Cleaning Tips for Water Damaged Walls

Plastered walls and wallpaper need different treatments than painted walls or concrete

by Mary Yearns, Iowa State Extension

Walls need special care following contact with floodwaters, said Lois Warme, Iowa State University Extension art and design specialist. Plastered walls and wallpaper need different treatments than painted walls or concrete block walls.

Walls may be difficult to clean and dry. If insulated, the baseboards and some siding may need to be removed to ventilate wall cavities, Warme said.

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In some cases, insulation may also need to be removed, dried or replaced. Allow at least two months before applying paint because paint applied to damp walls will later blister and peel.

Plastered walls and wallpaper can be cleaned without replacing the paper, Warme said. Allow plaster to dry thoroughly before washing it. Brush off any loose surface dirt.

Use mild soap or a nonsudsing commercial cleaner to wash a painted wall. Warme suggests using one bucket of cleaning solution, another bucket containing clean water for rinsing, and large sponges for cleaning and rinsing.

"Always start washing a wall at the bottom and work up," she said. "Starting at the top will result in water running down over the soiled area and streaking it, but water running over a clean area can be wiped off without damage."

Wash an easily reached area without changing position, then rinse the area immediately. Wash the next area, overlapping the first one, and proceed until the wall is finished. Ceilings should be done last. Badly stained walls require redecorating.

After walls are cleaned and before wallpaper is replaced, paint or spray walls with a quaternary disinfectant, available from janitor or dairy supply outlets. Add one ounce or two tablespoons of the disinfectant to two gallons of water. This will make the walls mildew resistant. The same solution may be applied to washable wallpapers.

Cleaning basements with concrete walls and floors requires a slightly different cleaning strategy, Warme said.

First bail or pump out water and remove mud from the floor, then remove mud and surface film on ceiling, walls and floor with a coarse brush or long-handled broom. Spray or wet ceiling and walls with lukewarm water, then scrub with hot soapsuds. Repeat if necessary, using clean soapy water. Rinse walls and ceiling with a clear, lukewarm water moistened brush.

To remove odors, use a chlorine bleach solution, or use common rock salt, or stock salt, Warme advises. Rock salt is a good disinfectant. Use 1 cup of rock salt per gallon of water. However, do not use rock salt on concrete surfaces--it will ruin concrete, causing it to chip, fragment or flake. You can use rock salt on dry wall or plaster--but be sure to rinse well afterward.

Sprinkle the salt over the basement and, if the floor is dry, spray or pour a small amount of water over the salt. This mixture of salt and water makes a strong brine that should be allowed to stand on the floor until dry. When dry, sweep and wash the floor with soapy water. This treatment will disinfect the basement as well as remove odors.

Reproduced with Permission

First Published: Early-October, 2004
Updated: February 2007

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