Solution to wash walls

[niccig]

So, I'm finally going to wash the walls. It's never been done in this house, hangs head in shame.
Any solutions to use? I want to only do it once - so no rinsing would be great if possible. I have all the usual cleaning ingredients.

Nicci

[rlu]

We use TSP. I think we wash down after that though. It seems the dog is able to grind dirt into the wall simply by rubbing it.

[niccig]

What's TSP?

[mudder17]

I don't know what TSP is and it may be the thing to use. We've never gone through and washed the walls of the entire house, but I do wash areas from time to time (because of cat snot, kid handprints, etc.) and I've mostly used my vinegar/water spray (Mom's Earth Mop) or Castille soap disinfectant spray (Merlin's Magic). For stuff that needs scrubbing power I'll use baking soda on the towel and it works quite well. Yesterday, I cleaned the window sills (hang my head in shame, but it was filthy) and I sprinkled Baking Soda on it, then sprayed with the Merlin's Magic and scrubbed. I vacuumed up the resulting powder, then finished off with the vinegar spray. It's not perfect, but I only spent 3 minutes on it and then got distracted by a kid doing something. :P Anyway, it may end up being a bit more work than TSP (whatever it is), but it's cheap and it's cleaning stuff I happened to have around AND I didn't mind Kaya and Mika hanging around and "helping" while I was doing it. :)

[schums]

TSP is trisodium phosphate. It works really well to get walls, decking, etc. clean, but it is NASTY stuff. Need to have the area really well ventilated, and I wouldn't have DC around when I'm using it at all. I've only used it a few times indoors, and every time I ended up feeling really lighted headed and/or having a headache.

Sorry, no suggestions on what to tell you to use on the walls. I think my mom might have used spic and span years ago, but I'm not sure if it needs to be rinsed afterwards.

[niccig]

Thanks everyone. I think I'll stay away from the chemicals. I had a nasty mold situation in the rarely used 2nd shower and I nearly killed myself cleaning it off. Your posts reminded me of the Queen of Clean and I checked and apparently she uses a mix of 1/4 cup washing soda, 1/2 cup white vinegar and 1/2 cup ammonia in a gallon of water. I have all of that, so I might try it. I need to wash all walls, base boards, chair rail, trim etc in the whole house. It's never ever been done. I'm going to start with one room at a time and just slowly make my way around the house over the next few weeks.

[new_mommy25]

I don't know what TSP is and it may be the thing to use. We've never gone through and washed the walls of the entire house, but I do wash areas from time to time (because of cat snot, kid handprints, etc.) and I've mostly used my vinegar/water spray (Mom's Earth Mop) or Castille soap disinfectant spray (Merlin's Magic). For stuff that needs scrubbing power I'll use baking soda on the towel and it works quite well. Yesterday, I cleaned the window sills (hang my head in shame, but it was filthy) and I sprinkled Baking Soda on it, then sprayed with the Merlin's Magic and scrubbed. I vacuumed up the resulting powder, then finished off with the vinegar spray. It's not perfect, but I only spent 3 minutes on it and then got distracted by a kid doing something. :P Anyway, it may end up being a bit more work than TSP (whatever it is), but it's cheap and it's cleaning stuff I happened to have around AND I didn't mind Kaya and Mika hanging around and "helping" while I was doing it. :)

Would you mind posting the recipe for the Merlins Magic?

[ellies mom]

I use a TSP substitute that doesn't require rinsing. But I only use it when I'm getting ready to paint. I find that TSP tends to flatten the sheen a bit.

Anyhow lately, the most I've done to my walls is to dab with a baby wipe.

[catpagmo]

We use TSP. I think we wash down after that though. It seems the dog is able to grind dirt into the wall simply by rubbing it.

Yes, this happens at our house, too. I use a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to spot clean, and it gets all the doggie dirt off the walls. It's wonderful!

[mudder17]

Would you mind posting the recipe for the Merlins Magic?
Sure! I do 16 oz of filtered water with 3 T Dr. Bronner's Castille soap + 20-30 drops of TTO. It's from Clean House Green Planet (Karen Logan).