Old house tips

[Morello339]

I'm in desperate need of help.
I wasn't brought up in a clean house, and have lived in new builds prior to my recent move so have always had a reasonably clean slate.

My current house is old, and has skirting that's been painted over 100 times, always looks dusty or grimy and I just can't seem to make the house feel clean.

Can I please have your best tips for cleaning an old house that had been left a bit long without a clean?

Also, is there a way to get marks off of old paint ?

Just anything to help it not seen so grotty. I think an older person with little support loved here prior, so no deliberate damage, just accumulated dirt.

If the skirting are that grotty, and won't come right with a bit of sugar soap or soapy water, I would just repaint.

I like cream cleanser. It cuts through grime better than most sprays I find. You do need to rinse it off though. Sugar soap is also a good shout.

Also this may sound obvious but use loads of cloths. Don't keep rinsing the same one - put it aside often and move onto another. Means you are spending more time cleaning and less rinsing, it really speeds things up. Then you just stick them all in the wash at the end. They don't need to be fancy - old t shirts cut up etc.

Thank you both. I would paint over it, but I feel like it'll still look a mess because it's already been painted so many time by the look of it.

I'm going to buy some new cloths tomorrow, and make the skirting my Saturday job !

Pink stuff works on scuffed paintwork and I've even used soap powder in hot water, as it deals with grease and smells good after! If the woodwork suffers from 'layers' then sometimes better to ultimately replace and you can get ready primed mdf now, but for now a good degrease and scrub to deal with the grime.

Also maybe buy a new mop head and use it to wash the walls. Think about the smell too - lots of fresh air through and cleaning any curtains and carpets are a good starting point.

Stripping paint off skirting boards is quite a fun job actually, if you want to bring them back to their glory. But definitely comes under DIY rather than housekeeping.

Soda crystals and hot water. A magic sponge will get marks off the walls.

Use paint stripper before repainting, gives a better finish.

I second a cream cleaner, hope you find a solution.