If you are painting the interior spaces, scrub well with Pine Sol or similar. You did not specify what your surface is or where it is located (interior/exterior).
If you are wondering about interior walls and how to make them paint ready??? I recommend TSP (Tri-sodium phosphate) or other TSP substitute cleansers that some stores carry. It is a liquid cleaning chemical added to plain tap water. Mix according to directions ($7-$8 should be more than enough to wash normal level dirty walls). You simply wash your walls and ceilings with it, let air dry completely and then your walls are ready to accept your primer and paint. Even a home with no smokers in it will accumulate invisible films from normal household chemical use, Gas heating from Propane or Natural Gas, smoke film from wood stoves or fireplaces, cooking vapors that carry micro grease particles around until they stick to something,
My favorite method to wash walls? I get a brand new bi-fold sponge mop or mop head if I already have the mop. No ladder for normal 8 foot walls, much easier for washing ceilings especially if you have mobility issues or previous neck and back injuries - you should avoid working on ladders if you can just for safety's sake.
To anyone who does not see the value in prepping walls and ceilings with a good wash, I wish I could show pictures of my son's house. He bought his first house. It was a previously smoked in home. I commented "Oh my, you are gonna need a lot of wall washing in order to paint." He heard "Wow, that sounds like a lot of un-necessary manual labor - just buy really good paint & skip to the fun part of painting". He bought the best paint his money could buy thinking that the paint quality was all he needed to overcome the extra work of washing walls. A little teeny tiny 1,008 sq foot home - he spent $909 on paint and a week of his diy time (aka vacation time) doing the job. (I know! Right????) 1 year later he relocated for work and sold the house. He had to give a $5,000 allowance for repainting as the $909 paint job was peeling off.
When it comes to painting - follow the process and don't be a step skipper. The Prep is 80% of the project if you want a good outcome and a paint job that will last for quite some time.
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My question as I watched these grandparents was always, "Why are you sweeping your yards, and why is there no grass around your house?" We have grass around ours.
I would use a power washer. Most hardware stores rent them.
If you are painting the interior spaces, scrub well with Pine Sol or similar. You did not specify what your surface is or where it is located (interior/exterior).
If you are wondering about interior walls and how to make them paint ready??? I recommend TSP (Tri-sodium phosphate) or other TSP substitute cleansers that some stores carry. It is a liquid cleaning chemical added to plain tap water. Mix according to directions ($7-$8 should be more than enough to wash normal level dirty walls). You simply wash your walls and ceilings with it, let air dry completely and then your walls are ready to accept your primer and paint. Even a home with no smokers in it will accumulate invisible films from normal household chemical use, Gas heating from Propane or Natural Gas, smoke film from wood stoves or fireplaces, cooking vapors that carry micro grease particles around until they stick to something,
My favorite method to wash walls? I get a brand new bi-fold sponge mop or mop head if I already have the mop. No ladder for normal 8 foot walls, much easier for washing ceilings especially if you have mobility issues or previous neck and back injuries - you should avoid working on ladders if you can just for safety's sake.
To anyone who does not see the value in prepping walls and ceilings with a good wash, I wish I could show pictures of my son's house. He bought his first house. It was a previously smoked in home. I commented "Oh my, you are gonna need a lot of wall washing in order to paint." He heard "Wow, that sounds like a lot of un-necessary manual labor - just buy really good paint & skip to the fun part of painting". He bought the best paint his money could buy thinking that the paint quality was all he needed to overcome the extra work of washing walls. A little teeny tiny 1,008 sq foot home - he spent $909 on paint and a week of his diy time (aka vacation time) doing the job. (I know! Right????) 1 year later he relocated for work and sold the house. He had to give a $5,000 allowance for repainting as the $909 paint job was peeling off.
When it comes to painting - follow the process and don't be a step skipper. The Prep is 80% of the project if you want a good outcome and a paint job that will last for quite some time.