If you’ve just painted the entire wall, a glass of wine falls against it. Of course you can repaint the entire wall, but is that desirable? There are also ways to remove stains from paintwork without having to repaint everything. There are a number of different options for this, in some cases it is not even necessary to apply new paint locally to the stain. Sometimes removing a stain on a painted wall isn’t even more difficult than getting the right cloth.
Different types of stains on the wall
Stains come in all shapes and sizes and one stain is not the other. A port-wine stain needs a different treatment than a stain caused by an oily object, a dirty finger or smeared dust. A port wine stain is also one of the most difficult stains there are. Removing a port wine stain is a lengthy process and can even result in local repainting. The most important thing with stains, be it wine or any other stain, is to be there on time. Although some substances can also be removed weeks or even years later, it is often difficult to see which substance the stain actually consists of. A quick response is therefore always necessary.
Stains on the wall from dirty fingers
Stains caused by touching the wall
The easiest stains are stains caused by dirty fingers or frequent touch. White walls in particular sometimes suffer from this; if a certain spot on the wall is touched often, a gray stain will appear in that spot. Even if hands are washed so well beforehand, frequent touching of the wall still produces small dirty deposits, which eventually become visible in the form of a stain. Of course it is possible to touch the wall as little as possible, but sometimes the damage has already been done and a solution has to be found. It can also happen that someone accidentally touches the wall with dirty hands, for example after working on a car. In fact, both stains can be resolved in the same way.
Cleaning wipes when removing a stain on paint
For cleaning stains from dirty fingers, opt for damp cleaning cloths. These wipes are very readily available and are provided with a detergent that, through a degreasing effect in combination with the water in the cloth, can get the wall clean. Because different brands also use different substances in the wipes, it is important to check the back of the package to see if it contains bleach. Preferably use a cloth that does not contain bleach, because in some cases this can work poorly on the paint used. Another tip is to first treat a piece of invisible wall with the cloth and then clean the visible stain.
Brush stains on a wall with water
It is also regularly recommended to clean the wall with a damp cloth, but the lack of soap will in some cases only wipe out the stain. As a result, if a damp cloth is used to remove a stain on paintwork, the stain may not go away, but only get bigger. In many cases, the soap from the damp cleaning cloths can completely remove the stain, making the paint look good again.
Ammonia for grease stains on a wall
If a damp cleaning cloth does not properly remove the stain from the paint, you can choose ammonia to remove the stain. In some cases, this degreaser can remove a stain that remains when using a damp cleaning cloth. Dilute the ammonia with warm water, so that the agent is not too strong.
Remove wine stains from a wall
For more stubborn stains, a different solution must be chosen. For example, one of these stains is wine. Red wine may seem like the biggest culprit, but white wine can also cause persistent visible stains on the paintwork. Removing a port-wine stain on wall paint is more difficult than simply wiping it off with a cloth; additional products must be used.
Salt, Spa red or bleach to remove wine stains from paintwork
In many cases, salt works very well for removing port-wine stains. In fact, this applies not only to port-wine stains on paint, but also to port-wine stains on carpet or clothing. Cover the stain in the salt so the salt soaks up the wine and keeps it from moving further into the wall. Try to hold the salt against the wall with a board or piece of cardboard to let the wine soak up. Another solution is to stick an A4 sheet all around with masking tape against the wall with the salt on the stain in the middle. If salt does not give sufficient results, Spa red can be used. Pour the spa red over the wall and let the carbonation do its work. The carbon dioxide soaks the wine off the wall, so to speak, making it easier to remove. Then carefully try to wipe away the wine with a wet, clean cloth. It is also possible to use a damp cleaning cloth. If that doesn’t work either, try gently with some bleach.
How to remove a paint stain from a wall
There may also be some mess with paint on a part of the wall where the new color shouldn’t be. With paint splatters, it is perhaps even more important than with other spots to be quick. If it is still wet, you can dab the new paint away. If the paint has already dried, the best option is to try it carefully with some thinner and otherwise paint the stain back in the old color.
Paint stubborn stains
If the above tips do not work for a stain, you can choose to paint the stain locally. If this is not done properly, there may be a color difference. The old paint may be slightly discolored under the influence of sunlight, for example, so that the paint that comes fresh from the pot does not match well in color. In order to avoid a difference in color, a painting technique should therefore be chosen in which the stain is touched by, as it were, dabbing on and around the stain with the brush. Try it out on an invisible piece of the wall first, if the color difference is too great, it is best to have a custom color mixed at the paint specialist.