Sugar soap is the wall wash painters reach for before a new coat. Used at the right strength it lifts grease and fingermarks off washable paint; on the wrong surface it can dull or mark the finish.
Quick answer: Sugar soap is an alkaline detergent (there's no sugar in it) for washing grease and grime off painted walls, doors and skirting, especially before painting. Mix ½ cup of liquid sugar soap into about 5 litres of warm water, wash a square metre at a time from the bottom up with a wrung-out sponge, then rinse with clean water and let it dry. Wear gloves and safety glasses.
What is sugar soap?
Sugar soap is a detergent made alkaline with salts such as sodium carbonate (washing soda) or sodium tripolyphosphate. Selleys' 2016 safety data sheet for its Original Sugar Soap lists a detergent and sodium tripolyphosphate, with a pH of about 11, so it isn't pH neutral. The name comes from the powder form, which looks like table sugar.
It cuts the film that ordinary wiping smears around: kitchen grease, smoke residue, handprints and the grime on doors and light switches. Its main job is preparing a surface for paint, because paint won't grip a greasy wall.
Liquid, concentrate, spray, wipes or powder?
Format | How to use it | Best for |
|---|---|---|
Liquid (Selleys Original, 750 mL) | ½ cup in about 5 litres of water; neat on a non-scratch scourer for stubborn marks | Washing walls and doors, prep before painting |
Super concentrate (Selleys, 1 L, makes about 80 litres) | ½ cup in a full 10-litre bucket | Whole rooms or a house before repainting |
Spray (Selleys Instant Sugar Soap) | Ready to use: spray, leave 30 seconds for light marks or 1 minute for heavier ones, wipe with a damp cloth | Spot marks, kitchen and bathroom surfaces |
Wipes (Selleys Sugar Soap Wipes, 25 a pack) | Smooth side for a wipe-over, textured side for marks | Light switches, door frames, quick jobs |
Powder | Dissolve in warm water at the rate on the pack | Works like the liquid once mixed |
Pack sizes and directions checked October 2026.
Which surfaces can take sugar soap?
Surface | Sugar soap? | What to do |
|---|---|---|
Washable painted walls, doors, skirting and architraves (low sheen, semi-gloss, gloss) | Yes | The steps below |
Flat or matt paint (common on ceilings) | Before repainting only | Everyday marks get dishwashing liquid (see the table further down) |
Paint less than a week old | Not yet | Dulux allows 7 days for its paint to cure before washing |
Kitchen walls, tiled splashbacks and laminate | Yes | Diluted, then rinse and dry |
Glass splashbacks and windows | Yes, briefly | Selleys says to rinse it off glass before it dries |
Aluminium (window frames, rangehood filters) and brass | Avoid | Selleys says to avoid contact and wipe it off immediately; see How to Clean Aluminium Cookware, Frames and Furniture |
Timber finished with Feast Watson Surface Restore | Yes, diluted | Feast Watson's upkeep step is a wash with sugar soap and water; wring the cloth well and dry straight after. Other varnished or painted timber: test first |
Bare, oiled or waxed timber, and timber floors | No | Floors get a neutral wood-floor cleaner: How to Clean and Polish Timber Floors |
Marble, limestone and travertine | No | A neutral stone cleaner |
Wallpaper you want to keep | No | Sugar soap is also sold for stripping wallpaper |
Not sure | Test first | Try the diluted mix on a hidden spot and let it dry before judging |
How to clean walls with sugar soap
You'll need liquid sugar soap, two buckets, two sponges or soft cloths, an old towel or drop sheet, a non-scratch scourer for stubborn marks, rubber gloves and safety glasses.
Step 1: Get ready
- Move furniture away and lay an old towel or drop sheet along the skirting, because drips can mark carpet.
- Dust or vacuum the wall first, top to bottom, so dry dust doesn't turn into muddy streaks.
- Put on gloves and safety glasses: Selleys' safety data sheet says its Original Sugar Soap causes serious eye irritation, and wall washing flicks drips at face height. If it gets in your eyes, flush them with running water for at least 15 minutes and call 13 11 26 for poisons advice.
Step 2: Mix the solution
- Stir ½ cup (125 mL) of Selleys Original liquid sugar soap into about 5 litres of warm water, half a standard bucket. With the super concentrate, use ½ cup in a full 10-litre bucket.
- Fill the second bucket with clean warm water for rinsing.
- Use sugar soap on its own; don't add other cleaners to the bucket.
Step 3: Test, then wash from the bottom up
- Wash a hidden patch first, such as behind a door, and let it dry. If the colour or sheen changes, stop and use dishwashing liquid instead.
- Wring the sponge until it's damp, not dripping, and wash about a square metre at a time, from the skirting up. Drips running down grimy paint leave clean streaks that are hard to blend.
- Use light, even strokes: hard scrubbing polishes shiny patches into low-sheen and flat paint.
