How to Clean Interior Log Home Walls
Cleaning the interior walls of a log home is a much different process than cleaning exterior log home walls. Exterior logs are easily cleaned with a pressure washer; however, this is not how you want to clean the interior log home walls, especially if the log home is already furnished and occupied. Interior log home walls, especially walls made of landscape timbers, easily trap dust and require frequent cleaning. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Sponge
- Cloth
- Color-safe laundry bleach
- Small bucket or bowl
- Scrub sponge
- Wood polish
Instructions
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Avoid dry dusting with a feather duster, Swiffer, or any other type of dry duster. Dry dusting allows the particles to escape and recirculate in the air, only to immediately reattach to the interior log home walls. Instead, use a damp sponge or cloth to wipe down the entire wall or walls. Use only a damp sponge or cloth--a cloth or sponge that is wet but not dripping, even when pressure is applied, is ideal.
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Rinse the sponge or rag out before it is allowed to dry; this will ensure that the dust is removed from the room before it can recirculate into the room. You may need to rinse the cloth or sponge several times as you dust the walls; this will depend on how dirty the walls are. Keep a close eye on the sponge or cloth and rinse frequently so that you are not wiping the dust back onto the wall.
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Dip the sponge or cloth in a small bucket or bowl full of color-safe laundry bleach. Wring out excess liquid so the sponge or cloth is damp again; this time a little bit of dripping is fine.
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Scrub the walls with the color-safe bleach; do not use regular bleach for any reason--it may damage or lighten the wood. For stubborn, stuck-on messes on the interior log walls, use a scrubbing sponge, such as a green Scotch pad, to remove the mess; never use abrasive scrubbing tools like steel wool.
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Allow the walls to dry overnight or for just a few hours and then apply wood polish to the walls with a clean, dry rug. The wood polish will make the walls shine and look even cleaner; many wood polishes even prevent dust from building back up as quickly.
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Tips & Warnings
Preserve the walls by coating with varnish; this will make the walls more attractive and create a smoother surface for cleaning.
According to a forum post at BobVila.com, some users have also used tri-sodium phosphate or deck and fence cleaner to clean the interior logs of a home.
Dust with damp cloth once per week, and repeat bleach and wood polish cleaning once a month.
