If you are concerned about keeping your painted walls clean, it is important to know what kinds of paints are washable, and how to wash them without causing damage to the paint finish. Armed with a little bit of knowledge, you can keep your interior paint looking fresh and beautiful, without needing to fret excessively about protecting it from dirt.
Premium Paints Are More Washable than Others
When you own a high-end home, you are hopefully aware of the many advantages of using premium paints. They are longer-lasting, they provide truer color, and they give a better long-term value than cheaper paints. However, an additional advantage that offer is that high-quality paints are more scrub-resistant than budget paints.
Paints with More Gloss Are More Washable than Others
As a general rule, semi-gloss and glossy paints are quite capable of standing up to moderate scrubbing. Lower-sheen paints such as eggshell and satin can only be very gently washed when they are soiled. Flat paints very quickly lose their finish when they are scrubbed.
Bathrooms and kitchens are typically painted with a higher-sheen finish, and trim is almost always semi-gloss. These areas generally do well with mild cleaning. If you want to have washable paint in other areas of your home, such as children’s bedrooms, or hallways, make sure you ask your painting contractor for a durable, scrubbable paint. Those areas are usually painted with less sheen, and therefore are not usually very washable.
What to Use for Washing Painted Walls
While magic erasers are great for many household applications, they do their magic a little too well on painted walls; they make the paint disappear! Instead, use a soft sponge and scrub gently with warm, slightly-soapy water.
Before washing a highly-visible area, try washing a small, out-of-sight location. Be aware that the wetted paint will look slightly different, even after it has dried to the touch. You won’t be sure of the results of your washing experiment until several hours after you try it.
High-end Painting for Portland Residents
If you have any questions about house painting, or if you need a high-end painter for your Portland home, Sundeleaf Painting would love to serve you! We provide premium house painting services for discerning homeowners, with three generations of expertise to offer you.