How to Remove Stains from Popcorn Ceilings

Here is an easy, quick method to remove water stains from your popcorn textured ceiling. Use this method instead of redoing the complete ceiling when you need to save on time and money or if the stain is not too large.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Spray bottle
• Bleach
• Drop cloth or old sheet
• Step ladder
• Protective eye-wear
• KILZ Upshot

1. 
    

   Fill a clean spray bottle with pure bleach. Do not add water because you want the full strength of the bleach to work on the stain and you do not want to saturate the stain with water.

2. 
    

   Cover all areas under the stain and the adjacent wall if necessary with a drop cloth or sheet. YOU DO NOT WANT THE BLEACH TO FALL ONTO ANY SURFACES BELOW OR ON THE WALL CLOSE TO THE STAIN. You may want to have someone help you hold the drop cloth or sheet up in the air close to the ceiling if you cannot cover everything completely.

3. 
    

   Use a step ladder to get high enough so the spray does not fall back on you. Place on your protective eye-wear and completely spray the stain so that you cover all of the stained area with the bleach.

4. 
    

   Remove the drop clothes or sheets and open the windows to vent the room. You can place a fan in the window to pull the vapors out of the room. Allow the ceiling to completely dry.

5. 
    

   If the stain does not completely disappear after 24 hours, spray on the KILZ Upshot stain blocker. KILZ Upshot is tinted to match most acoustical and textured ceilings and should cover up and remaining stain.

Tips & Warnings

• DO NOT STAND DIRECTLY UNDER THE STAIN WHEN YOU SPRAY THE BLEACH.
• IF ANY BLEACH SHOULD FALL ONTO THE CARPET, BEDDING, OR OTHER SURFACE, WASH RIGHT AWAY TO AVOID FURTHER DAMAGE TO THE SURFACE.
• WEAR PROTECTIVE EYE-WEAR TO INSURE THAT THE BLEACH SOLUTION DOES NOT GET INTO YOUR EYES.

[rpalulis]

on 11/10/2009 Wow, awesome advice, this sure does beat demoing a ceiling and throwing up new sheet rock and sanding, taping, painting.... Thanks 5*

[riefderrico]

on 10/24/2009 Wonderful advice - my brother stained my parent's popcorn ceiling with catsup when we were kids (funny as heck) my dad wound up painting the whole ceiling because they couldn't get the stain out.

[yellowstar2000]

on 10/20/2009 5*, good job, keep up the good work! and I agree with surly-mac; Great tips on removing stains from popcorn ceilings - if the stain is persistent (returns), a trip to the attic may reveal the cause. Thanks for the good article.

[dorigillman]

on 10/12/2009 wish i had known how to remove stains from popcorm ceilings when i had a popcorn ceiling!! what an easy way to do it.

[cygnetbrown]

on 10/12/2009 Great tips for removing stains from a popcorn ceiling. Many of us these days can't afford a complete ceiling redo so this is a perfect solution when we have stains on a popcorn ceiling.