The seller has emulsioned the kitchen ceiling prior to putting the property on the market (heavy smoker?). They have done a slap dash job:
Loads of white emulsion spots on the kitchen worktops, sink, tiles etc. -- best way I have found is to scrape off with my fingernail, then wipe.
They have painted *over* the light fittings! Some of the electrical switches do not work because the paint has jammed the switch. I have scraped of with a screwdriver where possible.
Painting over tiles -- sloppy painting of edges, so that some tile edges have been painted over. Again, scraping with a knife or screwdriver where possible. Any more tips for removing emulsion drips/spots?
Varying the pressure depending on the hardness of the surface in question, get one of those stainless steel knitted balls for getting heavy duty crud of woks, oven tins etc. They get virtually anything off anything but go easy on melamine, worktops, tables etc.
I favour using one of those of rectangular nylon kitchen scouring pads, normally green - about 5"x3"x0.25". They are pretty soft so will remove the paint with less chance of damaging the substrate.
Also worth getting the emulsion drips nice and wet - try to soak the spots first as it softens them up. (maybe not with the light switches!!
- you might be best just renewing them. Starting price only 37p each at Screwfix.)
I have used this method in the aerospace industry, where scratches _really_ matter. Try and find a thin piece of springy steel. I used one that was about 30mm wide. The banding used on some packaging works well. If it is narrow (less than 12mm) then make the tool shorter. You need a lot of downward pressure for it to work. Shape the cutting end by filing/sanding etc to an angle of about 30 degrees, a bit like a chisel Round the corners slightly and then turn it over and remove any burrs (sharp edges) by rubbing it flat against what ever you are using to form the angle on the end. (very much like you sharpen a chisel.) Check for any burrs by using a finger nail by scratching the tip from behind the sharp edge towards it. Be sure that there are no burrs, as these will scratch anything that you use the scraper on. This part is very important.
Wrap the non cutting end with plenty of any tape you have, this will prevent you damaging your hand.
By holding this in the palm of your hand, index finger on the top, keep a downward pressure with the bevel uppermost and pushing towards any deposits. By ensuring that the cutting edge is kept very low, you will remove them with ease and it should not scratch the surface. When the tip gets blunt (usually after quite a lot of use, just re-sharpen as above and continue. A blunt tip will cause scratches.
If you can't find any springy steel, use a narrow chisel instead, but make sure it is sharp and keep the bevel uppermost, as above. Above all, keep the chisel very low (handle touching the surface). Works a treat, but look out for the corners scratching..
Last word, try doing this on a scrap piece of plastic first. If you get to the point where you leave no trace, then move onto the surface that you want to scrape.
There are stanley style knife blade holders for removing paint from glass. It would work on the tiles, and should be OK on worktop, as long as you keep it horizontal, and you buy a good blade for it (not the bendy metal thing that comes with it). Thinking about it though, you could curve the pointy ends up on the cheapo blade to avoid scratches.
Depends on the worktop - would work for flat shiny worktops, but it doesn't if you have the slightly stippled, matt finish which a lot of worktops now have as they wear better than the shiny sort. For those (as I found out last week!) the best bet is IMHO the green scouring pad.
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