Grease stains can occur in a number of ways. The most common is oil splashing on a wall, touching a wall with a greasy hand for example or a dirty object. Both children and pets are equally responsible for grease stains – small hands and paws can leave marks in the most surprising places.
Unsightly grease stains sometimes appear along electrical cables which haven’t been laid deep enough inside walls. Walls in kitchens, dining rooms, children’s rooms and corridors are most vulnerable to grease stains.
How does one go about cleaning walls once grease stains appear? It is best to act quickly, so that the grease does not have time to penetrate deeper into the paint coatings and reach the wall. What should I use to clean grease stains? To a large extent, the method for removing stains depends on the type of affected paint coating and your reaction time. Consult product technical specification of the paint applied on the wall for specific stain removal information. In most cases this is done with a soft, damp sponge or cloth soaked in detergent. A lot of foam and warm water will help break up the grease. For coatings resistant to scrubbing we can use a brush or the sharp side of a scouring pad to fight stains, but this should always be done very gently and carefully in order not to damage the paint coating.
If these standard methods don't work, as a last resort before reaching for a paint roller we can try a number of home-made, experimental approaches.
Shaving foam
You can enlist shaving foam to help you in your fight against grease stains. Smear it on the stain and leave for 2-3 hours. Then wipe the wall with a damp cloth.
Window cleaner
For walls covered with latex or acrylic paint, spray the stain with glass cleaner, leave for several minutes and then wash using warm water. If none of these methods prove entirely successful, then painting it shall be.
Will paint cover grease stains on a wall?
Attempts to paint a dirty wall without removing grease usually end up with the stain starting to come through anyway, and the new paint coating may even start to peel. Grease stains on a wall have to be neutralised before applying paint. Śnieżka Streaks and Stains has the answer.
It was made for situations just like this. This acrylic wall and ceiling paint isolates all stains and marks, even those caused by grease. It may be applied directly (clean all particles not bound with the substrate on grease wall stains originating from a chimney). Śnieżka Streaks and Stains is highly opaque and delivers high substrate adhesion. As standard the paint comes in white, but it can be tinted to any colour. It can also be used as a primer.
Śnieżka's Streaks and Stains will also work for stains caused by cables. Essentially all other solutions dealing with this type of stain require hammering into the wall to lay the cables deeper inside.
Now you can sleep peacefully with the knowledge that Śnieżka Streaks and Stains is available – if grease accidents happen, which they are bound to, you do not have to worry much about the wall itself. Simply paint over the stain and forget that you ever had a problem.
