If you Google “what to do about water stains on the ceiling”, you will find many articles that seem to give answers. You might even take advice from one of these articles!
But when we looked through these same articles with the knowledge of a professional water damage restoration company, we were frankly horrified at some of the advice we saw! All of the top 10 articles and chat forums on Google either left out key details, or had advice that we frankly strongly disagree with as professionals in the water damage industry! Advice that could really harm you, and cost you more money down the line!
We’re Cleaner Guys, a professional water damage restoration company with more than 20 years of experience, and we’re here to give you the real scoop on what to know about finding water damage stains on your ceiling.
Table of Contents
- What Does Water Staining On a Ceiling Look Like?
- Why Are There Water Stains On My Ceiling?
- Can I Clean Water Stains On My Ceiling Myself?
- Are Water Stains On the Ceiling All That Bad?
- Can You Clean Mold Yourself?
- Can You Fix Water Damage Yourself?
What Does Water Staining On a Ceiling Look Like?
Water staining on a ceiling looks like brownish, greyish, or yellowish patches in the shape of “spills”. It looks a lot like a coffee or tea stain or spill on a piece of paper. Even if the water stain feels dry, you should still treat it like active water damage, because it very well may still be wet inside the ceiling, and that can cause you a lot of problems. Read on to learn more.
Why Are There Water Stains On My Ceiling?
Water staining on your ceiling is caused by water intrusion inside the ceiling, or sometimes from excess moisture in the room. If you’re asking “Why are there wet spots on my ceiling? Why are there water stains on my ceiling?”, here are the most common sources of water causing staining on a ceiling:
- A leaking toilet, sink, tub, or shower on the floor above the staining
- A leaking roof
- Leaking piping inside the ceiling cavity
- A leaking component in the HVAC system
- A leaking radiator on the floor above the staining
- A poorly ventilated and frequently humid room, like a bathroom
Whatever the source of the water intrusion in your ceiling, it’s a good idea to try to find it, turn off the water supply to it, and (if possible) place some kind of bowl under it to catch the water.
Can I Clean Water Stains On My Ceiling Myself?
This is the first place we strongly disagree with many other non-professional articles and advice on Google. Their advice is largely “Just stop the source of the water, leave the ceiling to dry on its own, and clean the water stain off with some bleach.” Some even advised just painting over the water staining!!
In our 20+ years of experience cleaning up after water damage, every single part of that advice is wrong.
Fixing Water Damage By Yourself
Firstly, it is not wise to try to just stop the source of the water damage by yourself and call it good. Unless you are an experienced handyman, roofer, or plumber, we strongly advise against DIYing the repair and not calling a professional. We have cleaned up multi-thousand dollar water damage situations many times that were caused by a DIY patch on a leaking pipe or roof. It really is strongly advisable to leave repairing plumbing, roofing, HVAC etc. to the professionals. They will often spot problems that the untrained eye would completely overlook.
Leaving the Ceiling to Dry On Its Own
This is a fatal error, and we were shocked to see so many publications and articles telling people to just leave the water damage to dry. In our experience, most of the time, by the time water has soaked all the way through the ceiling to leave stains, the inside of the ceiling cavity is going to be very water-logged. That water will take days to dry, even weeks. Mold can take less than 24 hours to start growing on water-soaked drywall. If you just leave the water-damaged area to dry on its own, you are extremely likely to end up dealing with mold growth too, and mold is very bad for your health.
The only way to ensure that the inner ceiling cavity dries out completely and properly is to have a water damage restoration company come in and dry it out with commercial-grade drying equipment.
We know that’s not what many people want to hear — people like to fix things themselves and save money, we get it. But if you try to fix this yourself, you will most likely end up dealing with worse damage later. We see it all the time.
“Just clean the water stain with some bleach”
This is another piece of advice we saw again and again in other articles, that we simply do not recommend. Bleach is one of the worst options you could use for cleaning water stains on drywall, in our experience. It’s incredibly harsh, not only on drywall, but for your eyes, lungs, and skin. Even diluted, bleach is usually still harsh enough that breathing it in is very bad for you, and it can damage the surface of the drywall you apply it to.
