How to remove wallpaper if you want to paint walls?

How to remove wallpaper, if you want to paint the walls/ I started touching on this subject, and seems this matter needs a separate post.

There are several solutions. Depending on how many wallpaper layers you need to remove, as well as what kind of wall covering it was, and what type of glue was used, removing process can be easy or challenging. Try a few of the recipes on a small spot (say, behind a couch!) if they work, and you can do the job easily - great! Roll up your sleeves, and do whole room. If you encounter difficulties - it's better to seek help. Ask a friend who recently gutted and remodeled his house, or hire a handyman... 

Hot water or steam. Is one of the easiest ways - cheap, often effective, chemical free. Apply hot water with rags, allow it to soak in. Use wallpaper scraper to help penetration process (this is a tool with spikes, some are designed as rollers, others have different shape). Steam with a household / garment steamer. Make sure to wash walls thoroughly afterwards. Glue residue left on walls will prevent paint from proper adhesion.   

If plain hot water doesn't work, try a mixture. Use same process: scrape wallpaper, apply mixture with rags, allow to penetrate (let sit and reapply if needed), then start peeling off wallpaper. 

• Add fabric softener to warm or hot water. Use fragrance free one, otherwise smell might be too overpowering, and give you a headache. You may find afterwards, you never going to use that brand/fragrance for your laundry needs. Ever. Another word of caution: mixture will drip - which is understandable - protect your carpet as much as you can. It will wash off, but the spot will act as dirt magnet afterwards, so it'll be visible in a different way. Always use proper coverings to protect you floors and furniture. 
• Add joy dish soap to warm/hot water. Again, aim for the least fragranced one, but in this case it has less impact than with fabric softener.
• Add white vinegar to warm water.   
• Use DIF gel from home improvement store. Again, dilute in water per instructions, use in a spray bottle or apply with a rag. Helps in most cases, and can be used to wash off glue residue as well.

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  • In tough cases, when the house and wallpaper is very old, nothing will work except sanding it off. In a tough case better hire someone from the beginning. That will save you time, aggravation, and actually money.

When all paper and glue residue is removed - prep the walls and paint them. Then sit back and enjoy fruits of your labor - you deserve it!