Removing Tough Wall Stains Couldn't Be Easier With This All-Natural Ingredient

While tough wall stains are easily tackled with conventional cleaners, finding an alternative soap with natural ingredients that delivers real results can feel akin to having one hand tied behind your back. Fortunately, however, there is a powerful — yet gentle — cleaner that seamlessly cuts through the grime of wall stains: Castile soap.

Castile soap has long been cherished in the natural living world for its versatility and efficacy for a wide variety of uses; thanks to these features, cleaning your walls with Castile truly couldn't be any more straightforward. Begin by filling a bucket with 1 liter of warm water, add ¼ cup of liquid Castile soap to it, and dunk a microfiber cloth into the solution. Wring out any excess liquid and gently scrub the tainted portions of your walls. The microfiber paired with the Castile should quickly lift any stains and reveal a perfectly clean wall, however especially stubborn marks may require a little more time and persistence to remove. If there are smudges and stains in difficult-to-reach places, pour a small amount of the solution into a spray bottle, saturate a microfiber cloth with the liquid, and attach the cloth to a Swiffer, which will let you reach the marks more easily. In rare events, certain stains and smudges may require a harder-hitting, conventional cleaning product.

For those "in the know," Castile soap is not a novel product; however, by way of a brief history lesson on its origins: Castile soap is one of the older soaps of human civilization; it dates back to the time of the crusades, when Spanish crusaders learned of the much more ancient Aleppo soap. Traditionally, authentic Castile soap was from the Spanish region of Castile, and it was crafted using simple ingredients like soda ash and local olive oil. Over time, Castile soap made its way around the globe, likely spreading to England in the 1700s before making its way around the world — the rest is history. Today, Castile soap is made in many countries using various plant oils as its base, though its tradition remains bound up in its name.

While it may seem strange to use an oil-based product to clean grease and grime off of your walls, the science is sound: Castile, like any other soap, works by leveraging its chemistry to break the bonds that keep dirt and stains clinging to a surface (like your home's walls). While you can use whatever product you choose, the obvious benefit of Castile soap is that it works without any added risks to your home or the environment. Remember that while Castile soap is safe for many uses, it should be properly diluted and never come in direct contact with eyes.