- For a stubborn mark on washable paint, dab a little neat sugar soap onto a non-scratch scourer and work just the mark.
- Around light switches and power points, wring the cloth almost dry or use a sugar soap wipe. Never spray a switch or let water run into it.
Step 4: Rinse and dry
- Go over each washed section with the second sponge and clean water, changing the rinse water when it turns cloudy.
- Pat off drips with a towel and let the wall dry completely before you fill, sand or paint.
Done looks like: a dry wall with an even colour and sheen, no tide marks, and no tacky feel under your fingertips.
If it looks streaky or stained once dry, the wall usually wasn't rinsed evenly, or only part of it was washed. Rinse the whole wall, corner to corner, with clean water and let it dry again. Shiny patches on flat paint are burnishing: washing won't remove them, but a touch-up coat will.
Do you need to rinse sugar soap off before painting?
Yes. Dulux's data sheet for Wash&Wear Low Sheen says to wash previously painted surfaces "with sugar soap solution and rinse with clean water to remove any dirt, oil or grease". Selleys' Instant spray only asks you to rinse surfaces "not intended to be painted", but rinsing does no harm, so rinse whichever you used. Let the wall dry fully, then sand glossy areas so the new coat grips.
Sugar soap, dishwashing liquid or a magic eraser?
Method | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
Warm water and a little dishwashing liquid | Start here for everyday marks, and on flat paint | It's Dulux's care advice for painted walls |
Sugar soap | Use for grease, smoke film, heavy grime and before painting | It cuts the oily film detergent smears around |
Sugar soap wipes | Fine for spot jobs on washable paint | Selleys says they can leave glossy patches on flat paint |
Melamine (magic eraser) sponge | Skip on flat or matt paint | It's a fine abrasive that can polish the finish |
Toothpaste | Last resort, crayon only |
For tape and sticker marks on paint, see How to Remove Sticker Residue from Any Surface.
Keeping walls cleaner, and the used water
- Run the rangehood whenever you cook, so less grease settles on kitchen walls in the first place.
- Wipe fresh marks with a soft damp cloth while they're new: Dulux says most common marks and scuffs on its Wash&Wear paint wipe off that way, with no cleaner at all.
- Tip used sugar soap water into a toilet or laundry tub, which go to the sewer for treatment. Never pour it into the gutter or a stormwater drain: Penrith City Council points out that stormwater runs straight to creeks and rivers without treatment, and asks residents not to put washing liquids down stormwater drains.
When it's not a DIY job
Call a painter for flaking, peeling or chalky paint, or a whole house of smoke-stained walls. Mould that keeps coming back, or water stains on a ceiling, point to a leak or damp for a plumber or builder.
Simply Maid doesn't do painting or paint preparation. If you're moving out, wall washing can be added per room to an end of lease clean.
Frequently asked questions
Does sugar soap kill mould?
No, it's a cleaner, not a mould treatment. Remove the mould first (How to Remove Mould from Ceilings and Walls), fix the damp, then wash with sugar soap to lift what's left before you prime and paint.
Does sugar soap remove paint?
Not from sound, cured paint at the normal dilution. It can mark paint less than a week old, polish flat paint if you scrub, and lift paint that's already loose or chalky.
Can you use sugar soap on floors?
Yes, on sealed tiles and vinyl. Selleys makes a separate Sugar Soap Floors for tiles, polished concrete and vinyl, and says to rinse floors thoroughly. Keep it off timber, marble and limestone floors.
Is sugar soap toxic?
It's an irritant rather than a poison to handle: Selleys' safety data sheet says its Original Sugar Soap causes serious eye irritation and advises gloves and eye protection. Store it out of reach of children, and call 13 11 26 for poisons advice.
Where can you buy sugar soap in Australia?
Bunnings and Woolworths stock Selleys sugar soap; hardware and paint shops carry other brands.
Last reviewed 6 October 2026 · Update history
Sources & References
- Selleys, Original Sugar Soap: dilution, surfaces, avoid aluminium and brass, rinse from glass; Sugar Soap Floors for tiles, polished concrete and vinyl.
- Selleys, Original Sugar Soap Super Concentrate: ½ cup in 10 litres; rinse floors.
- Selleys, Instant Sugar Soap: spray times; avoid excessive rubbing on paint.
- Selleys, Sugar Soap Wipes: glossy patches on flat paint.
- Selleys Original Sugar Soap safety data sheet (PDF, 2016): eye irritation, pH about 11, gloves, eye protection, keep from children.
- Dulux, Wash&Wear Low Sheen data sheet (PDF): wash with sugar soap and rinse before painting; 7 days before washing.
- Dulux, How to care for Dulux paint: warm water and mild detergent for painted walls.
- Feast Watson, Surface Restore: sugar soap on finished interior timber.
- Penrith City Council, Waterways: the drain is for rain (PDF): stormwater isn't treated.
- Wikipedia, Sugar soap: alkaline; named for the sugar-like powder.
