Woof, agreed. If there's crown molding, magic eraser. If your paint on your walls can handle it, magic eraser that too. Otherwise a multi surface cleaner should be able to handle it- I used microfiber clothes, but a regular washcloth would probably work too.

Ok I’m not trying to be a smart ass/rude. But I feel like if candles are burned properly (trimming wicks to 1/4 inch before each burn, not burning longer than 4 hours, etc) then there should not be soot on the walls. Or they can’t be very good candles because I’ve never had this happen. Am I the only one who feels it’s not normal to have soot everywhere? It’s a bit concerning to me, tbh.

Try a magic eraser

I wash mine with a sponge and dish soap.

Oh, that must have been paraffin candles :( soap and warm water will help. Otherwise, just re-decorate. It’s best to use natural wax, ideally, beeswax in the future. Just think about it, you breathe that soot while the candle burns. It’s not good for you.

doesn't look like you have a custom color there, why not just get the cheapest can of Kilz2, 2 $1 paintbrushes and the cheapest smallest can of the closest color match. Home Depot, Lowes, Menards are all pretty good at matching color. Take to them a piece of undamaged paint that is at least one inch square. You can probably buy such small quantities of paint that you could fix this without home remedies and old wives tales. Even if you spend $30 on the whole thing, I imagine that your own time has some value, and minimum wage where I live is $13 per hour. If you "waste" $39 dollars on it, or 3 hours of your time at virtual minimum wage, you still get the problem solved. Step1: Paint over whole area with kilz2. 2: wait. whole day is preferred. 3: paint finish coat on top of all of it. 4: admire your handiwork.

OH- 5: stop burning real flame candles in your living space. No good comes of it. We have evolved past candle tech. They soot up your walls, leave carcinogens in your breathing air, and burn your house down when you least expect it.

Soot eraser on Amazon

Why why why is vinegar always people's immediate knee-jerk response 😭

Painted walls can be very difficult to clean without damaging them and leaving lasting marks. The paint isn't made to be wipeable most of the time. Try buffing the edges out carefully with a magic eraser or a microfiber cloth. This is likely to leave duller, or shinier, marks though depending on the grit you use, so you'll just have to decide whether you'd like the stain or the shine difference spots in the paint. Maybe try in an area that's not visible.

you could try veeeery lightly sanding it with soft sandpaper. that’s what saved me the other day when everyone told me my floor had to be replaced.

Diluted dawn dish detergent and a magic eraser. I agree with buffing the edges first. It is basically a grease stain from the paraffin and I hate to say this but you may need to repaint the wall.

Wait what? Candles can do that?

You could try using oil, but I can’t guarantee it will work and you would have to clean it with soap afterwards.

latex sponge. Sometimes they are referred to as soot sponge

TSP gets soot, tar, and grease off easily. I used to own a house that had previously belonged to smokers and you wouldn’t believe what came off the walls when I washed them with TSP.

LA’s Totally Awesome

It doesn’t look like soot to me. You mentioned using a magic eraser. It probably stripped some of the paint layer off making it look smudged.

I've had the same problem. It depends on the paint. If it's cheap matt paint then there's no chance of getting it off. 

I tried multiple times, with a magic eraser, damp cloth, paper towels, you name it. It just spread around more. 

I had to repaint it in the end using better paint. 

you now have covid and must postpone.

clean the wall thoroughly. apply oil based primer followed by as close of a match as possible in paint- see if you can get a sample because that will more than cover it

It will need to be primed with a stain blocking primer and repainted.

Someone else mentioned a plant, it’s a good idea- it would look like a shadow (or put something similar - vase, statue).

Please note that landlords usually expect to paint between tenants (but I understand why you don’t want it to show).

Big ol ficus and it's magically gone

The Magic Eraser seems to have stripped your paint off the wall.

Diluted vinegar can help neutralize odor and residue. But you need a light hand.

Have you tried Dawn and a microfiber?

Paint is your BFF.

You got this.

If you’re worried you’ll get in trouble for it, I’d try scrubbing the wall with a damp cloth to see if you can get the mark off yourself

Just leave it for the cleaners if you won't get in trouble for it 

leave it but also read the directions on candles. they need at least a foot away from walls when burning. learned the hard way with BBW 3 wicks.

really want to avoid losing deposit as we’ve spent so much on this house!

Depending on the finish of your walls I’d proceed cleaning with caution. If your walls are a flat finish then cleaning with water may leave marks behind if you happen to get out the discoloration. In my experience I have found that if you can find a white pencil eraser to gently erase the marks then that could help from causing further damage to your wall. My go to is typically a little dawn on a damp cloth and gently wiping the area. In some cases a lightly dampened magic eraser has been helpful but depending on the finish of your wall it could lead to further damage to the finish.

Not really answering your question, but this is one reason I do not burn candles in our house.

What candle did you light?!! That thing really did a number on your house

Dawn disk soap diluted. Use a candle warmer going forward. At the very least, only burn for 4 hours and trim the wicks down before each use.

use a soot sponge. It is a latex sponge and you use it DRY. Do not try to clean this with anything wet, it will create more of a mess that will be harder to remove.

Don't use anything wet, it will make more of a mess. Vacuum it all to begun with, use a dry paper towel to 'aggravate' it and use a microfiber cloth on the remaining. You may need a pack of microfiber cloths (can get a pack for £1 in most discount places').

Try washing with a TSP solution (Tri Sodium Phosphate) ... real TSP, not the phosphate free stuff.

They make a special sponge for removing soot. Tsp may discolor walls.

I think we're in the same dog house. I just changed my air filters after a few months of major indulgence with my new candle hobby and the soot shocked me. Had to admit that the black dust my wife was noticing up on the walls was probably my doing.

Yep, that’s soot. Switching to a warmer might make the wife happy. Candles have historically and continue to be a filthy business

I just mopped my walls today haha 🤣 get you a good spin mop and add a little Dr bronners Sals Suds to some hot hot water. It will come right off.

Get ready for a shock when you change your AC filter! 🖤😆

It’ll just wipe off with some cleaner. This is 100% from candles

Use a fresh swifter or flat mop and literally mop the wall. Warning you might still need to repaint too.