Stretch ceilings have become a popular attribute of home interiors. With its help, owners implement bold design solutions by choosing the desired color and material structure.
The main advantage remains an unchanged appearance, when over time the ceiling does not fade or undergo deformation. Caring for the linen depends on the room, determining the choice of cleaning product and cleaning method. The information below will tell readers how to wash the suspended ceiling in the kitchen from grease and give practical recommendations for caring for PVC and fabric surfaces.
To wash or not to wash
Caring for the ceiling involves dry and wet cleaning methods . They are selected depending on the surface, type of contamination and the desired result.
- Dry cleaning is carried out using a simple sponge, consisting of rubbing the surface and giving it shine. Most often they resort to it for preventive purposes.
- Wet cleaning is much more effective , allowing you to eliminate stubborn stains, stains and other contaminants.
The kitchen ceiling is the first to face household costs, taking on drops of grease, settling dust, smoke and traces of insects. When asking what is the best way to wash suspended ceilings in the kitchen, you need to remember that in terms of cleaning this is the most difficult place in the whole house . This is where the hard work of the housewife and her ability to hold the house in her hands are manifested.
The basis of order is timely cleaning . In no case should you wait until the stain goes away on its own or new defects are added to it, so that later, during general cleaning, you can attack the stains with all your might. A daily cleanliness regimen is much more effective. With it, all problems are eliminated in the current manner, and the stains do not have time to harden and stain, forcing the ceiling covering to be replaced.
Carefully! When washing the ceiling, you should avoid excessive pressure and effort. The caution is especially relevant if there is a small gap between the ceiling and the slab. When cleaning, remove any jewelry, rings, or bracelets that could scratch or damage the surface.
Timely cleaning does not negate careful execution . Even if the contamination is noticeable and seems irremovable, there is no need to rub the surface recklessly. The structure of the material allows for easy removal of any stains; just choose a suitable detergent.
A prerequisite is the use of soft working tools . These include a sponge, flannel cloth, soft rags and similar materials. Stretch ceilings do not like hard brushes, sponges and abrasives. They scratch and tear the surface, making replacement of the blade almost inevitable.
It is best to use a stepladder , which allows you to reach the ceiling while having the necessary materials at hand. In its absence, a rag or napkin is wrapped around the mop and gently passed over the surface. A vacuum cleaner is also suitable, especially when you need to remove ordinary dust, cobwebs from corners and similar things that do not require the use of special tools. By removing the plug on the hose, the vacuum cleaner is set to the minimum operating mode, sufficient for this type of cleaning.
General Tips
Most suspended matte ceilings are made of polyvinyl chloride. Cleaning such a canvas cannot be done with hard brushes and abrasive compounds, and you should not use force when washing the ceiling. Excessive pressure can cause cracks, holes and other defects to form on the ceiling surface. The use of aggressive cleaning agents also damages the structure of the PVC sheet.
To wash a matte stretch ceiling without leaving streaks on the surface, you can use several methods:
- Dry cleaning is used when it is necessary to remove minor dust deposits. You can use special microfiber cloths or a slightly damp soft cloth.
- Dry cleaning with a vacuum cleaner is possible if you have a special attachment with soft bristles.
- Wet cleaning involves cleaning with plain water, the temperature of which does not exceed 400C, or with the addition of special detergent compounds.
- Steam cleaning involves the use of a steam generator.
To clean fabric ceilings, it is recommended to use dry methods, since many fabrics are not treated with special water-repellent impregnations. Wet cleaning of such ceilings can ruin the appearance of the coating.
Detergents for suspended ceilings
When choosing what to wash suspended ceilings in the kitchen with, you must immediately exclude substances containing acetone, which can ruin the surface . Abrasive materials are screened out, including hard granules and similar products. When cleaning, they scratch the ceiling even without pressure. Regardless of the product chosen, initially wipe a small area of the ceiling in an inconspicuous place. Then you should wait for 10-15 minutes. If during this time the surface has not faded or wrinkled, you can begin the main cleaning.
In the hall, living room and bedroom, the suspended ceiling is washed with ordinary water. It is recommended by all manufacturers and installers, since the main pollutant is ordinary dust, the elimination of which does not require effort.
Cleaning suspended ceilings in the kitchen involves its own specifics, which are associated with the elimination of grease . The best way to deal with it is with dishwashing detergents , which can effectively break down even old stains, not to mention new stains. It is enough to dilute a few drops of washing liquid in warm water, and then walk over the surface with a soft cloth.
