Washing Ceilings?

[Rogar]

The flat off-white ceilings in the living and dining room areas of my house are looking a little dingy from what I would guess is a couple of decades of cooking, wood stove, or what ever sort of grime. They are not terrible, but a winter project that would probably brighten the house a little if they could be cleaned up.

One option would be repainting, but the paint job is a very nice professional job that I don't think I could match with my amatuer roller work.

I've dabbled with cleaning small areas and there is a little streaking where I've tried cleaning with rags and detergent. I was wondering if any of you have had success doing this sort of cleaning? It would save some paint and work if there is a technique that would do a decent job.

Thanks for any help!

[goldensmom]

No special technique but we used Awesome and a damp towel to clean the ceiling of a rental we were selling. It was yellow from years of cigarette smoke and the Awesome worked..... well......awesome (sorry). We found a white ceiling under all the grime.

[treehugger]

Oh, if only I could simply clean off the gold glitter-strewn popcorn (yes, gold glitter, I am serious) on the ceilings in my house. *sigh*

Kara

[Spartana]

I cleaned my mom's "decade-long smoke-covered" ceilings of her co-op apt after she passed away with just windex and a cloth. Lots of elbow grease but worked good and smelled good. It was painted with a semi-gloss paint though so it was easier to clean then a ceiling that was painted with flat paint.

[rosarugosa]

I would strongly recommend microfiber cloths and plain water on a Swiffer-type mop. We've gotten "puff-back" from our oil furnace a couple of times, which necessitated washing all the walls and the ceilings. This was quite effective and low-cost - since we had the mop and cloths anyway.

[Mrs-M]

Rogar. If you are looking for impeccable/stunning results, TSP cleaner is the answer. Nothing beats it. Nothing. And working with it is a breeze. Little elbow grease required.

[Rogar]

Thanks everyone! I made up a bucket of water and dishwashing dtergent yesterday and scrubbed with a sponge and then dried with a damp towel. The flat paint is lightly textured, and this sort of worked, but it almost seemed like some dirt worked deeper into the paint and left streaks. I'll try a few more things that you've suggested. I have some TSP, but had to look up Awesome to see what it is. I've not seen it in the stores out this way.
.

[treehugger]

Be careful with the TSP. That's what is recommended to clean walls before repainting them. I think it strips away some of the paint, or at least the nice finish.

Kara

[Spartana]

When I used windex I would just spray it on, let it sit for a sec and then you cold actually see the dirt/grine/smoke residue start to bead up. Then I'd just wipe it with a wet sponge - no scrubbing. Spartana does not scub :-)!!