Keep Fingerprints Off Walls

Written by Amy Gordon (last updated October 26, 2020)

For the most part, fingerprints do not get on the wall. Most places in your house are not in constant contact with hands, but in the few places where this happens, ugly smudges are usually covering the area. When feeling around for something along the wall, people will often leave fingerprints. The most common places for this to happen are the areas around light switches and electrical outlets.

To keep these areas from getting dirty, fasten rectangles of clear acetate on the wall around the faceplates of your light switches and commonly used electrical outlets. This allows people to come in contact with the acetate rather than with the paint on the wall. The acetate has less of a tendency to absorb the oil from your fingers, so it will stay cleaner longer, and will also be easier to clean up when it does become smudged.

Make sure that when you are purchasing and applying the acetate it is several inches taller and wider than the faceplate. Carefully measure your light switch or outlet faceplate and cut a hole of that size in the center of your acetate rectangle. If you use dry-erase markers to draw out your measurements on the plastic, the marks should come off easily with a paper towel when you are done.

The easiest and least intrusive way to attach acetate plates to your wall is to use 3M adhesive strips. They are the kind with a non-adhesive tab that you can pull down to release the acetate rectangle from your wall. The adhesive strips are white and will blend in with your wall, but the tabs will need to stick out from behind the acetate. This option will not damage your paint and leaves you the option of removing the acetate plates later.

Another way to attach the acetate to your wall is to use screws. This option is more permanent, but depending on your decorative preference, it may make your home look more institutional than welcoming.

If you do not want to measure out the sizes or anything of the sort, you can actually buy special plates from a hardware store that have the same effect. It will cut down on the amount of work by a little bit, and also come in the right sizes.

Author Bio

Amy Gordon

Amy Gordon loves keeping things simple, natural, and safe so she can spend more time having fun. Every day she learns new things about making life at home easier and she loves to share it with you! ...

MORE FROM AMY

More Organized Dishwashing

Cleaning out the dishwasher can be a hassle, especially since you usually have to sort through a big jumble of items. To ...

Discover More

Removing Teeth Stains

Teeth naturally yellow over time, but products exist to help lessen the effect. Make sure to brush and floss regularly. ...

Discover More

Getting Rid of Mushroom Rings

Lawns that are rich in nutrients will attract mushrooms. These unsightly plants will do no harm to your lawn, but are ...

Discover More

Remove Stubborn Stains Quickly Get everything looking clean again: Walls, floors, baseboards, counters, blinds, appliances, and more. Micro-scrubbers easily reach into surface grooves, lifting dirt away. This low-cost 8-pack is great for stubborn stains and touble areas. Check out Mr. Clean Magic Eraser 8-Pack today!

More Cleaning Tips

Removing Soot Stains from Walls

Soot can get anywhere and is usually difficult to remove in one try. Chemically treated sponges are used to remove the ...

Discover More

Cleaning Smashed Bugs from Walls

Removing those nasty smashed bugs stains from walls may seem a bit challenging. Here are a few simple methods that you ...

Discover More

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 ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in Cleaning Tips from Tips.Net. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is five more than 3?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in Cleaning Tips from Tips.Net. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.