A granule wall is cleaned with air, water and a soft brush — almost never with the wet wiping that suits flat paint. The texture that gives the wall its depth also gives dust somewhere to sit, so the method changes; the effort does not.
Interior texture walls
- Routine: dust with a dry soft brush or the brush head of a vacuum, top to bottom. That is the whole job for most rooms, done when you would dust shelves.
- Marks: dab with a just-damp cloth and plain water. Rubbing hard drags dirt across the grain; dabbing lifts it out.
- Stubborn spots: mild soap solution on a soft brush, then a clean damp dab to rinse. Test in a low corner first, as you would any wall.
Exterior texture walls
Rain does most of the work. Once or twice a year — sensibly before the festive season and after the monsoon — a hose rinse from top to bottom takes off the dust film. For city grime, a soft brush with the water is enough. Pressure washers can be used at modest pressure and a respectful distance; up close they can find any weakly bonded grain and make the wall shed.
Keep away from the wall
- Acid cleaners — marble is calcium carbonate; acid etches it and kills the shade.
- Wire brushes and scouring pads — they win against the granules.
- Solvent thinners — they attack the binder holding the grain.
When cleaning finds a problem
Cleaning is also inspection. Grain coming off on the brush points to a binder or application fault (the usual causes); green algae or persistent damp patches point to a water problem behind the wall, which is a waterproofing question before it is a cleaning one. A repair caught at one shed patch stays a patch.
Frequently asked questions
Can textured walls be washed with detergent?
Mild soap, yes. Strong detergents and acids, no — the stone and the binder both prefer gentle chemistry.
The wall has dulled over the years. Can it be refreshed?
Usually — a proper clean recovers more than people expect, and a refresh treatment can follow it. Send photographs and we will say which your wall needs.
How often should exterior texture be cleaned?
Rinse after the monsoon and before any occasion that matters to you. More often is fine; less often mostly just looks like less often.