How do I clean scuff marks off of walls with flat paint?

Question

The walls throughout my house are painted in white, flat paint - they're still this way from when the house was built. Over time, various scuff marks have accumulated all over the walls. I've found that most cleaners don't work well on flat paint, but I have heard that Mr. Clean's Magic Erasers work wonders. Any suggestions?

Answer 1

1) Mr. Cleans Magic Erasers - yes, they do work wonders
2) Hot wash cloth and windex
3) Repaint the areas with flat paint using a very small paint brush (you'll never know they were painted becuase it's flat paint)
4) Try using a Gum Eraser - that works excellent for marks made by shoes/boots
5) Baking soda mixed with hot water

Answer 2

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
How do I clean scuff marks off of walls with flat paint?
The walls throughout my house are painted in white, flat paint - they're still this way from when the house was built. Over time, various scuff marks have accumulated all over the walls. I've found that most cleaners don't work well on flat paint, but I have heard that Mr....

Answer 3

We have used magic eraser and it does a good job at removing scuff marks and the many crayon markings our little picasos did over the years.

On flat paint though, be sure not to rub too hard as this will buff the paint an make it shiny. you will then be left with shiny parts on your wall that will be noticeable at certain angles.

Also, don't rule out a fresh coat of new paint. It's spring after all and a fresh new look does wonders.

Answer 4

Magic Eraser On Walls

Answer 5

Hi

I recently bought an apartment which was not quite 2 years old. The walls there were magnolia/cream, basically clean but, like you say, had scuff marks from where furniture had touched the walls. I used cif (jif) on a damp cloth and that really did the trick.

Hope this helps
Jan

Answer 6

Don t get your hopes up. There is no solution. You will forever have scuffs on your beautiful flat walls. You re better off getting your paint matched at an improvement store and re-paint your walls. Just your luck though, the store will do a horrible job matching the paint and it will be all for nothing.

Answer 7

If the Magic Erasers do not work, it is because the pigment has been damaged...Paint consists of two main categories of ingredient, the fixative and the pigment. These provide the adhesion and the color, respectively. The ratio of the two determines the degree of gloss. Here's why... If you could view a cross section of three painted surfaces, greatly magnified, in gloss, semi gloss, and flat, you would see the differences. In a gloss paint, there is a high proportion of fixative to pigment. When viewed in our imaginary cross section, we would see that the fixative totally covers the pigment, almost like it is under glass. The semi-gloss sample would have a more equal ratio, with parts of the pigment poking through the surface of the fixative. The flat paint has the most pigment per volume and the fixative is just enough to hold it on the wall. Since the fixative is clear and glossy and the pigment flat and chalky, our eyes perceive the paint with more fixative as having a higher gloss. A high gloss paint is generally more washable, because the pigment is protected by the clear, hard surface that the fixative forms as it dries. Different qualities of paints use different grades of ingredients. For example, Pratt and Lambert makes a scrubbable flat. It is expensive. They have found a harder type of pigment and a fixative that produces less gloss.

Answer 8

Mr. Clean's Magic Erasers are absolute wonders. They remove things I would never have been able to remove otherwise. My 2 year old wrote on my painted walls with an orange marker. I tried everything and couldn't remove the marks. Thought we were going to have to re-paint. One swipe with a Magic Eraser and they were gone. Crayon, marker, pencil, pen, tough dirt spots, scuff marks; you name it, that thing can remove it. I ALWAYS keep one in my cleaning supplies.

Answer 9

I would try the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. That thing is amazing! I wouldn't suggest painting over it unless it's in an inconspicuous place, because even though you think your walls are white, there are tons of shades of white. I made that mistake myself once with a mark on the wall. I went to the craft store and bought a little bottle of white paint to touch it up with and was stunned to discover the "white" on my walls had an undertone to it and the white paint I'd used was very visible. I ended up having to repaint the whole wall!

Answer 10

I have used a magic eraser on my flat painted walls and it didn't leave a mark at all. but, if your walls everywhere else haven't been wiped, the eraser will definately leave a mark. Perhaps 409 or similar would work?