How To Get Mold Off Popcorn Ceiling

How To Remove Mold From Bathroom Ceilings

• Working Time: 30 mins – 2 hrs
• Total Time: 30 mins – 2 hrs

• Skill Level: Beginner

Bathroomsespecially shower stallsare a perfect breeding ground for mold. They are humid, often dark with poor air circulation, and there is food readily available from soap scum and body soil. What can begin as a tiny mold colony creeping along a grout seam can grow into a moldy ceiling.

Before you begin, it is important to determine what type of mold is growing on the bathroom ceiling. Molds are classified into three categories:

• Allergenic molds can require removal by a professional, but most allergenic molds can be removed with home disinfecting products.
• Pathogenic molds can be controlled with disinfectants but large colonies require professional removal.
• Toxic molds are the most harmful and require a professional to kill the mold and dispose of any affected materials.

Once you have discovered and identified the mold, it must be removed. If the mold infestation is deemed to be toxic or covers 10 or more square feet, then a professional should handle the removal. Local public health departments can offer advice on mold testing and refer you to an expert mold remover.

If you catch the mold growth while it is a small colony, it can usually be removed safely with home methods. Once it is gone, take steps to reduce humidity and improve air circulation in the bathroom to prevent regrowth.

How To Remove Mold From A Popcorn Ceiling

• Written by Andrew T. on Dec 02, 2009To ensure our content is always up-to-date with current information, best practices, and professional advice, articles are routinely reviewed by industry experts with years of hands-on experience.Reviewed by

A popcorn ceiling may be the best finish for your home, but cleaning it and keeping it free of mold can be very difficult. Popcorn ceilings are a type of textured ceiling, which means that there are lots of nooks and crannies that need to be cleaned. Eliminating mold on a popcorn ceiling can seem like an impossible battle, but with the right tools and materials, you can banish mold from your popcorn ceiling forever without hiring a professional or using heavy chemicals.

Step 1 – Preparation

Since you will be using bleach, ensure that you are fully protected. Wear safety goggles, a face mask and rubber gloves to prevent the bleach from touching your skin or its fumes into your lungs. Use your duster to remove any cobwebs or dust from your ceiling before eliminating the mold.

Step 2 – Making the Solution

Get your spray bottle and mix water and bleach together in equal quantities. Bleach releases nasty fumes, which is why you need to mix the solution in a well ventilated area. It’s also important to open the windows when you are cleaning the ceiling with bleach.

Be aware that bleach is a dangerous substance. Be very careful to avoid getting it in your eyes. Never attempt this project without the necessary safety equipment.

Black Mold And Mold On Popcorn Ceiling

Water leaks or moisture buildup cause problems in popcorn texture. Many popcorn ceilings develop mold growth, especially when they are installed in bathrooms or kitchens. Homeowners might not even notice serious issues unless stains or black spots appear.

Black mold is the most dangerous mold growth, and youll want to remove it quickly to avoid health risks. It can cause respiratory issues, headaches, and fatigue.

Since bathrooms have very high humidity, black mold can grow very easily. Consistent warm showers without a proper ventilation system provide the ideal conditions for this problem. You could also see mold on the ceilings of kitchens or any room with a water leak.

Here are some more causes of mold growth:

• water leak
• darkness
• warm temperature

If the molded area is less than 10 square feet, you can clean it yourself. More extensive mold growth will require professional help.

Also see:Best Ways to a Clean Popcorn Ceiling

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The Best Popcorn Ceiling Vacuum Attachment

Most vacuum cleaners come with several attachments, including extension wands, crevice tools, and dusting brushes. Its the brush attachment you should use on a popcorn ceiling. Although some of the other attachments might deliver more suction and work faster, they risk damaging the ceiling. The brush bristles provide protection against scratching the finish with hard plastic, and also work to loosen stubborn dust and dirt.

How To Control The Mold From Popcorn Ceilings

Treatment and cleaning of mold from popcorn ceilings for the first time does not assure you that you can face the problem again. When there is a lot of humidity content in your homes, mold can appear on almost all the surfaces of the ceilings. If you want to remove mold after cleaning it from your bathroom ceilings, you should think about removing moisture from your bathrooms for must. To do this task, you should discover the reasons that cause the formation of mold and moisture present in the bathrooms. The few ways you can take to prevent the mold formation to a minimum include:

• Sound ventilation system: To make the flow of air in a better way, open the doors and windows of your bathrooms and kitchens. You can also have an exhaust fan in these areas if you dont have windows there.
• Check for water leaks: You should check the pipes running through your bathrooms and kitchens to ensure they are not leaking. You can also wrap your pipes to prevent condensation.
• Cleaning bathrooms regularly: For the elimination of mold spores, clean your bathroom regularly.
• You can use mildew and mold-resistant curtains, showers, and mats to prevent the growth of mold.

