Easiest Way to Remove Popcorn Ceiling

Remove furniture and installations from the room. Cover the floor, outlets, windows and anything you could not remove with clear plastic sheeting to protect them from falling dust.

Don a dust mask and protective goggles when working on this project. The falling popcorn will produce a lot of dust, which can cause respiratory and eye irritation. You can also open windows to ventilate the area.

Mix 1 cup of dishwashing detergent into 5 gallons of water in a pump sprayer. If you do not need to cover a large area and do not think you will need 5 gallons of water, adjust accordingly. The water and detergent will help to loosen the popcorn and contain some of the dust.

Spray the ceiling with water in small sections so that it does not dry while you work. Wait 10 minutes for the water to soak in.

Scrape the ceiling using 6- or 8-inch putty knives to bring down the popcorn from the ceiling. Once you have exposed the underlying ceiling in an area, wipe it clean with rags dampened in warm water to remove residual popcorn. Continue until all popcorn is removed.

Roll up the floor's plastic sheeting to remove as much of the dust at once as possible. Clean the room with a vacuum and wash the walls, if necessary, to remove residual dust.