Hello Spitfire, thanks for coming on board.
Do you know if it's acrylic or oil-based paint, the way to test this is to get some methylated spirits on a rag, wipe over or rub the paint and if the paint comes off quickly and quite easily then it's acrylic, rub the cloth over the paint on the skirting boards to clean them.
On the floor for acrylic, there are a couple of ways, get a dish big enough for a broom head to fit in, or you can use a flat floor mat sponge, ( uses too much metho) or a flat lambwool stick on a broom handle, you can get this from a painters shop which you can buy (cheap) then dip the broom head in the dish and wipe over the paint, it will come off very easily.
If you put a cloth over a broom, hmmmm, not really effective.
Now if the paint is oil-based, you can use paint-stripper, not 100% effective, can get messy, smelly, can burn your fingers and expensive, sand it off, (hard going), paint over it or replace the skirting boards, again expensive and difficult to cut the angles if you don't have a mitre saw.
Can I ask what type of skirting boards you have, are they bare timber or coated with estapol or with paint on them.
With the floor, you can use a belt sander, rather hard and to replace the belt sandpaper is expensive, or get someone who sands floors, before 2 pack estapol is applied, put a mat over it or carpet it, once again expensive.
Please ask me if you don't understand what I have said.
Best wishes.
Geoff.
