Getting mould off your bathroom ceiling

For a lot of people, cleaning is a chore that they try to avoid, especially when it comes to scrubbing that pesky mold off your ceiling.

So, how can we make cleaning mold as easy and effective as possible, so we can get back to what we want to be doing? The first question is, do I have to clean the mold? Can’t I just leave it?

The answer is no, and here’s why. Mold is very unhealthy.

Breathing in the spores can cause infections even if you go to the gym every day and eat your greens. Also, it can eat away at your house, it’s ugly to look at and if left too long, it will leave a permanent stain that you can’t remove.

Now, if the mold expands across 10 square feet or less, you should be able to clean this yourself with some good old elbow grease. But if there is more mold than that, we recommend seeking professional cleaning help.

What do we use to clean off mould?

When choosing a cleaning solution, you have 4 options, white vinegar, baking soda, hydrogen peroxide or bleach.

Can vinegar kill mould on the bathroom ceiling?

White vinegar is the most popular choice of cleaning product because most people have it in their kitchen cabinets. And it’s not only good to use for mold but can also be used as a general cleaning product for stains and germs.

The acid inside white vinegar can kill 82% of mold types. Baking soda is another option that you can find in your kitchen cabinet. You might want to use this if you have pets or children, as it’s the safest option for them. Using hydrogen peroxide has many perks. It’s anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and anti-viral. But be careful when using it on a delicate surface as it can be too strong for its own good.

Is bleach or vinegar better to kill mould?

Vinegar is better and more effective. Bleach only kills the spores you can see, while vinegar can get in there and kill the mold at its root. White vinegar, baking soda, and hydrogen peroxide are safe, environmentally friendly, and non-toxic choices, while bleach is not. If you’re still considering bleach, remember that prolonged exposure to bleach can cause irritation, skin damage, breath problems, vomiting, chest pains etc.

So, I would recommend going for one of the first 3 options because no mold is worth a bleach burn.

Before we get up onto that ladder and start scrubbing, first, we need to consider safety.

• To avoid consuming any mold while cleaning, put on some gloves, safety glasses, and a face mask.
• To prevent the mold from entering other rooms, close all vents and doors and open the window to let it outside.
• Make sure you are safe when standing on something to reach the roof. For example, if you are using a ladder, follow the 4 to 1 rule. The ladder base must be placed 1 foot from the wall for every 4 feet of height. If you aren’t leaning your ladder against a wall, ensure that all four feet are flat on the ground and the ladder doesn’t wobble.

How do you get black mould off a ceiling?

Follow these 10 steps to clean mold off your ceiling.

1. Get everything you need – For this task, you will need gloves, safety glasses, face mask, ladder/chair, soft brush or sponge, cloth, measuring cup, bucket, spray bottle, water and your choice of cleaning product.
2. Identify the mold – There are 3 different categories of mold. Allergenic, Pathogenic and Toxic. Toxic mold is the most dangerous and will need professional attention.
3. Clean the area – Give the area a clean with warm water and detergent and wipe away any paint that might be concealing more mold.
4. Let it dry – Leave the area to dry out before you start to clean.
5. Choose your solution – As we discussed, there are 4 different products you can use to clean mold. White vinegar, baking soda, hydrogen peroxide or bleach. Before choosing what product you want to use, test it out on a small surface to ensure it doesn’t cause significant damage to the roof.
6. Make your cleaning solution – Put your choice of cleaning product into a spray bottle. For baking soda, put 1 teaspoon in and fill the rest with water, then shake until dissolved. For bleach, mix 1 cup of bleach for every gallon of water.
7. Spray and walk away – Spray your solution directly onto the mold. For white vinegar, leave it for 1 hour. For baking soda, leave it for a few minutes. For hydrogen peroxide, leave it for 10 minutes. For bleach, leave it for 20 minutes.
8. Scrub it off – Using water and your sponge or cloth, scrub off the mold. Make sure that you don’t get the surface too wet as it might cause damage to the surface. While you scrub, regularly rinse out your sponge or cloth to prevent spreading the mold.
9. Dry it – Let the surface air dry. If you don’t dry it out properly, the mold might return just as quickly as you got rid of it.
10. Treat it – After you have cleaned off the mold you need to treat the area to prevent the mold from returning. To treat it, use Borax solution. Borax prevents mildew and new mold from growing by creating a habitat where mold can’t live. Put the Borax into a spray bottle, spray the area and let it dry. The Borax shouldn’t be cleaned off but left to do its magic.

Why does my bathroom ceiling keep getting mould?

If you remove the mold but don’t fix the cause, you will come back to find that the mold has returned. So, to make sure you only clean the mold once, you need to find the cause and eliminate it. To find the sauce of the problem, you should check for any leaks and get them fixed professionally.

Here are a couple of ways to stop mold from returning.

• Increase the room’s natural light, as mold loves the dark.
• Plug in a dehumidifier to remove damp and humid air.
• Remove all damp items from the room that might contribute to mold growth, such as wet towels, wet laundry, or wet cleaning clothes.
• Clean the room regularly to keep mold spores at bay.
• Keep air circulating through the room with proper ventilation. You can do this by keeping the fans running after cooking or showering and leaving the doors open. And when taking a bath, set up a fan to push the steam out the window.
• Improve your insulation. The mold will grow like wildfire if you don’t have good insulation. This happens when the cold air meets warm air, and condensation is born. So, if it’s cold outside and warm inside and you don’t have strong insulation between the two, condensation will have a party on your walls.

So, make sure you keep an eye on that mold. Don’t let it get out of hand, or you might find yourself in medical trouble or having to pay a professional cleaner a lot of money to deal with it.

So, do it now, get it done, then go out and have some fun.