For your own safety and the integrity of your ceiling, we would only recommend using a vinegar solution to try to remove the staining, or perhaps hydrogen peroxide. Both of these solutions may be able to remove the water staining, without harming either you or the drywall.
If vinegar and hydrogen peroxide do not work, the next step forward we would advise is to hire a water damage restoration company to remove that section of damaged drywall, make sure the interior cavity is dry, and replace and repair the drywall.
Painting over the water staining
Some people may ask “Is it okay to paint over water staining on the ceiling?”, and we were shocked to see some articles on Google actually saying yes! This is one of the worst things you can do, at least if you haven’t had the water damage professionally checked out yet.
Once the water damage has been thoroughly cleaned up, dried out, and repaired, then you can paint over any remaining water staining safely.
But painting over the water stains without doing anything else and just hoping that the interior dries out by itself is a huge mistake.
Are Water Stains On the Ceiling All That Bad?
Yes, water stains on the ceiling really are serious, and should be treated with professional help right away. Most of the time, by the time water has soaked through the interior cavity of the ceiling and through the drywall, and is showing in water stains, the water has probably been there for a while. This means that by the time you see water staining, there’s a good chance there is already some mold growth inside the wall cavity, and extensive water intrusion.
Water intrusion and mold growth will both eventually eat through the structural materials holding up your home, weakening it and risking the ceiling caving in on you! Mold in the walls can also cause mold sickness in you or your loved ones, which will not go away until the mold is removed.
Water stains in the ceiling should be taken very seriously.
Can You Clean Mold Yourself?
In a few situations, yes, you can clean mold yourself… but in most situations, it is not safe or advisable to attempt it.
We would only encourage you to try cleaning mold yourself if it’s a mildew on a hard surface, like in your shower or on tile, or if the mold is an extremely small patch, covering a less than 1 square foot area.
When it comes to mold that may grow from water stains on the ceiling, we do not recommend that you attempt to clean it yourself. First of all, the mold is most likely going to be inside the wall cavity, where most of the water is, and it’s not safe for you to attempt to access the wall cavity on your own. Second, if the mold is on drywall, it’s highly likely the moldy drywall will need to be completely removed and replaced anyway. Mold roots very deeply into drywall, and is almost impossible to successfully clean off of just the surface.
If you’re only dealing with mildew on a non-porous surface, or mold in a very tiny patch, then you may be able to clean it yourself. Please reference our full guide on cleaning mold yourself to learn the exact process for cleaning this kind of mold on your own.
Can You Fix Water Damage Yourself?
If you read other articles on Google, many of them will tell you how to DIY fix your plumbing, your roof, or any other source of water damage. We strongly advise against trying to repair the source of the water damage yourself. As we touched on earlier, as a professional water damage cleanup company, we have dealt with many really bad water damage situations that were caused by a bad DIY repair.
Whether your question is “Can I fix a leaking roof myself?”, “Can I fix a leaking pipe myself?”, or some other kind of DIY repair… the answer is, unless you are an experienced handyman, it should be left to the professionals.
To make sure the water damage is properly and thoroughly dried out, the staining is successfully and safely removed, and any mold is effectively removed, you really should have the water staining looked at by a professional water damage restoration company.
If you’re unsure how to find a good and trustworthy water damage restoration company near you, please see our full guide on finding the right service company for you.
If you live anywhere north of Seattle in Washington State, you’re in luck! Your search is already over! Cleaner Guys serves Western Washington, and we’re the only award-winning water damage restoration company in the area. We boast better pricing, better results, and better customer service than other companies in the area, and our fans will tell you so! Contact us today through the menu at the top of your screen, or by calling (360)757-4300 now. Don’t wait! We can help you!
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. No part of this article is medical or legal advice, and may not be used as such. For all serious medical matters, consult your doctor. For all serious legal matters, consult your legal advisor. This article contains Cleaner Guys’ experience and opinions only.
