How to Take Off Remaining Wallpaper Glue

After spending long, hard hours peeling and scraping away old wallpaper from walls in your home, you may be dismayed to find that not all the glue or paste came off with the paper. Applying new wallpaper over the stuck-on glue will leave lumps and uneven spots in the paper, and the same can happen if you plan to paint the stripped walls. While that old glue may seem stuck forever to the wall, you can have clean, glue-free walls with a wallpaper removal solution and a little scrubbing.

Trisodium phosphate
Bucket
Spray bottle
Gloves
Mask
Plastic sheeting or tarp
Baking soda
Laundry detergent
Sponge
Putty knife
Sponge sander
Pole sander
100-grit sandpaper
Electric palm sander

Instructions

- 1
  Make sure the room where you will work is well-ventilated area, and cover any furniture, flooring or woodwork that might be exposed to the wallpaper removal solution.
- 2
  Prepare the solution in a bucket or spray bottle. One option is to mix together hot water and trisodium phosphate (TSP). If you want to use a nonchemical cleaner, mix together hot water and one tablespoon of baking soda or four tablespoons of laundry detergent.
- 3
  Apply the solution to the wall where the stuck-on glue is. Either dip a sponge into the bucket, or spray the mixture onto the wall.
- 4
  Scrub the solution into the wall with a sponge, and then allow it to set for two to three minutes.
- 5
  Go over the damp area with a sponge sander to help loosen the glue, and then use a putty knife to scrape the glue off the wall.
- 6
  Go over the area you cleaned again with a pole sander using 100-grit sandpaper to make sure you removed all the lingering glue.
- 7
  Rinse the wall with clean, warm water, and then allow it to dry completely.

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