QUICK SUMMARY: The easiest way to remove wallpaper is to score the surface, soak it with a water-and-vinegar or wallpaper-stripping solution, and gently peel it away once the adhesive softens. Most jobs take one to three hours per room depending on the wallpaper type and how long it’s been up. Peel-and-stick and strippable wallpaper come off fastest; older glued paper over plaster takes the most patience.

Pulling wallpaper off a wall sounds simple until you’re three hours in, elbow-deep in soggy paper, wondering why half the room came off in one sheet and the other half is fighting you strip by strip. There’s a reason for that — and a right way to do it that saves your walls and your weekend.

This guide walks through the process we’d use on a real job here in Lawrence, from the first score line to the last scrape of glue.

Table of Contents

• What Is the Easiest Way to Remove Old Wallpaper?
• Step-by-Step: How to Remove Wallpaper
• How Long Do You Need to Soak Wallpaper Before Removing It?
• Does Dawn Dish Soap Remove Wallpaper?
• Is Vinegar or Fabric Softener Better for Removing Wallpaper?
• How Do You Remove Stubborn Wallpaper Glue?
• Will Removing Wallpaper Damage Your Drywall or Plaster?
• DIY vs. Hiring a Professional

What Is the Easiest Way to Remove Old Wallpaper?

The easiest method is the score-soak-scrape approach: score the paper’s surface so liquid can reach the adhesive, soak it thoroughly, then peel or scrape once the glue softens. Skipping the scoring step is the single biggest reason DIY wallpaper removal turns into an all-day fight — water just beads on the surface instead of soaking through.

Peel-and-stick and “strippable” wallpaper are the easiest of all. Those types are designed to come off in full sheets, often with just a firm, steady pull starting at a corner. Traditional glued wallpaper — especially anything installed before the 1990s — is a different story. It was often applied with a much stronger adhesive over painted or bare drywall, and it doesn’t want to let go without a fight.

Step-by-Step: How to Remove Wallpaper

Step 1: Protect the Room

Lay down drop cloths, remove outlet covers, and turn off power to any outlets you’ll be working near. Wallpaper removal is a wet, messy process — protect your floors before you start.

Step 2: Test a Corner

Peel a corner at the seam. If it comes off in a full sheet without soaking, it’s strippable — skip straight to peeling. If it tears and leaves backing paper stuck to the wall, you’re dealing with traditional glued wallpaper and need to score first.

Step 3: Score the Surface

Run a wallpaper scoring tool over the entire wall in overlapping circular motions. This punctures thousands of tiny holes in the paper’s surface so your removal solution can actually reach the glue underneath instead of sitting on top of it.

Step 4: Apply Your Solution

Spray or sponge on a warm water and vinegar mix, dish soap solution, or commercial wallpaper stripper. Work in sections roughly four feet wide so the solution doesn’t dry out before you get to it.

Step 5: Let It Soak

Give it 15-20 minutes before testing a corner. Reapply if it’s not lifting easily — some older adhesives need two or three soak cycles.

Step 6: Scrape or Peel

Use a wide putty knife or wallpaper scraper held at a low angle to lift the paper off. Keep the blade angle shallow to avoid gouging the drywall underneath.

Step 7: Remove Remaining Glue

Wash the wall with warm water and a sponge to dissolve any leftover adhesive film. This step gets skipped more than any other, and it’s the reason paint doesn’t stick properly later.

How Long Do You Need to Soak Wallpaper Before Removing It?

Most wallpaper needs 15 to 20 minutes of soak time before it’s ready to scrape. Thinner, newer wallpaper can come loose in as little as 10 minutes, while older, heavily-glued paper over plaster walls can take 30 minutes or more, sometimes needing a second application.

Don’t let the solution dry out mid-soak — a dried-out patch means starting that section over. Working in smaller sections keeps the solution wet and working the whole time.

Does Dawn Dish Soap Remove Wallpaper?

Yes, Dawn dish soap mixed with warm water works as a wallpaper removal solution. Mix a few squirts of dish soap into a gallon of hot water, apply it with a sponge or spray bottle, and let it soak the same way you would with a commercial stripper or vinegar solution.

It’s not necessarily stronger than a purpose-made stripping solution, but it’s already sitting under most people’s sink, which makes it a convenient first thing to try before a hardware store run.

Is Vinegar or Fabric Softener Better for Removing Wallpaper?

Vinegar tends to work better on paper-backed wallpaper with water-soluble adhesive, since the acidity helps break down the glue itself. Fabric softener works a bit differently — it’s more of a lubricant that helps loosen the paper’s grip rather than dissolving the adhesive chemically, and some people find it works better on vinyl-coated wallpaper where straight water and vinegar bead up instead of soaking in.

A one-to-one mix of hot water and white vinegar is the most commonly recommended starting point. If that’s not cutting through the glue after a couple of soak cycles, switching to a fabric softener mix or a commercial stripper is the next step.

