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I have to 'wash' the wood cieling next week. It is a slanted ceiling...so it goes from 9' to 16' high. The wood is unfinished...yes, it has groves every 8". The ceiling is in the kitchen...it will be 'greasy' (Hey, it's a kitchen!!!) dust with the required spiders. I can't use any oil because mold will grow on anything organic left up there, I don't want to treat the wood with anything HARSH like clorox. Yes, vinegar is organic but I think acid enough not to encourage mold. Any ideas out there? I have never washed a ceiling down like this... And the kitchen is very large!!!! and the ceiling is rather dirty ... we have a volcano here and the ash is like really bad dust.
Thanks in advance...
Carol
Click the image for an enlarged view.
JuneyBug Dongducheon CpCasey South Korea (Zone 4b)
First vaccum it with a brush (and a looong hose) to get the loose dirt off.
I don't know what to use to cut the grease from the wood without hurting the wood. ?simple green?
I do know that it is going to be one tough job and that you may want to think about hiring it out.
Vacuuming may smear the grease and ash and make it look worse and also make a mess of the brush on the end of the wand.
Greased Lightning does a really fast job of melting grease and is mild, but wear protective gear anyway - hands, arms, face, hair, etc. And rinse with plain water, maybe with a little vinegar to finish.
With that big an area to clean, you will need some sort of scaffolding.
I would try to work from the highest peak, down. Probably about a 2 or 3 foot square at a time. Your arms will tire VERY quickly working overhead, so work in 10-15 minute sessions.
Finally a question I can answer! I have the exact ceiling, except it is in a bedroom, so no greasy build-up. But I do heat with a woodstove and that makes soot and ash dust build-up. I don't have mold, my ceiling is cedar and there is no "food" I guess for mold to live on.
I have used both Simple Green and Murphy's Oil Soap on bare wood. Both do a great job. I prefer the Simple Green as I use it for almost everything and trust it. I buy it by the gallon, only $10 in Oregon. It does not need to be rinsed off and if it drips on things below, it is pretty harmless. Dilute it 1oz to 1 cup of water for medium strenghth cleaning. I put it in a bucket of water and dip a lambswool duster on a long pole in and then rub the boards. A bit drippy, maybe someone else has a better applicator idea!
Happy cleaning. It is hard for me to imagine having to clean while living in Paradise. ; - )
Yes...cleaning gets in the way of everything in Paradise.
So...I think I am going to spray with Scrub Free OXY to see if that works...no rinse but a couple of times over the spot to wipe it all down... Going to test some boards first and choose whatever if faster and cleaner!!!!
I have never washed a ceiling but you mention that it is sloped, so this might help you. When washing walls, it is important to start from the bottom and work up. I know that is not intuitive: we think "but then dirty water will run onto my cleaned part", but what actually happens is, that it is worse if the water runs onto the unwashed wall. If you work top down on walls, the water that runs down onto the part you have not yet cleaned makes streaks that show even after it has been completely cleaned and dried. I suppose it is something like the water spots that get onto fabric, or like when painting that they say to "keep the edge wet".
I can see what you mean, Tina...and it is very good advice!!!
Did some tests yesterday and find I will have to wear safety glasses!!! Simple Green did a good job on the tests! Maybe I will clean with some different products/mixes and see which ones hold up the best!!!
A friend/cleaner came in to do it!!! She got the whole thing done in 4 hours...next is the living room and our bedroom.
We used Simple Green...and everything look/is so clean. No drips...I think Marie may have a sore shoulder!!! I got some of those microfiber 'mittens'...really good.
Here is how my ceilings look. The far room is the kitchen...I am on the porch looking thru the livingroom.
Brilliant! What a lovely home you have there. Keep it clean with Simple Green. Maybe I should suggest that as a jingle for the company. Goodness knows I have done my part to keep them in business over the past 25 years!
Hope you are enjoying your place in Paradise. Aloha, kitty. =^..^=
What a beautiful home you have! Glad you got your ceiling cleaned... that is one of those jobs that sounds quite difficult, given the slope and the height.
