Tips, Tricks, and Answers

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Cleaning Crayon from Walls. It's nearly impossible to raise even one child without finding crayon marks on the wall. Crayon marks may be impossible to remove with regular cleaning fluids, but a little bit of innovation can turn items around your house into crayon-removal miracles. Baby wipes, lubricating oil, and the old standby, ammonia, can all help to remove crayon marks from walls.

Dust Your Wallpaper Regularly. Wallpaper, like any other home decor, needs to be dusted and cleaned on a regular basis to make a house look bright and tidy. Putty cleaners are difficult to use, but similar results can be obtained by using a vacuum dusting extension or a dust rag on the end of a mop.

Getting Rid of “Blue Sticky Stuff” Stains. Cleaning up that wonderfully useful blue sticky gunk is not as easy as you would think. Whenever you remove a picture or poster that this stuff was holding up, it always seemed to leave some kind of a residue behind that is almost impossible to remove. The impossible is now possible; here's how.

Keep Fingerprints Off Walls. Fingerprints on walls tend to congregate around light switches and electrical outlets. To prevent these fingerprints from dirtying your walls, add rectangles of clear acetate around light switches and outlets. Acetate attracts fewer fingerprints and is easier to clean.

Removing Cobwebs from Your Walls. Unfortunately, cobwebs happen, and there's not much you can do to completely eliminate them. You can, however, remove cobwebs from your ceiling and walls, and even prevent cobwebs from collecting too much. Here are some ways to keep your cobwebs under control.

Removing Stains from Walls. Stains on walls are easiest to remove by cleaning them as soon as they happen. Different stains need different cleaning solutions, so it is good to have a wide range of products available. Basic household cleaners mixed correctly, such as bleach with water, borax and soap flakes, or baking soda with hand lotion can be used on different stains to leave your walls as good as new.

Removing Water Stains from Drywall. Water stains on drywall attract mold and mildew, so kill any growth by rinsing the wall with bleach and water. This should also remove the stain. If the stain persists, you may need to repaint or replace the drywall.