Wallpaper and Wallcoverings - "fabric" wallpaper

We have one wall in our living room that is wallpapered. The surface is like jute or yarn. We have been in our house for 17 years, and I am sure the wallpaper has been up for 10 years more than that. It is white and blue stripes. Of course from smoke and dust, it is gray with age. Is there anyway this can be cleaned? We have plaster walls, and I have a terrible suspicion that this was wallpapered to cover up some cracks. So if I have to take it down, I am sure the whole wall will come down with it. If I can make it look presentable, I would be willing to keep it up. If not, I think we will have to take the whole wall down, and put up new plaster or sheetrock. What do the experts say?

Shelli

There is a possibility it can be cleaned by a steam cleaner, such as the kind you would use on funiture. However, I'd approach this cautiously, as the steam might want to remove the paper also.

Another option, and not my favorite, would be to paint it, bright white, or something comparable, but this would be a last resort.

You can also use the foam type carpet cleaner, and the brush attachment on a vacuum.

All these are speculative. Test drive any technique on an inconspicuous area first before proceeding to the whole wall.