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Give The Ceiling A Pre

Given that you have gathered all your essentials and protected the rest of the house, its time to start cleaning. Get started with a preliminary wash of the infected area. Use a mild detergent, such as dish soap and warm water to wash the mold-ridden area with a rag or sponge prudently. This will loosen the mold from the popcorn texture thus, making it effortless to remove. Ensure it dries completely before moving to the next step.

S To Cleaning Ceiling

You can choose to use the duster on a pole or the vacuum with an attachment to clean your ceiling. However, if you have a high ceiling, you need to have a long attachment on your vacuum.

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Determine The Cause Of The Water Stain

Its kind of a moot point to start painting over a water stain without first determining where the moisture is coming from . A homeowner could technically keep applying layers and layers of finish to cover the stain but a leak or a faulty pipe could cause bigger problems down the line so its important to identify the source and correct the issue before repairing the water stain or water damage.

Most of the time a water stain on the drywall in a ceiling is caused by faulty shingles on the roof, but if the stain is directly below a bathroom the source could be a slow-leaking pipe. If possible, a homeowner should navigate to their roof and look for any signs of damage . For small issues caulking the area can work as a temporary fix but if you find serious damage a new roof may be needed to correct the situation.

Hi Since March 30 Weve Noticed Some Weird Staining Occurring On The Walls And Ceiling Throughout Our Apartment They All Start Out As Clear Then Some Changes Colors I Reached Out To Our Property Management On March 30 And Again On May 7 Because Now My Entire House Is Sick And Showing Symptoms Associated With Mold Exposure My Landlord Had Yet To Come Out To Determine If It Is Mold Im Growing Frustrated For Obvious Reasons And I Have Been Searching The Web For Insight Into What This Staining Might Be I Cant Get Anyone To Come Out Because That Process Needs To Be Initiated By Our Landlord Which Has Been Unresponsive To This Point My Question Isbased On Pictures Could This Be Either Ghosting Condensation Or Mold

This type of staining is typically due to heavy condensation. You see it most often in a bathroom. It can also occur in rooms with high humidity and poor ventilation. The condensation is leaching out chemicals/contaminants from the paint. Ghosting causes perfectly straight lines which correlate to the underlying framing. Examples of ghosting.

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How To Remove Mold On The Ceiling In The Bathroom

You can see stains on your tops in different shapes and sizes, depending on the place where they appear. You can notice water stains, mold, and cigarette smoke stains in the bathrooms, while the most common stains are grease stains that appear in your kitchens. To tackle all these stains, you will need:

• Liquid dish soap.
• Goggles and mouth coverings

Clean The Entire Ceiling

Now that you have cleaned the hard stain areas, you can now clean the entire ceiling. You can use the same cleaning mixture you just made a spray the entire popcorn ceiling or you can make some more in a large cleaning container. Pour 5 tablespoon dawn dish soap in the bucket, half cup bleach, half cup vinegar, and then add warm water.

Dip the microfiber cleaning attachment of the mop in the water and wipe down the entire ceiling until you are satisfied that it is clean and dust and mold have been removed. After the ceiling has dried, you might have a few spots that need paint touch-up and a little fill-in. You can either leave it or get a small amount of paint and do the touch-up yourself.

If you want to prevent other stains from coming back, you can use oil primer sealant to prevent this from happening again. This cleaning method will remove grease, mildew, smoke stains, and other things.

This is a list of some of the items I use in my house to clean, which are affordable as well. They all make cleaning much easier for me and even faster. I recommend you use these. List of affiliate links below.

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Spray Problem Areas With Vinegar

Fill the bottle with undiluted white vinegar and spray the problem areas. Spray the entire ceiling, not just the moldy areas, as the beginnings of an area of black mold growth are invisible to the naked eye. Let the undiluted vinegar soak for at least an hour, rinse, and repeat. This will start to remove the stains.

Covering Popcorn Ceiling With A Skim Coat

Instead of scraping off a popcorn ceiling, you could apply a skim coat. Here is everything you need to know about doing this without professional help.

Step one: Use a 14-inch drywall taping knife to apply joint compound to the ceiling. It should be a little thicker than if you were skim coating a smooth surface. Dont mix too much water into the mixture.

Step two: Wipe the surface of the ceiling to smooth out any bumps or air bubbles in the joint compound. Then go in the opposite direction to get rid of ridges.

Step three: Before your second coat of joint compound, use a drywall taping knife to scrape away any texture in your application.

Step four: Apply a second skim coat.