How Do You Remove Stubborn Wallpaper Glue?

Stubborn glue residue that survives the initial soak and scrape usually needs a dedicated adhesive remover or a stronger vinegar concentration, applied and left to sit longer than the first pass. A plastic putty knife — not metal — helps avoid gouging the wall while you work the softened glue off in small sections.

Sanding is a last resort, not a first move. It’s slow, it’s messy, and on older homes it raises a real question worth pausing on: was the wall painted with lead-based paint before the wallpaper went up? Homes built before 1978 may have lead paint underneath layers of wallpaper, and dry-sanding through it isn’t safe. The EPA’s Lead-Safe guidelines cover what to check before disturbing old painted surfaces, and it’s worth a quick look before any sanding starts on an older home.

Will Removing Wallpaper Damage Your Drywall or Plaster?

It can — but usually only if the scraping is too aggressive or the paper is pulled dry without soaking first. Drywall’s paper facing can tear along with stubborn wallpaper, leaving a rough, fuzzy surface that needs a skim coat before painting. Plaster walls generally hold up better to scraping than drywall does, but they’re not immune to gouges from a metal scraper used at too steep an angle.

A little damage during wallpaper removal is common enough that it’s built into the process, not a sign something went wrong. Small tears and rough patches get smoothed with joint compound and a coat of primer before painting — it’s a normal part of getting a wall ready for a fresh finish, not an emergency.

DIY vs. Hiring a Professional

Small rooms with strippable, newer wallpaper are the most DIY-friendly projects — a single accent wall can often be done in an afternoon with basic tools and a little patience. Larger rooms, older glued wallpaper, plaster walls, or any home built before 1978 with unknown paint history are a different calculation. Multiple layers of wallpaper, hidden lead paint, and drywall that tears easily all turn a weekend project into something that eats far more time than expected — and mistakes made during removal often mean extra repair work before the room is ready to paint.

The general rule of thumb: if it’s one wall, newer wallpaper, and a home built after the 1990s, DIY is usually reasonable. If it’s a whole room, an older home, or wallpaper that’s been up for decades, professional removal tends to save more time and money than it costs — especially once the wall repair and priming that follows are factored in.

Wallpaper removal is often just the first step before a full room refresh. It pairs naturally with the wall repair and refinishing work covered in our guide to Decorative Faux and Wallpaper Finishes in Lawrence, KS.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you paint directly over wallpaper glue residue?

No — leftover glue residue should be fully washed off and the wall primed before painting. Paint applied over adhesive residue often doesn’t cure properly and can peel or bubble later.

Do you need a wallpaper steamer for every job?

Not always. Steamers help most with heavily glued or multi-layered wallpaper that resists a standard soak, but for strippable or single-layer paper, a water-and-vinegar soak and a scraper usually get the job done without renting extra equipment.

How much does it cost to have wallpaper professionally removed?

Cost depends on the size of the room, the type of wallpaper, how many layers are involved, and how much wall repair is needed afterward — factors that vary enough from project to project that Titleist Painting prices the actual scope of work rather than publishing a generic range. If you want a number specific to your project, request an estimate.

Skipping the scoring step is one of the most common reasons DIY wallpaper removal takes twice as long as it should. A little patience with the soak time saves a lot of scraping later. And when the glue residue isn’t fully washed off, it’s usually the reason paint won’t stick properly afterward.

[IMAGE: Close-up of a wallpaper scoring tool being used on a wall | ALT: Scoring tool perforating wallpaper before removal]

Ready to start? A little prep work up front — protecting the floors, testing a corner, working in sections — makes the difference between a manageable afternoon project and a frustrating one. If you’d rather skip the mess altogether, request an estimate from Titleist Painting and we’ll handle the removal and wall prep for you.

[IMAGE: Before and after of a wall with wallpaper fully removed and primed | ALT: Wall before and after wallpaper removal and priming]

Whether you’re tackling one accent wall or a whole room, getting the wallpaper off cleanly sets up everything that comes after — patching, priming, and painting. Request an estimate if you’d like a second opinion on what your walls need before you start.

Titleist Painting has been serving Lawrence, KS homeowners with painting, wall repair, and finishing work for over 25 years.

[IMAGE: Finished, freshly painted wall after wallpaper removal and prep | ALT: Freshly painted wall in a Lawrence home after wallpaper removal]

For prep-surface guidance on what a wall needs before repainting, Sherwin-Williams’ technical resources cover surface preparation standards that apply whether you’re doing the work yourself or having it done professionally. If you need supplies for a DIY attempt, Cottin’s Hardware & Rental here in Lawrence carries wallpaper scoring tools and stripping solution.

Have questions about your specific walls before you start? Request an estimate and we’ll walk through what your project actually needs.