Preparing the walls and surfaces in a room before you paint can save you headaches down the road, and it's easy enough to do, so what are you waiting for?

Wash the walls. Use a cleanser that doesn't require rinsing and you'll save yourself some time. Instead of climbing up on a ladder to clean the upper part of the wall, use a nice clean sponge mop to reach those high areas.

Once the walls are washed and dry, check them for stains. You may be able to remove small grease stains with a cotton ball dipped in rubbing alcohol. For larger stains, seal them up with a stain sealing primer. You can clean crayon marks off of the walls with some baking soda on a damp cloth.

Remove switch plates and outlet covers. To make the job easier, have some tape and a pen on hand. As you take one down, tape the screws to the back, and on another piece of tape, mark the location that you took the cover from.

Smear a coat of petroleum jelly over door handles and hinges to help protect them from splatters.