Step five: Let dry for 24 hours.

For a visual of a professional applying a skim coat, Paul Peck DrywallTube has a great series. He provides in-depth information about the best brand of joint compound and how to thin it with water see below.

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What Is The Average Cost For Mold Removal

According to research done by HomeAdvisor, the average cost per square foot of mold removal is between $10 and $25. Removal for space under $10 square feet can be as cheaper as $50, and a larger one can be costly as $6000. Removing mold can be expensive if the homeowner is aware of how it takes root. This is especially true for warmer climates, whereby increased moisture is there all over the year.

Removing Water Stains From A Large Area

Sometimes we have to deal with a larger water stain on the ceiling. Dont let this get you down as the steps are basically the same. There are a few important differences to note when working on a bigger area.

Step 1: Just like the other methods, make sure the floor is protected. Have on your safety gear and get ready to start scraping.

Step 2: Take off all of the popcorn texture in the damaged area by using a scraper.

Step 3: Prime the entire area and allow the primer to dry completely.

Step 4: Rent a ceiling texture sprayer and use it to apple the popcorn texture all over the ceiling. The sprayer makes it easier to blend in a larger area and helps it to match more evenly. You can adjust the pressure as well.

Step 5: Allow this to dry before adding a ceiling paint that matches the unaffected area.

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How Can I Prevent A Mold In The Bathroom Ceiling

As with most problems, the wisest option is to invest in prevention. An ounce of proactive thought will go a long way and can save you a massive headache and financial liability down the line.

Because bathrooms, similar to basements, have high levels of humidity, they are particularly prone to nasty mold. The most basic preventative move you can take is to promote proper ventilation with fans, open windows, or dehumidifiers. Remove excess water from surfaces after you shower, and let towels air dry in your bedroom or outside to decrease humidity.

But thats not all you can do!

One of the best proactive moves you can make is choosing mildew-resistant paint for your bathroom ceiling and walls. This specialty paint can be found in spray-on canisters, making it easy to apply to popcorn ceilings.

Containing FDA-approved anti-microbial components, this type of paint is incredibly effective at preventing mold from growing. Make sure you never apply it over pre-existing mold, though, as this will not solve the problem long-term.

Prepare The Room For Cleaning

Cleaning a popcorn ceiling can get really messy if you have not prepared the area correctly. Covering your furniture and appliances will be necessary so you do not have to clean them up afterward. The easiest way to cover them up is by using a mask plastic cover that I will list above.

This is very easy to use and will save you so much cleaning after you have done it. The next thing you want to do is move the furniture to a corner so there is room for you to walk around. You can also place some of the covering on the floor as well. Covering up the floors and furniture is only necessary if you do not want to have to wipe down all the furniture when you are done especially if the ceiling is very dusty and stripping.

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Whiten Dark Stained Areas

If you have had a small leak stain or have dark sections near a fireplace, a solution of one part water and one part chlorine bleach can lighten the stain. Mix the solution in a spray bottle and wearing safety glasses, lightly spray the stained area with the bleach solution. Allow the area to air-dry.

How Do I Get Rid Of Black Mold On My Ceiling

Mold removal can be a tricky thing. If youre wondering how to remove mold from popcorn ceilings the steps provided below should work well to eliminate mold. However, if it returns or the mold spreads, you could have a have bigger problem that could require mold remediation.

DISCLAIMER: Mold can be dangerous and should be removed by a professional. Call us at 349-1231 for a free consultation with a licensed remediation expert available 24/7 near you.

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How To Clean Mildew Off Popcorn Ceiling

Unlike mold, mildew grows on the surface of objects. Because of this, it is much easier to clean. Common household cleaners are effective in getting rid of mildew from ceilings.

The cleaning process for mildew is similar to cleaning yellow stains.

Step one: Make a cleaning solution of one part bleach, five parts water.

Step two: Lightly mist the area. Dont spray too much, as you do not want to create more water damage.

Step three: Let it dry for several hours.

Step four: If the mildew isnt budging, you may need to add more bleach into your cleaning solution. Add a second layer of spray onto the affected area.

Step five: Repaint the ceiling.

Why Remove Mold From Popcorn Celings

Mold is a health hazard. Black mold is particularly dangerous, causing symptoms from headaches to lack of energy and even damage to vital organs.

In older forms of popcorn ceilings, asbestos may also be present. When disturbed, asbestos can release microscopic fibers that can enter your respiratory system and cause irritation. In the past, exposure to asbestos has even led to death from lung disease.

Mold is something that you dont want in your indoor living space. Mold can quickly create health issues. Just as you go to a doctor when you feel sick, you need to go to a mold remediation and removal specialist to treat the problem.

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