Comments on: OutDamnedSpotFilter:

Question: OutDamnedSpotFilter:

nj_subgenius — Sat, 21 May 2005 13:44:04 -0800

Nice white walls in the new place, a few bad scuffmarks from the moving hooligans...help!

The walls are drywall, paint is flat finish. What's a good method/product/thing to get rid of these? Painting is not an option...thanks.

By: melissa may

melissa may — Sat, 21 May 2005 13:58:10 -0800

The Mr. Clean Magic Eraser should work for you.

By: amberglow

amberglow — Sat, 21 May 2005 14:20:12 -0800

yup, or even maybe just a damp sponge.

By: grouse

grouse — Sat, 21 May 2005 14:57:07 -0800

Lighter fluid works wonders with scuff marks.

By: tozturk

tozturk — Sat, 21 May 2005 14:57:12 -0800

I second the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser recommendation, however I've had some problems in the past with it actually taking the paint off the wall and changing the consistency of the paint - making it noticeably smoother in comparison to the rest of the wall.

By: melissa may

melissa may — Sat, 21 May 2005 15:07:14 -0800

tozturk is right, but I think this is a more frequent problem with scuffs on gloss or satin surfaces -- a flat finish surface should be okay. You can get one, test it in an inconspicuous spot, and if it mars the paint, use it for cleaning soap scum or some other tough task.

By: Carbolic

Carbolic — Sat, 21 May 2005 15:12:55 -0800

If it is truly white you can often touch up the paint without it being noticeable. No need to repaint an entire wall.

By: keswick

keswick — Sat, 21 May 2005 15:17:43 -0800

The Mr. Clean Magic Erase is the most aptly named product ever. We could find out it's made of ground-up puppies and I'd still use it.

By: smackfu

smackfu — Sat, 21 May 2005 15:17:46 -0800

Just have to second the bit about watching out for what you're doing to the wall. It's easy to concentrate only on the mark, and you do get it out, maybe with some extra effort -- but then you look at the wall from another angle and you see the perfectly flat almost shiny section you just polished into it.

By: nakedcodemonkey

nakedcodemonkey — Sat, 21 May 2005 15:55:00 -0800

Long before Mr. Clean got into the racket, any fresh rubber eraser has worked well for me. (Just make sure it's new. You don't want to smear old graphic and ink into your wall.) That usually gets out 99.9% of the marks. Then a dot or two of touch up paint hides the rest.

By: nakedcodemonkey

nakedcodemonkey — Sat, 21 May 2005 15:57:29 -0800

...er, I meant graphite.

By: jdroth

jdroth — Sat, 21 May 2005 17:11:51 -0800

I know there's already a best answer, and I know nobody really cares, but I though it was important to chime in with yet more praise for the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. It's pretty fucking awesome.

By: nj_subgenius

nj_subgenius — Sat, 21 May 2005 17:49:48 -0800

O yeah. Mr Clean Magic Eraser. Thanks all.

By: fire&wings

fire&wings — Sat, 21 May 2005 18:00:12 -0800

putty rubber

By: puddinghead

puddinghead — Sat, 21 May 2005 18:08:05 -0800

I too am endorsing the Magic Eraser.

By: Jack Karaoke

Jack Karaoke — Sun, 22 May 2005 00:48:14 -0800

I've never seen this so-called "Mr. Clean Eraser" in the eraser-flesh, but just from these comments I might postulate that it is a vinyl eraser, available at any art supply store with drafting supplies. Just a guess.

Or it's made out of puppies.