How often do you wash your walls?

[Playplayaway]

I woke early today. I popped into the bathroom (north north east facing) and the sun was coming in the window at an angle. We don't usually see sun in that room as its gone around by the time we get up.

We have a fully tiled bathroom right up to the ceiling and the sun was hitting it and I could see the tiles were liberally covered in dust. I've never noticed it before, obviously because I dont usually see the sun up there and only have one light in the centre pointing down. The room was done around 4 years ago and I don't think the tiles up towards the ceiling have ever been wiped since. So I've been up the step ladder cleaning them today and feel slightly less minging.

I'm now looking around my house thinking all the walls must be due a good clean. Apart from when we paint or if there's a mark, they never get cleaned.

So, do you routinely wash your walls? 🤔

Our walls are pretty grubby if you look at them closely. Or even not very closely. I still don't wash them. It would be nice if they were cleaner but they are pretty low down on the hygiene-risk list so consequently very low down on the cleaning priority list. There's really only so much time and energy to go around!

This made me laugh so much!

Ditto adhd and I love how accepting you are of the need for a "good long think" 😆

I only ever spot wash walls. Some paints won't stand up to a proper wash anyway.

Lots of medical people in my family so good hygiene drilled into me from early age but I also believe that it's possible to be too clean.

So handles get cleaned when obviously dirty or during seasonal big cleans (when skirting and doors etc get done too). They also get done if someone in the house has an infectious bug (eg stomach bug, covid).

Bathroom tiles that get wet get washed weekly. Rest get a wipe down as above or if, like you op, I notice dust.

Not once

Ever. In 30 years of owning a house

I spot clean them when I see a mark, never wash a whole wall.

Bathroom tiles (other than around the toilet/in the shower) maybe a proper clean every 2 years and tile protector put on. Duster in between a few times) In shower/around the loo - weekly. (Only me here, and I manage to wee into the toilet!!)

painted walls, I have a long handled, duster/mop/shaggy thing. bright orange from b&q and they get a dust down at least annually and if I see a cobweb or whatever. THE 'corner' before the Christmas Tree goes up & when it comes down.

but they never get wet washed unless I'm going to paint them.

no men, kids, dogs though.

We bought paint that can be cleaned because we have two dogs and when we were decorating we were TTC. So we had the intention to wash walls when they got grubby but I think we’ve done two bits of wall (mostly where the dog beds are) in about 18 months since we redecorated. We also bought washable paint for DD’s room, expecting a D&V explosion at some point because that’s life with babies and kids, but fortunately we haven’t had to clean those walls yet. I wouldn’t routinely wash walls just when there has been some sort of incident or they look a completely different shade to the other walls.

Not once in 30 years, they look clean and sparkly though.

We only have tiles on the wall along where the bath and shower is so they just get cleaned along with that. We live in an area with a lot of limescale so also wipe them down after showering to stop it building up. But general plaster walls, never. And never for the kitchen tiles except the bit behind the hob which gets splattered.

Feel like that saying "lifes too short to stuff a mushroom" Same applies here! Defo never even thought of it unless redecorating .

we have two fully tiled (floor to ceiling) bathrooms . I clean the entire walls maybe 3 or 4 times a year, it only takes minutes with a brilliant extendable tile scrub made by OXO goodgrips . Cheap to buy, fast and easy to use.

Any tips on how to clean a shower screen. I live in a hard water area and nothing works, I’ve tried everything.

Well if you've really tried everything then the only answer is to replace the shower screen every few weeks!

I do ours with Cillit Bang (in fact the cheap knock off from the pound shop l, I forget the name.) That does it. Otherwise anything acidic will dissolve limescale.

I have dark green walls in my downstairs loo. It's an absolute pain by the sink. It's constantly got drippy water marks all down the walls. Never occurred to me that this might be a problem.
Have you managed to find anything that will completely clean them away? I think I've cleaned them but they reappear once the wall has dried

@Sally090807 I Agree with @BanjoKnockers cillit bang is fab and easily bought.
At work I have a professional loo cleaner (smeared in thinly and washed off after 1 minute) which works very well followed up with window cleaner. Warehouse etc showers are heavily used and very dirty after weekends. Then maintain it with window cleaner as soon as you’ve had a shower!! Buff with clean dry lint free cloth.

the closest to our loo cleaner is probably domestos for limescale remover. (It’s not as strong). Use sparingly and ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS do a discreet text patch on the door and on the shower tray. Do not use on those decals some shower screens and trays have.
(never mix fluids. )

@UndertheEagle have you tried hot soapy water followed by clean hot water? The drips will be perfect combination of dirt from hands (so a bit oily) and soapy, scummy water. That should do the trick, but tbh coloured walls around sinks tend to stain and get bleached by cleaning. (My heart sinks when designers think this is great in office toilets. They need repainting often to look continually good).

Large fully tiled bathroom gets its walls washed down and Karcher'd maybe twice a year. Every time I'm amazed how filthy they are. Dust def clings to tiles.

People wash walls? Mmmm . . . .

Yep, people saying they'll just pop in causes me total distress.

I would wash part of a wall if it got dirty, but I do not and have never washed my walls as part of housework. We washed them before painting, if that counts?

Looking at the wall next to me (painted five years ago) there are a few little speckles (I suspect where the cat sits on this chair and has a wash) but nothing that bothers me.

Walls? Never.

Hang on a sec, bathroom tiles is a totally different thing, and not the same as walls as you said in thread title.

Our bathroom is tiled up to the ceiling. I wash the tiles about twice a year, sometimes three times a year. They need doing right now but I know I did them at Christmas and during a spring clean at Easter so they'll have to wait.

Didn't know it was a thing. So never.

There was a thread once discussing why people thought the British were dirty. One of the comments was because we don't wash our actual walls down, and this is common in Europe. Never knew whether that comment was a wind-up or not.

I wipe the wall behind the kitchen bin and above where the cat bowels are as I once spotted splatter on there.