Melamine sponges will save you from repainting walls

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I’ve recently discovered melamine sponges!

You can get branded “Magic Erasers“*, which sometimes have detergents added, but if you search for melamine sponges on Amazon* or eBay*, you’ll find the same thing but much cheaper.

I’m so excited about it because I had all these scuff marks on the walls inside my flat that I thought I’d have to paint over – expensive and time consuming – but after hearing about these sponges from a DIY show (I know, but lockdown), I realised I already had one at home (it came with an Away* suitcase).

To use it, you just dampen it, squeeze out the excess water and scrub out stains like a rubber. It’s basically a foam sponge that acts like a super fine sandpaper.

And it works! The scuff marks that I’ve tried to remove with a regular sponge and soap, and even rubber erasers, are now gone and my walls look as good as new.

The massive downside is that these sponges basically disintegrate as you use them so my one now looks a bit like a melted puddle of goo.

Because it’s abrasive, you also shouldn’t use it on any surfaces that can be scratched easily, like varnished furniture or your teeth (apparently it’s a thing).

Even though it’s ideal for removing marks from walls, you will need to repaint it eventually if you keep getting marks on the same spot, as that top layer of paint will come off.

If you have certain types of wall paint, or lighter colours over dark, this will happen much faster than if you just had plain white walls.

Meanwhile, I’m ordering another batch for the marks I’ve just spotted by my bed…