Material
Washable painted wall
A matt finish with a stain repellent surface, designed to be wiped, where abrasion rather than water is what destroys the protection.
- SurfaceSemi porous
- WashingSpot only
- Colour run riskHigh
- Reviewed7 September 2026
What washable painted wall can and cannot take
- Heat Avoid
- Water and soaking Use with care
- Acids, including vinegar Use with care
- Strong alkalis Use with care
- Solvents Avoid
- Chlorine bleach Avoid
- Abrasives Avoid
Always test on a hidden area first and let it dry before you treat the visible mark.
General rules for washable painted wall
This is the wall finish designed for exactly this situation, so use it as intended rather than more cautiously.
A soft damp cloth is the first move, and a drop of washing up liquid on the cloth is the escalation. The manufacturer says both.
What it is not is scrubbable in the sense of bearing an abrasive sponge. The stain repellent surface is a coating, and abrasion removes it in the patch you are cleaning, after which that patch absorbs everything.
Check the label
A washable or tough matt has a stain repellent surface that makes spills bead rather than absorb. The maker's own instruction is a soft non abrasive damp cloth, and for a stubborn mark a non bleach based cleaner such as washing up liquid, with abrasive cloths and scrubbing excluded.
Stains on washable painted wall
- Baby sick Lift the solids and wipe the mark with a soft non abrasive damp cloth, which is exactly what the paint maker...
- Blood Blot first, then use cold water and a tiny amount of compatible detergent. Work from the edge, rinse or blot...
- Body oil Lift free oil from washable painted wall, then clean a small area with a maker-approved mild detergent soluti...
- Breast milk Blot the spill, identify the finish and use a controlled cold clean only where permitted. Where the maker per...
- Bronzer Lift loose bronzer from washable painted wall before it is rubbed in. Blot cream bronzer, follow the material...
- Coffee Wipe coffee off washable painted wall promptly with a soft cloth. Use the damp route only on sound, cured pai...
- Concealer Lift thick concealer from Washable Painted Wall, blot without rubbing, then use a very small amount of dilute...
- Cooking grease Lift and blot cooking grease from Washable Painted Wall, then use a small amount of diluted washing-up liquid...
- Deodorant Lift loose deodorant from washable painted wall with a dry white cloth, then wipe the remaining film with coo...
- Hair dye Blot hair dye from Washable Painted Wall, test the mildest compatible cool detergent route, clean inwards, re...
- Lipstick Lift lipstick from Washable Painted Wall with a blunt edge, blot without rubbing, then use a very small amoun...
- Motor oil Blot motor oil from Washable Painted Wall, absorb as much as possible, then use a small amount of diluted was...
- Nail polish Lift free polish gently if the face permits contact. A maker-approved mild damp wipe can clear loose residue,...
- Period blood Lift any tissue with a spoon edge, then blot. Use cold water and a tiny amount of compatible detergent for th...
- Pet urine Blot until nearly dry, then use only the cool-water quantity washable painted wall can tolerate. Use a labell...
- Sweat Blot sweat from Washable Painted Wall, test a weak cool detergent wipe, remove residue with minimal moisture...
- Tomato sauce Lift tomato sauce from Washable Painted Wall, then wipe or blot inwards with a tested cool detergent solution...
Washable and tough matt paints combine a flat appearance with a tighter, treated surface.
The repellent surface is the feature
Spills bead rather than absorb, which is why these paints are sold for kitchens, hallways and children's rooms. Speed still helps, and the maker says so.
The protection returns
Once the paint is fully dry again after washing, the stain repellent property comes back. That is worth knowing, because it means cleaning does not use up the finish.
Abrasion does use it up
An abrasive cloth or a scouring sponge removes the treated surface locally. That patch then absorbs every future mark, so it becomes the dirtiest part of the wall.
Bleach is excluded by the maker
Who specifies a non bleach based cleaner.
Sources
What we checked and when. Where a manufacturer instruction disagrees with anything here, follow the manufacturer.
-
Dulux Easycare frequently asked questions, Dulux
manufacturer
Paint manufacturer guidance that its washable matt uses a stain repellent technology which makes spills bead rather than absorb, that a mark is cleaned with a soft non abrasive damp cloth, that a stubborn stain is treated with a non bleach based cleaner such as washing up liquid on a soft damp cloth, that abrasive cloths and scrubbing are avoided, that spills are best dealt with quickly, and that the stain repellent property returns once the paint is fully dry again.
Checked 7 September 2026
-
How to clean wallpaper, William Morris Wallpaper
specialist
Wallpaper guidance that vinyl faced papers resist moisture, soap and gentle wiping while traditional paper, grasscloth, fabric and bamboo do not, that cloths must be wrung thoroughly because damp rather than wet is the rule, that wallpaper paste is activated by water so excess water at a seam breaks the bond and lifts the paper, that surfaces tolerate gentle wiping but not abrasive scrubbing, that cleaning is done downwards to avoid drip marks, and that the area is dried immediately.
Checked 7 September 2026
-
Concealing water stains on plaster surfaces, US General Services Administration
authority
Building conservation procedure establishing that stains in plaster bleed through finish layers of paint if they are not sealed, that the moisture source must be found and the surface allowed to dry completely first, that the area is cleaned with a stiff brush and a damp cloth, that a white pigmented shellac is used to seal, prime and block the stain, and that the whole wall is primed rather than only the stained patch when a standard paint is used, to avoid visible shiny patches.
Checked 7 September 2026