The Simple Trick Joanna Gaines Uses To Clean Up Paint Drips In Tight Spaces

Doing your own painting can save you thousands in contractor fees. But you want to make sure that your paint job looks just as good as one done by professionals. There are plenty of tips online on how to avoid the painting mistakes everyone makes to get an expert-level finish. But what happens if you do make an error? For example, the paint drips where it shouldn't. No worries! HGTV "Fixer Upper" star Joanna Gaines has a simple solution to getting rid of those pesky paint drips in hard-to-reach places.

All you need is a few drops of water and a cotton swab. If you don't act quickly to wipe it up, it will harden and be a part of your permanent paint job. While a small drip might not seem like a big deal, it can be incredibly distracting once you know it's there. It may blend into the paint for others, but if you're the one who made the drip then you might find yourself not being able to stop starring it when you're sitting on the couch or lying in bed.

Joanna Gaines suggests it only takes a cotton swab and a few flicks of your wrist to erase your painting mishap. "If you end up getting a smudge or drip on a spot that's a little hard to reach if it's in the corner and you can't put your rag back there, a tip I have is using a wet cotton swab and you're going to apply pressure and roll it up," the home guru notes (via YouTube).

A cotton swab is the perfect size to navigate narrow areas that a rag would just make a bigger mark and leave you with more of a problem than you started with. First, dampen your cotton swab with some water. You shouldn't need more than a drop or two. Lightly place your swab at the base of the drip and try to soak it up to prevent it from spreading further.

Next, you'll want to press your cotton swab towards the surface. Use an upward motion to press the drip mark upward to where it started. This should erase the mark from your paint surface and make it flat again. And, voila! No more dripping.