Wallpaper is a great way to spice up a room, but it can peel and become dirty after a short amount of time. Removing wallpaper is a painstaking job because of the wallpaper glue residue and the need to repaint the wall. Using wallpaper in a bathroom is never a good idea because the steam from showers and hot water makes the glue peel easily, which makes the wallpaper look tacky instead of being a pleasing accent. This article will look at how to remove wallpaper in the bathroom easily and painlessly; many of these tips work for wallpaper in the entire house as well.
Materials needed:
Steamer-handheld (can be purchased or rented from most hardware stores)
Vinegar and water or mild soap and hot water-(for easy removal of wallpaper glue)
Painters’ gloves (use when peeling the paper and cleaning the wall, however, optional)
Tarp (optional)
How to remove wallpaper in the bathroom:
1. Place a tarp around the area you are removing the wallpaper at
However optional, placing a tarp under the spot that you are removing the wallpaper is a good idea so that there is minimal mess to clean up. The tarp will catch any of the cleaning solution and paper that may fall on the ground or appliances, thus reducing a messy clean up.
2. Using the steamer on the paper
Use a steamer directly on the wall where the paper is attached; it will loosen the glues hold to the wall and make for easy peeling. Removing small sections at once by first using the steamer on the section you wish to peel first, and then simply peel the paper right off the wall. Place all the wallpaper removed in the trash bag for easy removal.
Tip: Do not be alarmed when there is glue residue left on the wall, we will talk about that later. You can remove the paper without a steamer, but I do not recommend it, as there will be residual paper that is left on the wall, which is hard to remove.
3. Cleaning the residual wallpaper glue
Once you remove the wallpaper from the wall, you will want to remove the wallpaper glue residue. The glue residue can easily be removed with a vinegar and water solution, or you can use a mild soap and hot water solution. Use a rag to apply the cleaning solution to the wallpaper glue; the glue should come off rather easy, if it does not, wait for a few minutes after applying the solution to scrub.
4. Finishing up
After applying the cleaning solution, the wallpaper and glue should be completely removed from the wall. If you plan on putting wallpaper back up in the bathroom I recommend using brand of wallpaper and glue that does not peel with moisture (designed for bathrooms), although this is harder to remove. Although, I highly recommend just repainting the walls as it will make the room look bigger and you will not have to deal with the mess of putting up more wallpaper.
Sources:
Personal experience
