a film from dirt and pieces of wet wallpaper, glue it to the baseboards around the perimeter of the room.
6. Stock up on wall cleaning materials to keep at your fingertips.

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How to clean the walls of wallpaper?

Depending on the type of wallpaper, the choice of tool may vary.

You will need:

• water tank - basin or bucket;
• detergent;
• rags, paint roller with fur coating;
• needle roller;
• “Wallpaper tiger”;
• spatulas of different widths with sharp corners;
• knife;
• atomizer;
• wallpaper remover;
• steam generator;
• iron;
• firm stool or stepladder;
• polyethylene film;
• masking tape.

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How to clean the walls of any wallpaper?

There are several universal methods that allow you to remove any old coating from the walls.

Option 1

The most common way that is used when cleaning all types of wallpaper:

1. Take a bucket or basin.
2. Make a hot soapy solution - hot water will soak the old material faster.
3. Use a cloth or roller to apply it to the surface of the walls.
4. Leave for a while.
5. Use a spatula to remove drenched pieces.

On a note! Wet the wallpaper not all at once, but gradually, since the long ones will dry quickly and you will have to repeat the procedure from the beginning. It is very convenient to use a spray bottle to wet the walls, in this case the water does not splash on the floor.

Option 2

For better penetration of moisture into the wallpaper, make notches and scratches with a spatula, knife or roller with needles, but for the best effect, use the special “Tiger Wallpaper” tool. It is used to clean a large area of ​​walls. The tool can be bought at a hardware or hardware store. After using it, no scratches or damage remain on the wall.

Next, dampen the walls with hot water and sequentially remove the layers one by one.

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How to clean the wall of paper wallpaper?

Paper wallpapers speak for themselves, they are based on paper.There are several ways to remove old material of this type.

Method 1

Old material that barely adheres to the walls can be easily removed with a spatula:

1. Pry the edge off with a spatula.
2. Pull the canvas down.
3. Separate the pieces that are not behind, separately with a knife, if not amenable to - moisten with water.

Method 2

If you find that you have “centuries-old” layers of wallpaper and newspapers, carry out the procedure in several stages:

1. Stage 1:
   1. Wet the top coat, wait until absorbed.
   2. To tear off the wallpaper from the wall, start from the seam, move clockwise for convenience. Do not tear off all layers at once, so as not to damage the plaster.
   3. Wet again if necessary.
2. Stage 2: If the old newspapers do not give in to anything, try to “steam” them. It would be nice to have a steam generator on hand, but if one is not available, use an iron.
   1. Wet the old cotton cloth.
   2. Iron the wall thoroughly.

On a note! Under the influence of hot steam, glue and paper swell and easily move away from the wall. Be prepared for the fact that the procedure is time-consuming and involves energy costs.

Method 3

Wallpaper glued with PVA glue? Then choose the cleaning method that suits you best from the following:

1. Option 1:
   1. Wet a small area of ​​the wall.
   2. Take a walk on it with a hot iron.
   3. When the wallpaper dries, they will be removed with glue.
2. Option 2: Be patient. Scrape the wallpaper manually. Use a sharpened spatula.
3. Option 3. Use a grinder with coarse sandpaper or a drill with a special brush head, but in this case, be prepared for the fact that part of the putty can be removed along with the wallpaper and you will have to putty the walls in a new way.

Method 4

To effectively clean the wallpaper from the wall, there are special fluids. Their convenience lies in the fact that the use of these products indoors is absolutely safe for health.

The essence of the effect: the liquid penetrates through the layers of wallpaper, acts destructively on the glue, while the canvas itself remains intact. For best results, add a little glue to the solution.

This cleaning procedure will look like this:

1. Dilute in water in accordance with the instructions.
2. Put on wallpaper.
3. After a while, remove with a spatula.

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How to clean the walls of vinyl and non-woven wallpaper?

Vinyl and non-woven wallpaper is a two-layer material, the base for wallpaper is made of paper, the top is made of film. Since the material is voluminous and heavy, glue of the corresponding strength is required. However, removing such wallpaper does not cause any difficulties.

Since this type of wallpaper is made from a durable material - polyvinyl chloride, they can easily be removed with whole stripes with the following technology:

1. To penetrate moisture into the canvas, scratch the wallpaper with a spatula or “Tiger”.
2. Generously moisten the surface with warm water or soapy water.
3. Pick up the corner of the film layer, gently peel it off.
4. Re-wet the paper base, remove with a spatula.

On a note! Use special liquids to clean wallpaper as an alternative to water.

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How to clean the walls of glass?

Cullet is a fabric of elastic and smooth fiberglass with special impregnation of modified starch. They are strong enough, do not break when removed.

Remove such decorative material using one of the following methods:

1. Option 1:
   1. Pick up a dry cloth from above or below.
   2. Pull horizontally towards you.
2. Option 2:
   1. Make a small cut on the wallpaper.
   2. Pour water or a special glass-removing liquid into the hole formed.
   3. Wait 15-20 minutes.
   4. With a spatula, pick up the edge of the incision, pull the blade down.

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How to wash off liquid wallpaper?

Liquid wallpaper is a beautiful durable material, sold in the form of a dry mixture, and applied on the principle of plaster, preparing a solution based on water.

To remove such a coating, do the following:

1. Wet a small area with warm water.
2. Allow the substance to swell.
3. Remove with a knife.

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How to remove wallpaper from walls from drywall?

Drywall is a building material that consists of layers of construction paper and gypsum. Upon contact with water, it softens, swells, and may become deformed.

To remove the wallpaper from such a coating, it is better to use special chemicals that quickly dissolve the wallpaper glue.

If none are available, use a soap solution to soak the wallpaper:

1. Apply the solution to the surface.
2. Carefully remove the wallpaper with a spatula.

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How to clean the walls of varnished wallpapers?

Sometimes the wallpaper is varnished, which is especially difficult to remove. Such a procedure takes a lot of time, but nevertheless, there are ways to remove such decor material - this:

1. Option 1:
   1. Remove the top layer with sandpaper.
   2. The next stage is the same as when removing wallpapers of any type.
2. Option 2: Use an effective special tool to remove old “Dissukol” wallpapers, strictly following the instructions of the manufacturer.

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Useful Tips

• Carefully eliminate all pieces of wallpaper, walk along the wall with sandpaper so that small grains do not remain, in the future they will appear with humps under the new decorative material.
• When working with sandpaper, use eye protection and a respirator to prevent dust from entering your eyes and lungs.
• Use chemical gloves when using chemicals.
• Do not wet the walls strongly, as you can soften the plaster and it will move away with the wallpaper.

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Use our tips on how to clean your walls from wallpaper, and repairs will not take much of your time and effort.