I moved into a house a few months ago where all of the painted walls have a matte finish. In my previous homes, I painted with an eggshell or satin finish that allowed for easier cleaning. How do you clean walls with a matte finish? I feel like every time I wipe them off the wall looks worse and almost permanently streaked. I have a messy 3 year old and need to figure this out...lol. I don't want to repaint at this time. Thanks
Thanks Mama's. I see lots of painting in my future :-( The funny thing is I really liked the colors of the house...they were colors I would have chosen which is why I was happy about the thought of not having to paint right away. I wonder now if they painted immediately before moving out ..I don't know how anyone could have kept all these matte finishes looking perfect. Have a great day.
You will need to eventually paint again and can make the finish what you are used to. Matte washes off when it gets wet so that is why it looks worse after being cleaned. I say it might be worth it to decide what colors you like and start painting one room at a time. Kids are not usually in every room in the house so start with the family room or the kids rooms so that those rooms will be easiest to clean up.
I always swear by Mr. Clean Magic Erasers.
The only solution to that is new paint. Sorry!
touch up paint. Matt walls scuff, there is really no way to clean.
I have had really good results with the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser on my matte walls, with one exception. We have 2 walls that are the Fresh Air paint from Home Depot that are a medium to dark yellow, and it leaves shiny spots where the eraser is used. The other 2 walls are a much lighter yellow and it works fine on those walls.
I think maybe it depends on the quality of paint you have and/or how dark the color is. I usually buy regular Behr paint from Home Depot in Matte and it has held up really well to the magic eraser. I would suggest testing the Magic Eraser in an inconspicuous area to see how it works with the paint you have.
Good luck :)
we have the same problem. I have found that the only way to clean it, is to paint over it with the same color. I am renting, otherwise I would re paint with another finish
I have also tried the magic eraser on it before and all it did was wipe off the paint and leave a white streak underneath (paint is a light blue)
You can't. That's why you should always paint with at least an eggshell finish.
