The Best Way to Remove Mold on a Ceiling

Mold on the ceiling presents a special kind of problem that could be difficult to clean. If the ceiling is made from porous drop tiles, throw them out and replace them with new ones; there's no way to clean such a material. If you have a textured finish on your ceiling, you risk ruining it with soaking and scrubbing. But if you know that a good scrubbing won't damage the ceiling in any way, go ahead and clean it yourself.

Non-ammonia detergent
Trisodium phosphate
Chlorine bleach
Bucket
Tight-fitting cotton face mask
Goggles
Gloves
Scrub brush
Stain-killing primer
Mildew-resistant ceiling paint

Instructions

- 1
  Open a window or turn on the ventilation fan. If you're working in a bathroom that's got neither of these, turn on a fan and point it out the bathroom door. Open nearby windows to carry out fumes.
- 2
  Scrub the ceiling with a non-ammonia detergent and hot water. Rinse off the soap.
- 3
  Mix one part trisodium phosphate (TSP) to two parts water in a bucket. Wear gloves. Clean the ceiling with this solution, especially if the mold is pretty advanced and you suspect that detergent alone won't do the job.
- 4
  Rinse the TSP from the ceiling.
- 5
  Mix 1 1/4 cups of chlorine bleach in 1 gallon of water. Sponge the bleach solution onto the affected area and let it sit for one or two hours before rinsing. You could also forego rinsing and just let the ceiling air-dry.
- 6
  Prime the ceiling with stain-killing primer. Make sure the ceiling is completely dry before you prime. You might have to wait a day or two.
- 7
  Paint the ceiling with mildew-resistant ceiling paint. Some paints are specially formulated for use in bathrooms, if that's where your mold problem is.

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