Preparation is key for a good surface – Can Sugar soap actually help?
TL;DR Just use a natural sugar soap alternative like this one and skip the nasty chemicals in ‘normal’ sugar soap!
As the name suggests, sugar soap is used to ‘’clean’’ walls for the purpose of decorating them. Don’t get fooled by the name ‘’Sugar soap’’ as there is no sugar in it but its granulated appearance in powder form gives it that name.
Skip using the chemical laden ‘off the shelf’ sugar soap you were about to buy and just choose this one that is non toxic and safer for you and your family.
Companies use different formulas for the preparation of these soaps. Fundamentally it is a detergent for washing walls (which can contain some skin irritating ingredients in it)
Preparation before starting the actual painting process is essential, most of the people are hasty and fail to get the desired results due to this. These soaps come in both liquid and powder form where powder form is preferred for larger areas such as living rooms or a reception room.
Where can I buy good quality sugar soap?
Well now we’ve finally sourced a totally natural an non toxic version of the normal sugar soap. Buy either the Auro 435, or the Auro 411 plant soap and just use a little in a bucket of warm water.
Why sugar soap is important:
Washing down the old wallpaper is never high on anyone’s list of things to do, but it’s super important to do. Walls are usually covered (whether you can see it or not) with grease, nicotine and dirt especially if you have kids in the house, or in a kitchen, which can make it a struggle to even get an even single coat let alone two coats.
Dirt of the surface of the wall that gets painted over just leads to the paint not getting good adherence and will flake / chip off way quicker than expected. You paint is ONLY as strong as the base layer.
Therefore, missing out on the washing step is not what you should do if you want your walls to have a nice finish and long lasting. As boring as this step sounds, it will show you great results further down the line.
Bathrooms and kitchens are prone to greasy walls. Apart from warm water, a sugar soap helps in removing all that grease and dirt so the new coat of paint looks fresh. Cleaning with sugar soaps helps the new paint to stick to the walls without hampering the adhesion.
How to use Sugar Soap on walls:
The liquid form is managed easily whereas the powder form is just an extra step to get started with it. Add the sugar soap in warm water, start cleaning your walls with a cloth and then clean the walls again with just a damp cloth to take off the soap. Before you apply the fresh coat of paint, please give the walls enough time to dry out. The process requires patience from start to the end. The natural alternative to sugar that we offer is in liquid form and super easy to use.
Difference between Sugar soap and common washing liquids:
A common question arises as to why there is a special soap to clean the walls? Common washing liquids and household cleaner at home are not used for this purpose as there could be left overs of these liquids even after you wash them.
This is why the consistency of a Sugar soap is maintained to a level where it washes down everything that causes hindrance in the adhesion property of paints.
Sugar soap alternatives
If you want to use a natural sugar soap alternative, use the Auro 411 Plant Soap.
Using Washing Soda (Soda Crystals) to as alternative to sugar soap
- 1 cup of washing soda crystals with 1 litre of water.
- Use a cloth or sift sponge.
- Use gloves as washing soda is very alkaline, and can burn your skin
- Don’t mix with acids such as vinegar!
Baking soda – Made into a paste as sugar soap alternative
- Safer to use than washing soda!
- Less aggressive than washing soda, but far easier and safer to use
- Mix water with baking soda and form into paste
- Scrub stains with paste and sponge
- Half a cup of baking soda to about 1 bucket of water.
- Dry wall well, don’t soak!
White vinegar as an alternative to sugar soap
- Mix one to one (1:1) WHITE vinegar to water. Don’t use ‘malted vinegar’ – it’ll stink like a chip shop!
- Wash walls with sponge and dry as normal.
Is sugar soap environmentally friendly?
Generally no, sugar soap is not friendly. Common ingredients can be sodium carbonate, sodium phosphate and sodium silicate. (Wiki Source)
Hi! I’m Chris, the founder of The Organic & Natural Paint Co, and I’m focused on the education and promotion of natural non toxic alternatives to chemical laden everyday products that we just take for granted. We have a choice, and I want to raise awareness of alternative products that don’t actually harm us!
This company is my way of pushing the awareness of better indoor air quality, something that I am personally passionate about due to my own children’s breathing medical conditions. I just couldn’t paint with big brand standard petrochemical paint any longer and wanted another solution.
Read more: About me
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