We like to keep a clean house for many reasons, psychological, practical, or aesthetics and sometimes that means battling unique situations. If you’ve got kids or a large family, or even just entertain a lot, then you may have noticed an accumulation of fingerprints in some not usually cleaned areas. I mean how often do people really wipe or clean down their walls or wood furniture. It may seem like a small thing but these little prints can disrupt the overall feel of a room with their subtle presence. Cleaning these takes some special tactics. Here we have found some of the best spot cleaning methods for removing fingerprints from your walls and furniture.
First, it’s important to understand the basics of a fingerprint stain. The important thing to note is that they are oil based. There can be dirt involved but also you have to worry about preserving the integrity of the original surface. For walls, you don’t want to scratch the paint, for furniture, you don’t want to dent or scuffs the wood or material.
Furniture made of woods and or glossy material are a magnet for fingerprints. Fortunately, there is a long history of cleaning and preserving furniture. The most well known and professional method for dealing with this is using furniture polishes, lemon or orange extracts, and even a little cornstarch. The typical workup is to polish with mineral oil or lemon extract applied gently in swirls using a soft cloth. Using a dusting of cornstarch to soak up some of the polish and buff dry with a microfiber cloth.
Walls are a little bit different to contend with especially when it comes to fingerprints. We have discovered a very innovative and interesting way to take down oily fingerprints on the walls of your home. These fingerprints can seemingly come out of nowhere and ironically are chronically difficult to trace back to a source. Believe it or not, the key to effective spot cleaning is chalk. Chalk, a microfiber cloth, and a little bit of water can handle a large percentage of your average fingerprint stains. Make sure to use a flat end angle of the chalk as a sharp-edged chalk could damage your wall. The idea here is to use the chalk as both an absorbant and mild abrasive. Carefully chalk over the culprit fingerprints lightly applying a coating of chalk to take in the oil base of the prints. In conjunction with a little bit of water and wiping with a microfiber cloth, you can then remove the print with ease.
It’s the details that ultimately make the difference in a beautiful home. Some smudgy fingerprints don’t have to be an annoying barrier to that beauty you’re striving for in your living space. Keeping it simple and keeping it quick give you time and peace of mind when it comes to taking care of these stains.
