How to Remove Vinyl-Coated Wallpaper

Try to peel off the vinyl-coated wallpaper with your hands. Start in a top corner, along a seam or in a spot where the wallpaper is peeling. Pull the wallpaper off slowly with your hands. Use a putty knife to help you loosen the paper. Continue until you have removed as much of the wallpaper as possible. Sometimes some of the wallpaper backing will be left on the walls.

Fill a bucket with 2½ gallons of hot water. Add a capful of fabric softener.

Wet a 5-foot section of the wall with the fabric softener solution. Use a paint roller to apply the solution to the wall. Use a sponge in the corners.

Let it sit on the wall for about 10 minutes. Scrape the backing and glue residue from the walls with a 6-inch putty knife.

Continue this process of wetting the walls with the solution and then scraping until all of the backing and glue are gone. Wash the walls with a clean sponge and a fresh batch of the fabric softener solution to remove any remaining residue. Clean the walls with a rag and plain water and let them dry completely before painting or priming.