How to Remove Pencil Marks from a Wall

Co-authored by Susan Stocker and Hannah Madden

Last Updated: October 25, 2022

You love it when your kids complete an art project—but not on your walls! If you just walked in to find a new pencil drawing in your living room, don’t panic. We’ll give you multiple ways to remove pencil from your painted or wallpapered walls without damaging them or taking any paint off. Read on for expert-backed tips on how to clean your walls fast.

Things You Should Know

For small pencil marks, use a rubber eraser, dough wallpaper cleaner, or white toothpaste.
To clean larger areas, try soap or baking soda and water. You can also scrub down your walls with a Magic Eraser to gently wipe away pencil marks.
For extremely large areas or for walls that are too delicate to wash, you can add a fresh coat of paint over the pencil marks.

1

Rubber eraser

A rubber eraser will wipe away pencil marks without damaging your walls. If there are only a few pencil marks that you need to take care of, grab a rubber eraser and gently swipe at the marks on your wall. If your walls are wallpapered, be extra careful when using an eraser on them. Rubbing too hard could shred or tear the wallpaper.^{[1]
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- For a more gentle option, use an art gum eraser.

2

Soap and water

Mild dish soap and water can wipe away pencil marks in no time. Fill a bowl with warm water, then mix in a few drops of dish soap. Dip a clean cloth into your mixture, then gently wipe away any pencil or colored pencil marks. Follow up by wiping with clean water, then let your wall air dry.^{[2]
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- If you aren’t sure whether or not your wall is washable, try out your dish soap and water combination on a discreet corner of the wall first. If the paint or wallpaper seems fine and it doesn’t wipe off any color, then you’re good to go.
- If the soap and water makes your wallpaper or paint flake off, stop using it right away, and try a different method.

3

Toothpaste

White toothpaste can remove pencil marks quickly. Dab a clean cloth with a little bit of toothpaste, then gently rub it onto your walls. Wipe the toothpaste off with a clean rag to uncover your shining walls.^{[3]
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- Make sure the toothpaste is white—otherwise, it won’t have the stain-fighting power that’s needed to remove pencil marks.

4

Baking soda

Use baking soda to scrub your walls free of marks. If your walls are washable, mix about 1 US tbsp (15 mL) of water with 1/2 tbsp (14 g) of baking soda to make a paste. Gently rub the paste into the wall with a clean cloth, then wipe it off.^{[4]
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- Baking soda is mildly abrasive, so it does have the potential to damage wallpaper or non-washable paint.
- If you aren’t sure whether or not your walls are washable, try using the baking soda in an inconspicuous spot on your wall. If the paint flakes off or you notice any color transfer onto your cloth, pick a different method.

5

Magic Eraser

Try a non-abrasive eraser sponge to gently wipe away pencil marks. Magic Eraser is a popular brand, but you can buy any eraser sponge that you’d like. Simply wet the sponge to activate the cleaning agents, then wipe down the wall with the pencil marks. For best results, scrub in small, circular motions.^{[5]
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- Eraser sponges are the perfect choice if your kids used both graphite pencils and colored pencils.
- Eraser sponges are not a good option if you have wallpaper, since it may cause the wallpaper to peel.

6

Dough wallpaper cleaner

Dough cleaner is tough on marks, but gentle on your walls. Dough cleaner is similar to Play-Doh, but it picks up graphite and colored pencil marks to quickly remove them from your walls. Grab some dough cleaner and knead a small ball until it’s soft and pliable. Gently roll the ball onto the pencil marks to remove the graphite.^{[6]
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- Dough cleaner is also great for non-washable paint.

7

Paint

Paint over pencil marks to get rid of them completely. If there are a lot of pencil marks on your walls or your paint is too delicate to be washed, consider adding a fresh coat of paint. Not only will this cover up the pencil marks, but it will freshen up your living space, too!
- Don’t have any matching paint? Bring a paint chip to your local hardware store and get them to color match it for you.