When Vinegar or a Steamer Does Not Remove Wallpaper
- Old wallpaper can be removed with a half-and-half mixture of hot water and fabric softener. Put the mixture in a spray bottle, and spray the walls liberally. Allow the spray to soak into the wallpaper for a few minutes, and begin pulling the paper away from the walls. If some areas give you problems, spray them again with the mixture and repeat the process. Once all the wallpaper is removed, clean the walls with a heavy-duty cleaner that is designed to remove wallpaper residue.
- An alternative method to remove wallpaper that seems to be permanently stuck is to combine one bottle of wallpaper remover with reactive enzymes with 3 gallons of hot water, and add 1/4 cup of fabric softener and 2 tbsp. of baking soda, mixing the ingredients thoroughly. Using a razor knife, slit the top surface of the wallpaper so the mixture can reach down to the adhesive. Dip a paint roller into the mixture, and wet the wall thoroughly, allowing the mixture to work for 15 minutes. At the end of 15 minutes, use a broad scraper to pull the wallpaper from the wall. Wash the walls with a neutralizing agent of 1 cup of vinegar mixed in 1 gallon of water to remove any remaining residue.
- Some wallpaper removal panels adhere to the wall where the paper is. These panels are embedded with adhesive dissolver and stick to the wallpaper, soaking into the upper layer of the paper and gently dissolving the backing adhesive. The wallpaper must be scored with a small razor knife for the moisture to get through the upper layer of paper and rehydrate the adhesive. When the wallpaper adhesive is sufficiently rehydrated, the wallpaper removal panels are pulled from the wall, bringing the wallpaper down with them.
- Finally, you can fill a pump sprayer with a solution of very warm water and 2 tbsp. of dishwashing detergent. Don't add other cleaning agents to the mixture to avoid damaging the wall or underlying floors. Set the sprayer so it will spray in a feathered fashion as opposed to a stream flow. Spray the walls liberally and wait for about 15 minutes to allow the enzymes in the dishwashing detergent to begin to break down the adhesive. Once the time is up, you can begin to pull the wallpaper down, spraying more of the solution on the walls as needed.
