How To Clean Fingerprints Off Walls2 min read

Here’s a universal truth: If you have kids, you probably have smudged up walls. Whether it’s summer, winter, fall or spring, there’s a never-ending trail of their cute little fingerprints throughout your home. That said, the last thing you want to do when cleaning up greasy stains is ruining your paint. Here’s how to clean walls and get rid of dirty fingerprints safely:

Step 1

First, take a piece of white chalk and scribble on a piece of paper to get rid of the sharp edge and create an angle. Those kids’ fingerprints are small, and the angle will help.

Step 2

Next, take the chalk and rub it over the fingerprints using the angled part. Using a sharp edge will leave small scratches in your paint. Don’t use color chalk as it could stain your wall.

Step 3

Fingerprints can leave excess sweat and oil on surfaces, which is what happens when you see smudges on your paint. Let the chalk rest for about 5 minutes to soak up the oil.

Step 4

Next, take a microfiber cloth and dust off the chalk residue. You’ll still see little chalk remnants on the oily marks, which means it worked! The chalk sticks to the oil and removes it from the wall.

Step 5

Finally, dampen the microfiber cloth and go over the prints one more time. Don’t use too much water; you don’t want to soak your walls. As you wipe up the dusty prints, you’ll notice that the oily marks are gone.

Repeat if necessary.

Once you know how to clean fingerprint stains off the walls, how’s the rest of your house looking? Could it use a good scrub as well? If so, it’s time to call The Maids!

With nearly 40 years of experience, we’re more than accustomed to cleaning homes with kids, pets and everything else. You can count on polished floors, disinfected doorknobs and scrubbed toilets—just to name a few things that we tackle. Life can get crazy when you’re raising kids, and knowing how to get rid of fingerprints is only part of the experience. Call The Maids to make cleaning house much, much easier. Ring us up at 1-800-THE-MAIDS for a free price quote in your area!