How to Clean Furniture Before Painting

Many people choose to paint their furniture as a way to give it new life or refresh their home décor. But before you start painting, it’s important to clean the furniture first. Not sure how to clean furniture before painting? Don’t worry. We’ve got you covered.

Learn more about painting furniture here.

spraying furniture with Krud Kutter cleaner/degreaser

Before you break out the paint, you need to break out the cleaning supplies.

Do I need to clean wood before painting?

That’s right, even if your furniture doesn’t look particularly dirty, it’s important to clean it before you start painting.

Otherwise, the paint might not adhere properly, and you might end up with an uneven finish. There are some other things you should do to prepare furniture for paint too.

Before we get started, let’s go over the supplies you’ll need to clean your furniture before painting.

Supplies Used to Clean Furniture Before Painting

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Degreasing Cleaner (We love to use Krud Kutter)
Bucket if you use the soapy water method
An Old Rag
Gloves
Metal Scraper
Drill Brushes

The most important thing is to remove any dirt, dust, or grease from the furniture’s surface. Otherwise, your paint job may not look as smooth or may not adhere as well.

If you have old furniture, it’s also very important to get rid of any bacteria or germs that might be lurking inside. Here’s how to disinfect wood dresser or any other furniture

Clean Furniture with Cleaner

The first step is to clean the furniture to remove any oils, grease, dust, or grime that may be on the furniture’s surface, which can prevent the paint from adhering properly.

Be sure to follow the instructions on the bottle of cleaner to make sure that you’re using it correctly.

What to Clean Furniture With Before Painting

There are many different types of cleaners on the market to choose from, and not all of them are created equal.

Some cleaners work better than others at removing dirt, dust, and grease from furniture before painting. Here are the best ways to clean furniture before painting.

Krud Kutter

One way to clean furniture before painting is to use Krud Kutter.

Krud Kutter is a degreasing cleaner that will remove any dirt, dust, or grease from the surface of your furniture.

To use Krud Kutter, spray it on the surface of your furniture and wipe it off with a cloth.

Soapy Water

Another way to clean furniture before painting is to use soapy water. To make soapy water, mix dish soap and water in a bowl.

Then, use a cloth to wipe down the surface of your furniture with the soapy water.

TSP

TSP is a great way to get those tough, stuck-on stains out of your furniture before you paint it.

Just make sure to wear gloves at all times because there can be an allergic reaction if skin comes into contact!

TSP is a good cleaner, but it’s important to read the back of the paint container to see if it’s compatible with TSP. Read through this post to learn more about using TSP.

Denatured Alcohol

Denatured alcohol is another good way to clean furniture before painting.

To use it, simply pour some onto a cloth and wipe down the surface of your furniture. It dries quickly!

However, denatured alcohol is flammable and can also be harmful if not used correctly. Make sure to read the label and follow the instructions carefully.

Other Degreasing Cleaners

You can also use a degreasing cleaner such as Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner. Simple Green is a safe and effective way to remove grease and grime from surfaces.

To use Simple Green, spray it on the surface of your furniture and wipe it off with a cloth.

Remove Cleaner Residue

After cleaning, rinse your furniture off to remove any cleaner residue. Otherwise, the residue can interfere with the paint’s ability to adhere properly, resulting in a less than ideal finish.

Simply rinse your furniture with clean water and a clean rag.

Let Furniture Dry

Then let it dry completely before beginning to paint. If the surface is still damp, the paint may not adhere or dry properly.

How to Clean Really Dirty Furniture Before Painting

It’s inevitable. You want to repaint that old dresser but first, you have to clean it.

And not just wipe it down with a damp cloth, we’re talking about getting all the gunk off so the paint will adhere properly.

Here are a few ways to make sure your furniture is clean enough to paint.

Use a Scraper

If there are stickers or dried, thick gunk on your furniture, a scraper can help get it off.

Be careful not to damage the wood though. Use a putty knife or an old credit card at a 45-degree angle and slowly scrape away.

If the gunk is being stubborn, you might be able to heat it up with a hair dryer for a few seconds to loosen it up before scraping.

Attach a Brush to a Drill

You can buy special drill brushes for this. Put some cleaner on the brush or the furniture, turn on the drill and hold it against the furniture while moving it around in small circles.

This is great for getting into nooks and crannies and will power clean your furniture quickly.

Just make sure you don’t use too much pressure or stay in one spot for too long so you don’t damage the wood.

How to Clean Laminate Furniture Before Painting

Cleaning laminate furniture before painting is much the same as cleaning any other type of furniture.

You’ll want to use a degreasing cleaner such as Krud Kutter or Simple Green to remove any dirt, dust, or grease from the furniture’s surface.

cleaning laminate furniture with Krud Kutter

Then rinse it with clean water and let it dry completely before painting. Learn more about how to paint laminate furniture here.

How to Clean Wood Furniture Before Painting

The best way to clean wood furniture before painting is to use a degreasing cleaner such as Krud Kutter or Simple Green.

Be sure to follow the instructions on the bottle of cleaner to make sure that you’re using it correctly.

After cleaning, rinse your furniture off with clean water and let it dry completely before painting. Learn more about how to paint wood furniture here.

Best Way to Clean Furniture Before Painting

If you’re looking for the best way to clean furniture before painting, Krud Kutter is where it’s at.

Krud Kutter is a powerful degreasing cleaner that will remove any dirt, dust, or grease from the surface of your furniture.

Krud Kutter is my go to cleaner for cleaning furniture before painting.

How to Clean Furniture After Sanding

It’s best to clean furniture before sanding to remove the grease and grime and then clean again after sanding just to remove the sanding dust.

Check out this post to learn about sanding before painting furniture.

The best way to clean the dust after sanding is to use a vacuum with a hose and brush attachment and suck up most of the dust.

Then wipe the furniture down with a tack cloth to remove the rest of the dust. Tack cloths are sticky, so they pick up all the little dust specs.

If you don’t have a tack cloth, a damp rag can work. Though it’s not as good as a tack cloth.

Cleaning furniture before painting may seem like an extra step, but trust us—it’s worth it.

By taking the time to degrease and wash your furniture before painting, you’ll ensure that your paint job looks flawless. And who doesn’t want that?