How to Get Water Stains Off the Ceiling

Even if the rest of the room is spotlessly clean, decorated and designed, a water stain on the ceiling can easily become a focal point, making the space look dirty and abandoned.

Your biggest concern, of course, should not be aesthetic, but rather what causes (or caused) the stain to form in the first place. Not only is this important for the safety, value, and structural integrity of your home, but if you simply cover up the stain rather than fix the underlying problem, it will likely keep showing up until you do.

But today we’ll be focusing on removing cosmetic stains from the ceiling, not their root cause, so we’ll assume you did it first. With that in mind, here’s how to get rid of cosmetic water stains on the ceiling (after fixing the underlying problem).

How to remove water stains from the ceiling

Whether you plan to paint over the stain or not, you should start by cleaning it with a mixture of one cup of bleach and three cups of warm water.

You can pour it into a spray bottle or use a sponge to apply. In any case, put a rag under the stain and work with it in gloves and goggles. From here you have two options:

Approach without painting

Try this method first if you have white ceilings and hope you don’t have to prime and paint them (which can be especially tricky if it’s been a while since you last painted – even if you have some of the same paint left over, maybe do not match).

1. Climb the ladder and spray the stain with the bleach solution.
2. Allow the solution to harden for about a minute.
3. Then return to the stairs and spray another coat of the solution. Leave for 24 hours.
4. Lighter stains may disappear (or be minimized), but if not, you can repeat this process until the stain is removed (or at least brightened to the point where you’re happy with it).

Ceiling stain painting

If you know for sure that you are going to paint over the spot, or if you tried the first method and realized that you still have to paint , here’s what to do :

1. Apply the bleach solution to the stain with a sponge.
2. After wiping the stain with a dampened sponge, rinse this part of the ceiling by spraying it with clean water from a spray bottle.
3. Use a clean, dry cloth to wipe the area.
4. When it dries, cut off the part of the ceiling you are going to paint with painter’s tape.
5. Using a paint roller for smooth ceilings or a tufted roller for textured ceilings, apply an oil-based, mildew-resistant, stain-resistant primer in a shade that best matches the existing ceiling.
6. Finally, apply ceiling paint of the appropriate color.

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