How to Remove Hairspray From Walls: 3 Easy Methods

Hairspray is a staple beauty item in many of our homes. Its ability to hold hair in place is also its downfall; it sticks to walls like glue. It doesn’t seem to matter how careful you are, some overspray always seems to find its way onto the walls (and doors, and floors, etc.) in the bathroom. 

This stubborn mess doesn’t mean you have to repaint. We have a few options for removing this shiny, sticky residue. 

Method 1: Tide® Recipe

Most of the time when we are cleaning bathroom walls, the hairspray comes right off using our Tide® recipe. Just mix up a gallon of hot water, a teaspoon of powdered Tide®, and ⅓ cup of bleach. Then wipe the walls using a microfiber cloth. The bleach is optional, but we love using bleach in the bathroom to disinfect. No need to rinse.

Pro tip: with any method, don’t scrub too hard or you can wipe the paint right off. It’s best to wipe once, let the mixture soften the hairspray, and then come back and wipe it again after a few minutes. 

Method 2: Shampoo

If the residue doesn’t come off using our Tide® recipe, we move on to using shampoo. Sometimes those extra hold hairsprays need a bit more convincing. You use shampoo to wash hairspray from your hair, so why wouldn’t it work on walls? (It does.)

Grab a bucket and mix up some hot water and a good squirt of shampoo. Don’t overthink it. It doesn’t have to be expensive shampoo either, so you can raid your husband’s side of the shower and leave your salon shampoo alone. Wipe down the walls using a microfiber cloth, then rinse with a clean wet cloth to remove any left over residue.. 

Method 3: Dish Soap

Lastly, you can try good old dish soap and water. The sudsier the better to break down the sticky shampoo. A good squirt of blue Dawn® in a bucket of water, or even a few drops directly on your wet cloth will work to wipe the walls with. If you can see streaks after, rinse your walls with a clean wet cloth. 

(With both methods 2 and 3, once the walls are clean you can follow up with a wipe of our water, bleach and Tide® recipe above to disinfect. Because this is the bathroom afterall.)

It’s best to do this regularly. The longer the hairspray builds up and hardens on, the more difficult it is to remove. 

For more cleaning tips in the bathroom, see this section of our blog, or this playlist on our youtube channel. 

Becky @ GoCleanCo