For everyday cleaning, you can use regular surface cleaners , such as Mr. Proper (its advantage is the complete absence of stains). Sometimes contamination requires the use of washing powder, which is diluted in water until the granules are completely dissolved.
Attention! To avoid streaks, circular movements should be avoided. The ceiling is wiped from left to right, and if there is a seam, washing is carried out parallel to it.
Practice shows that in the kitchen, dishwashing detergent is much more effective than specialized materials for the care of suspended ceilings. This is due to the use of the premises, regular cooking and the nature of the stains.
Giving advice on how to wash a suspended ceiling in a kitchen, experts remind you that cleaning here is often carried out in two stages. At the first of them, the worker removes stains, fumes, soot and other traces, and then tries to return the surface to its original shine.
Shine is achieved through the use of glass cleaning fluids or PVC . It is enough to spray them on the fabric and walk along the ceiling in the same mode (from left to right). Sometimes an ordinary flannel napkin is enough, especially if we are talking about a glossy ceiling.
We should dwell on the structure of the material in more detail, since the nature of cleaning and the products used depend on it.
Surface cleaning methods
Minor accumulations of dust can be easily removed from the stretch ceiling using a small soft cloth. In this case, it is necessary to avoid strong mechanical impacts on the canvas in order to avoid its deformation or damage. In particular, we are talking about polyvinyl chloride canvases, which, under strong pressure, stretch into unattractive strips and form wrinkles. Only professional technicians can eliminate defects of this type.
When cleaning a stretch ceiling from dust using a special attachment on a vacuum cleaner, you should be careful and careful. The minimum distance from the brush to the tension fabric should be about 2 cm. It is not recommended to apply the nozzle tightly to the fabric.
Using a steam generator:
- The tool is directed to the contaminated area and treated with steam.
- The resulting condensation is removed and the surface is wiped dry with a soft cloth.
It is also recommended to carry out wet cleaning with a mop carefully and carefully. Otherwise, you may scratch the surface if the rag suddenly slips off the crossbar.
When manually cleaning the fabric of a suspended ceiling structure, it is recommended to wear gloves after removing all decorations. To clean the surface, you need to prepare several napkins or rags. With the help of some, the ceiling is washed, with others, they wipe and dry the material, and also eliminate all kinds of stains.
All work is divided into several stages:
- Dry cleaning of the canvas is carried out, during which accumulations of dust and waste products of small insects, such as cobwebs, are removed from the corners and on lamps.
- Apply a suitable cleaning agent to the ceiling and leave it for some time. In this case, the composition is able to act on the most persistent contaminants.
- Next, the ceiling is thoroughly washed and dried using dry wipes and rags. Using other dry rags, wipe the surface, eliminating soap stains.
Methods for cleaning glossy and matte ceilings
Modern canvases are divided into two types:
- Ceilings made of PVC film (glossy or matte);
- Seamless fabric ceilings.
Features of installation and maintenance depend on the material, which determines how to clean suspended ceilings in the kitchen. Glossy PVC surfaces can easily withstand soap and powder solutions , as well as specialized materials, which can be purchased at any hardware store.
Important! For shine, glossy surfaces are wiped with alcohol solutions. These include alcohol diluted with water in a consistency of 1:10 or regular vodka. The procedure is performed at the end of cleaning, ensuring that there are no soap stains on the surface.
It is the glossy surface that requires timely cleaning. It is undesirable for grease or food stains to have time to dry out and become embedded in the structure of the fabric, especially since at an early stage their removal will not take more than 5 minutes.
A matte ceiling does not require such scrupulous treatment. Spots and stains from soap and powder solutions are not so noticeable on its surface. With it, the housewife will be able to resort to wet cleaning more often without fear of scratching the canvas.
The procedure itself for removing dirt from a matte surface is much faster, but you need to resort to it more often. Soap and powder solutions, dish soap and specialized materials are suitable. The lack of shine allows you to do without ammonia and glass cleaning liquids.
Fabric ceilings are traditionally more vulnerable to external influences and require painstaking treatment and care. You can wash it only in extreme cases when a regular detergent cannot cope with the contamination. In addition, you should avoid intensively rubbing the surface in the same place.
Specialized materials are used as ceiling care products. They are purchased in household chemical stores, after consulting with the seller.
Advice. Fabric ceilings should not be wiped with glass cleaner. They include substances that penetrate the tissue structure and lead to irreversible changes.
Sometimes it is not possible to remove stains and other contaminants on your own. There is no need to despair in such a situation. Cleaning companies come to the rescue, whose employees are able to quickly fix the problem and give practical advice on further care of the ceiling.
