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Blog > Cleaning Guides > How to Clean Matte Painted Walls Cleaning GuidesHow to Clean Matte Painted Walls

Fantastic Team
Published: Feb 04/2020
Last update: Jul 30/2025
3min read
Views: 14,606

Seeing a spot, or any kind of dirt on your wall can be very unsightly, and it’s advisable to get it clean as soon as possible. You’re probably already thinking“How do I clean my wall without damaging the paint?”

Well, the Fantastic Services cleaning team is here to share their expertise with you! Cleaning and maintaining matte-painted walls is not a hard task, so keep reading! In this article, the Fantastic Services team will explain how to clean matte-painted walls.

Table of Contents:

Types of wall finishes
How to clean matte walls
Hire a professional

This article is for all of you who wish to clean and maintain their matte painted walls without damaging the finish.

Types of wall finishes

First, let’s list the most common types of wall finishes.

Matte. The matte finish is the least reflective sheen available. Its velvety texture helps hide imperfections such as brush strokes and it offers a great depth of colour. Since doors and wooden furniture usually have a slight sheen, a matte finish on the wall can be used for aesthetic contrast. The bad news is that it can be very difficult to clean. Depending on the severity of the spill, you might have to repaint the damaged area.
Eggshell. The eggshell finish has slightly more gloss than the matte one. Because of this, it’s easier to clean. Unlike the velvet texture of the matte finish, eggshell has a soft glimmer when light hits it. People choose it for its ability to make the room brighter. It’s also more durable than matte. A downside is that it’s harder to touch up if you notice any imperfections.
Satin. The satin finish is slightly glossier than eggshell, giving the walls a pearl-like quality. The smooth surface reflects more light and it’s also easier to clean than the former types. Because of that, satin is used in high-traffic areas such as bathrooms, kitchens and kids rooms (since children tend to doodle on the walls). Unfortunately, this finish doesn’t hide imperfections on the surface and any later touch-ups will stand out. This is why it’s recommended that it is applied by a professional painter.
Semigloss. The semigloss finish is very reflective, durable and easy to clean. It even offers resistance to moisture, which is why it’s a very popular finish used in bathrooms and in the kitchen around a hob. A downside is that this finish shows every single imperfection on the wall, and it requires additional preparation before painting.
Gloss. The gloss finish is super light-reflective and statement-making. It’s also the most durable. It’s a finish used on accented places for a glamour glass-like effect. However, gloss is the hardest to apply and shows every imperfection if not applied well. On the plus side, it’s the easiest to clean.

There are also super gloss and super flat finishes. Super gloss reflects more light than the standard gloss finish and it’s the most high maintenance paint finish you will find. And the super flat finish has zero light reflection (matte usually has up to 4% light reflection). Super flat paint is recommended for rooms that already contain a large number of light-reflecting surfaces.

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How to clean matte-painted walls

Once you’ve spilt something on your matte wall, you should try to clean it as soon as possible. You’ll have to arm yourself with a bucket of water, a soft sponge, liquid soap and a dry towel.

Total Time: 1 hour

Dust and hoover.

Dusting and hoovering the room, in general, keep the walls clean. This way fewer dust particles stick to the surface and there is less risk of rubbing any dirt into the finish later. To prevent the accumulation of dirt on the walls, use the brush nozzle of the hoover to clean up dust and cobwebs on a regular basis.

Wash with mild soapy water.

Pour some water in a bucket and add a few drops of liquid soap. Stir it well. This is your cleaning solution. Submerge a soft sponge in your solution and squeeze out the excess water. Gently rub the stain out of the wall, using only the soft part of the sponge. Never use the abrasive side, as it can easily damage the matte finish. Once the stain stops being visible, rinse the spot with clean water.

Pat dry with a towel.

Help your matte painted wall dry quicker by patting it with a soft towel. It will take some time for the spot to dry, so open the doors and windows to let the air circulate in the room.

Repeat wash if necessary.

Once the spot has dried, check it again. If you still notice the stain, you might have to repeat the washing process.

Repaint if all else fails.

If you can still see a stain after the second wash, you might have to repaint the spot. It’s not recommended to wash the wall a third time as it might damage the finish. The good news about this is that the matte finish is the easiest for repaints and touch-ups. So, once you’ve repainted, there will be no sign of the unsightly stain. Just make sure the wall has completely dried before attempting to paint it.

Hire a professional to do the job instead

As you’ve seen, cleaning matte-painted walls is not a hard task. However, bear in mind that this method works for light dirt and stains. Sometimes, the damage could be so severe that your wall might need a painter to cover the stained area.

In these cases, you should know who to call. The professional painters from Fantastic Services are always ready to help out!

Need a professional to clean your house?

Fantastic Services is here for you!

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Takeaways

The matte finish of your wall is the least light reflective and hardest to clean of all paint types;
If you spill something on your matte wall, you should try to clean it immediately;
A lot of stains can be washed away with soapy water and a sponge;
If you can’t clean up the stain, you will have to repaint the damaged area.

***

Have you ever removed stains from your matte wall? How did you deal with them? Tell us in the comments!

Image source: KUPRYNENKO ANDRII/shutterstock.com

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