Cleaning humidity drips in bath

daveplot

About 2 years ago I painted my main bathroom with valspar eggshell, a dark blue color. Over time we've gotten drips down the walls from the humidity and my wife not using the fan. So now I need to clean the walls. I tried a mix of white vinegar, baking soda, water with no success. Any ideas?

Other option is repainting with Sherwin Williams Bath paint or Duration, in semi-gloss. Which would be better for the high humidity?

Thanks

chrisn

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Will22

If there is constant humidity, and it is not being evacuated with an efficient vent fan, the humidity hits the walls or ceiling, and causes surfactant leaching. Generally , this leaching is cleanable with a cellulose sponge and water (non-ammoniated detergent-liquid, like Dawn or Palmolive can be added to the mix, if desired). A higher sheen in baths makes it more cleanable, but the evacuation of humidity is critical, especially with a dark color.

ric knows paint

Hey Dave,

I believe what you're experiencing is colorant leaching (not surfactant leaching). The problem(s) have more to do with the color and sheen level you've chosen for your bathroom - and is a fairly common problem. When you have deeper colors, especially in a low sheen, your tinting colors/colorants are very near the surface. Latex paints are porous...and the lower the sheen, the more porous they are. If you have tint color/colorants close to the surface of a porous film, the moisture (humidity/condensation) "re-wets" the colorants causing the leach. This color leaching also happens on whites, off-whites, pastels etc., it's just that as light as they are, you really don't notice it like you do on a deeper color.

As you've already experienced, washing the walls really doesn't do a whole lot of good. In a higher sheened product, the colorants are buried deeper into the film and not as close to the surface - BUT, with the condensation issue you've described, it's still gonna happen. You've got a few options, but all include upgrading your exhaust system or, at least using it whenever you shower - then let it run for several minutes after your shower is done. (1) Clean walls*, and repaint with a higher quality, higher sheened product - and remember, the lighter the color, the less noticeable the leaching will be...(2) If you want to stay with the color you've got, you may want to coat over it with 2 apps of a clear acrylic, or clear acrylic poly.

* When cleaning walls, it is best recommended to stay away from dishwashing liquids - as mild as they may be. The product that will work best is a non-sudsing detergent such as Soilax (I guess it's now called "SoilMax") or Dirtex Powder. Both are gentle enough to be used on latex surfaces, but effective enough to perform general cleaning, neither contains oils or emollients....and no rinsing is required. Good luck.