Varnished Walls

• 1). Create a basic solution of one tablespoon of dish detergent to a large bowl or bucket of water to remove sticky substances on varnished knotty pine walls. You may be able to use less dish detergent. You only need to use enough soap so that suds form in the water.
  
  
• 2). Wipe down the wall with a rag. Simply dip a corner of the rag into the solution, ring the rag out to remove most of the water and wipe briskly across any sticky substance on the wall.
  
  
• 3). Wipe the wall with clean water to remove any cleaner residue.
  
  

Unvarnished Walls

• 1). Wipe the wall with a dry rag to try to remove sticky substances. Use your fingernail at the back of the rag to try to scrape off sticky substances on the unvarnished wall. Do not use your fingernail directly on the knotty pine, because any fingernail scratches you make in the pine will remain.
  
  
• 2). Sand flat marks, such as pen, until they disappear. On small marks, sand over just a few inches of the wall until the mark disappears. If the mark is large, you may want to sand an entire section of the wall, or the entire wall down to level.
  
  
• 3). Varnish your knotty pine if you don’t mind the look. According to the Boston “House and Home” page, varnishing the wall seals it so that you can wash the wall if you need to in the future.