What can't be washed with
The main danger for any type of film is mechanical damage. The canvas is very thin and light, it can be damaged by any more or less sharp object. This is taken into account when deciding how to wash the ceiling.
- Do not use any objects with a hard surface: brushes, hard cloth, sponges with a hard side, not to mention metal ones. Moreover, when caring for glossy ceilings, you should avoid applying strong pressure: unlike a matte surface, a glossy surface loses its shine when abraded.
- Do not clean your kitchen ceiling with any kind of abrasive cleaner. Moreover, we are talking not only about cleaning agents with solid particles, but also about detergents in powder form. Only ready-made soap solution may be used.
- It is strictly forbidden to wash a matte stretch ceiling with products containing acetone and other solvents: they destroy the PVC film.
- Do not use aggressive special-purpose household chemicals for cleaning , such as window cleaner, even if the stains are very persistent. The composition may not harm the film, but it will destroy the colors.
Useful video
Let's watch a useful video on how to wash a suspended ceiling from grease and dirt:
There are a huge number of methods for cleaning suspended ceilings in the kitchen. Depending on them, owners can use detergents, ordinary dry wipes, and special materials. In any case, it is important not to forget that prevention and routine cleaning are much more effective than the subsequent elimination of problems and old stains. A stretch ceiling requires daily care and, if the conditions are met, for many years it gives the owners a warm, cozy atmosphere at home.
Pollution prevention
To avoid having to wash matte fabrics frequently, follow these recommendations:
- use the shower in the bathroom carefully so that splashes of water do not fly off to the ceiling, or buy a curtain;
- install a hood in the kitchen that will prevent grease and soot from getting on the canvas;
- Regularly ventilate rooms with suspended ceilings. Especially in those rooms where condensation often forms.
Cleaning the ceiling after renovation
We clean the ceiling from dust after repairs with a vacuum cleaner.
To remove debris and dust remaining after repairs, use a vacuum cleaner and a brush with soft bristles. It is strictly forbidden to use hard brushes, as they can damage the surface.
Turn on the vacuum cleaner to the minimum operating power mode, but do not press the brush tightly to the coating, move it at a distance of 1.5-3 cm from the ceiling. When you remove the dust, evaluate the result. If everything is in order, gently wipe the surface with a dry soft cloth. If stains remain, wash the canvas.
Stretch ceilings are a common finishing method. The coating looks impressive and provides opportunities for experimenting with design. But the surface needs regular cleaning. High-quality care will extend the life of the decorative structure and preserve its appearance.
How to remove stains
To make your ceiling pleasing to the eye, the least you can do is to gently wipe it dry with a delicate cloth. There is also an option to walk over it with a weak solution of ammonia.
But “dry” cleaning will help you completely avoid the appearance of streaks. It assumes the absence of liquids and detergents. This is done using suede fabric or a special “broom” for collecting dust with almost weightless bristles.
Remember that fabric or film coverings should be maintained regularly. This is not an easy task, but if you follow the sequence of actions and recommendations, you will be able to cope with it. Good luck!
How to prevent severe pollution
In order for the suspended matte ceiling to always look like it was just installed, you need to periodically carry out dry or light wet cleaning. If stains appear, remove them immediately. Fresh dirt is much easier to clean than stubborn dirt.
To avoid soot, burning and grease on the ceiling in the kitchen, you should install a good exhaust system. Care should be taken when opening carbonated drinks and other containers containing liquids to prevent splashes from settling on the ceiling.
It is recommended to ventilate the premises daily to minimize the appearance of condensation on matte tension surfaces.
How to clean kitchen surfaces from grease
If you have a snow-white or beige linen installed in your kitchen, then it is more susceptible to harmful effects. And even if there is a hood, the soot still settles on the surface along with grease, which is not so easy to wash off. There is no point in postponing cleaning until “later” - general cleaning should become a more frequent ritual than in the guest room. The same applies to bathrooms due to high humidity.
Kitchen surfaces can be washed in the following ways:
- Dilute liquid soap in a small amount of water. Achieve the formation of dense foam, which you can use to wash the ceiling using a soft sponge. A high-quality dish soap will also help you deal with grease.
- If you use powder, then give preference to types for activator washing. In order to get rid of grains that can cause damage, dilute it in water and beat with a mixer until completely dissolved.
- If you have a steam generator at your disposal, use it - this will allow grease stains to become more pliable and will be easier to wipe off. But do not overdo it with the temperature - it should not exceed 40 degrees. Keep the device no closer than 30 centimeters. Afterwards, wash with soapy water and wipe.
