What is sugar soap? The £5 DIY essential you need for perfectly prepped walls for painting

If you have any decorating planned around the new year then you'll need to get your hands on some sugar soap, But what actually is sugar soap and why is it so important for home decorating?

One of the best things about January is seeing all the emerging paint trends take centre stage as we wave goodbye to last year’s colourways. Seeing such fresh bursts of inspiration can make us want to put paint to paper (well, wall) and give our home decor a bit of a revamp — and this is where trusty sugar soap comes in handy.

Put simply, sugar soap is a mild detergent that prepares surfaces ready for painting and decorating. You can use sugar soap to clean walls before painting to achieve a perfectly prepped base that is ready for a new colour.

What is sugar soap?

‘Sugar soap is a powerful cleaning agent commonly used to prepare surfaces before painting or decorating. It removes grease, grime, and dirt, ensuring that surfaces are clean and ready for a smooth application of paint. Despite its name, sugar soap doesn’t contain sugar, it likely earned the name because of its fine, powdery texture resembling sugar granules,’ explains James Mellan-Matulewicz, Creative Director at Bobbi Beck.

‘Sugar soap typically consists of a combination of mild alkaline salts, such as sodium carbonate, sodium phosphate, or sodium silicate. These ingredients work together to break down oils and grime effectively. Commercial formulations often include additional surfactants to help emulsify dirt and oils, making them easier to rinse away.’

The ingredients in sugar soap are not too harsh, which means you can use it as a general cleaner if you have marks on your walls — it’s also a good solution to clean walls without removing paint.

What else can sugar soap be used for?

While the main purpose of sugar soap is to prepare your walls ready for painting, it does have a number of other helpful uses. Tim Warren, a DIY expert from Adkwik recommends using sugar soap for the following tasks:

• As a multi-purpose cleaner - sugar soap can be used in your kitchen or bathroom, as it is quick to remove greasy marks, thanks to its compounds that can dissolve fat.
• To clean your floors - if you have wood, tiled or laminate flooring, sugar soap can be used to give them a good clean. Dilute some sugar soap with warm water, and replace it when it starts to look dirty.
• For cleaning painted wood - sugar soap is a good cleaner to use on some wood finishes, but it should be avoided if you are cleaning unsealed or unfinished wood.
• Cleaning the toilet - sugar soap is great at cutting through limescale, making it handy for cleaning your toilet and the rest of your bathroom.

How to make your own sugar soap

Sugar soap is an inexpensive cleaning product, with Rapide Concentrated Sugar Soap available for less than £5 on Amazon. However, if you’re feeling a little thrifty, it is possible to make your own sugar soap at home.

‘To make your own sugar soap, you will need half a cup each of sodium carbonate, borax and washing-up liquid,’ says Tim.

‘Mix the sodium carbonate and borax together in a bowl. Then, add the washing-up liquid until all of the ingredients are well combined. You should ideally use the soap immediately, or it can be stored in an airtight container.’

If you have any decorating plans this year, sugar soap is one product you need in your DIY toolbox. For perfect paint jobs, clean toilets and grease-free surfaces, sugar soap is a product worth investing in.