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Here’s a universal truth: If you have kids, you probably have fingerprints and handprints on your walls. Whether it’s summer, winter, fall, or spring, there’s a never-ending trail of their cute little fingerprints throughout your home. But as cute as they are, you don’t want fingerprints smudging up your beautiful walls.
If you’re a DIYer and don’t mind a little work, handprints on the wall are no big deal. As long as you stay on top of your fast-moving kids and get fingerprints off the wall ASAP, you can keep your walls looking their best.
How to Clean Fingerprints on Walls The Easy Way
When you learn how to get fingerprints off a wall quickly and easily, your child’s messy hands won’t cause so much stress. The tools you need to remove stains and get fingerprints off a wall are safe, effective, and probably already in your home. If you have a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, dampen it and start there. If you need more firepower, we’ve got your back with proven tips.
Chalk
If using a piece of your child’s chalk to remove their messy handprints seems like poetic justice, that’s okay because it really works. As long as you use white chalk, your walls will be safe and fingerprint free when you’re done.
- Rub a piece of white chalk on paper to get rid of the sharp edge and create an angle.
- Rub the chalk over the fingerprints using the angled part.
- Let the chalk sit for about 5 minutes to soak up the dirt and oil from the fingerprints.
- Use a dry microfiber cloth and dust off the chalk residue.
- Dampen a microfiber cloth with water and remove the little chalk remnants on the oily marks.
After the wall dries, check your handiwork to ensure the fingerprints are gone. If you still see fingerprints on the wall, use a bit more force and rub those areas with a damp microfiber cloth.
Dish Soap
Getting fingerprints off walls using dish soap is convenient and easy. Grab a bucket, dish soap, and a couple of microfiber cloths, and let’s make short work of handprints on walls.
- Fill a clean bucket half full of warm water and add a few drops of dish soap.
- Dip a microfiber cloth in the cleaning solution and wring it out till it’s barely damp.
- Rub the handprints or fingerprints in a circular motion to remove them.
- Use a clean, damp microfiber cloth to wipe down the wall and remove the soap residue.
- Let the wall dry and check the results.
You may have to use more elbow grease or repeat the process if your walls are very dirty. But with some tenacity and patience, you can get your walls clean and handprint free.
Distilled White Vinegar
If you’re familiar with our blog posts, you’ve likely read about how we recommend safe, eco-friendly cleaners like white vinegar. Vinegar is a natural cleaner, deodorizer, and grease cutter, and it’s ideal for removing fingerprints on your walls.
- Pour a half gallon of warm water and a half cup of white vinegar into a bucket.
- Dampen a microfiber cloth in the cleaning solution.
- Use the cloth to rub the fingerprints in a circular motion until they disappear.
- Wipe away the vinegar residue with a cloth dampened with warm water.
- Dry the area you’ve cleaned with a fresh cloth.
As with other cleaning efforts, you may have to repeat the above process a couple of times until you get the fingerprints off. If the vinegar odor seems to be too much, know that it will dissipate quickly as it dries.
Once you know how to clean fingerprints off walls, how’s the rest of your house looking? Life can get crazy when you’re raising kids, so check out our handy housekeeping guides for proven tips to make cleaning with kids more manageable.
Whether you do it yourself or invest in one of our popular residential cleaning services, The Maids wants to help make housekeeping easier. Get your customized cleaning quote today and see what we can do for your walls, floors, bathrooms, and more.
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