Step by step: how to clean mold off a bathroom ceiling and stop it coming back
Safety first. Cleaning overhead means drips fall toward your face, so wear splash-proof goggles, gloves and an N95, and keep your mouth closed when looking up. Use a stable step ladder, not the tub edge. Ventilate well, and never mix bleach with vinegar, ammonia or other cleaners.
- 1
Check the size and the cause
Measure the moldy area. If it is under about 10 square feet (roughly 3 feet by 3 feet) you can usually clean it yourself. If the ceiling is stained brown, sagging, soft, or the mold came back right after cleaning, look for a leak from a bathroom or roof above before you clean.
- 2
Ventilate and protect the room
Open the window and run the exhaust fan. Cover the vanity, toilet and floor with a drop cloth or towels, and move towels, toothbrushes and toiletries out of the room. Put on goggles, gloves and an N95.
- 3
Scrub with detergent and water
Mix a squirt of dish detergent into a bucket of warm water. Dip a sponge mop or tub-and-tile scrubber, wring it out well so it doesn’t drip, and scrub the spots with short strokes. Rinse the mop often. Most surface mold on gloss or semi-gloss paint wipes off at this stage.
- 4
Treat leftover stains with diluted bleach
On a painted, washable ceiling, mix 1/3 cup of bleach into 1 gallon of water. Dab it onto the remaining spots with a damp, well-wrung sponge and keep the area wet for 10 minutes, re-dabbing as needed. Test a corner first, since bleach can lighten some paints.
- 5
Wipe with clean water
Go over the area with a clean, damp microfiber cloth to remove the bleach and loosened mold. Keep the cloth damp, not dripping, so water doesn’t soak into the drywall.
- 6
Dry it completely
Leave the fan running and the door open for several hours, or point a portable fan at the ceiling. The surface should look and feel dry before anyone showers. Mold grows back fast on a ceiling that stays damp.
- 7
Wash your gear and the cloths
Bag the used cloths and wash them on hot right away, rinse the mop head, and wash your hands and face. Throw away disposable gloves and the N95.
When to call a professional for ceiling mold
Call a pro if the mold covers more than about 10 square feet, follows a leak, or keeps coming back through clean paint. Small spots on a painted ceiling caused by shower steam are a homeowner job.
The EPA says a moldy area under about 10 square feet can usually be handled yourself, and that larger areas or those with a lot of water damage need more careful remediation. It also notes that absorbent materials, such as ceiling tiles, may have to be thrown away if they become moldy, because mold grows into their crevices and is difficult or impossible to remove completely.
- Brown rings, bubbling paint or a soft ceiling point to a leak above, which needs a plumber or roofer first.
- Mold that returns within weeks of cleaning may be growing on the back of the drywall.
- Anyone with asthma, allergies or a weak immune system should not do the cleanup.
Should you use bleach on a bathroom ceiling?
Use bleach only on a painted, washable ceiling, and only diluted. Detergent and water remove most mold; bleach helps lift the dark stain that remains on hard, nonporous surfaces.
Clorox gives a 10-minute contact time for its bleach to kill mold on hard, nonporous surfaces. Its bathroom mold directions use 1/3 cup of bleach per gallon of water, and warn against making a stronger solution and against mixing bleach with vinegar, ammonia or any other cleaner. Flat or matte paint and bare drywall paper are porous, so bleach can’t reach mold that has grown into them; clean gently and plan to repaint or replace.
How to stop mold growing on a bathroom ceiling
Remove the moisture and the mold has nothing to live on. The ceiling is where warm shower steam rises, meets a cooler surface and condenses, which is why spots often start above the shower or in corners.
- Run the exhaust fan during every shower and for 20 to 30 minutes after. If steam lingers with the fan on, the fan may be undersized or blocked.
- Keep humidity down: the EPA recommends staying below 60 percent relative humidity, ideally between 30 and 50 percent.
- Squeegee the shower walls and leave the shower door or curtain open so the room dries.
- Once the ceiling is clean and dry, repaint with a mildew-resistant bathroom paint. The EPA warns that paint applied over moldy surfaces is likely to peel.
- Treat mold in the shower at the same time with our shower mold guide.
Mistakes to avoid
- Spraying cleaner straight up without goggles, so it drips into your eyes.
- Standing on the tub edge or toilet lid instead of a stable step ladder.
- Soaking the drywall with a dripping sponge, which feeds the mold you just removed.
- Painting over mold, which peels and lets it grow back underneath.
- Using full-strength bleach, or mixing it with vinegar or another cleaner.
- Cleaning the spots but leaving the fan problem that caused them.
Products that make this easier
Optional. Everything above works with basic supplies; these just save time or effort.
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Bleach-free option
Concrobium Mold Control spray
Treats mold on painted surfaces without chlorine fumes overhead. It doesn’t bleach out dark stains, so you may still need to scrub or repaint.
- See it on Amazon
For dark stains
Clorox Plus Tilex Mold & Mildew Remover
A bleach spray that lifts mildew stains on washable paint and tile. Spray onto a sponge, not up at the ceiling, and test the paint first.
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Reach without a ladder
Libman Heavy Duty Scrub Brush Kit for Tub, Tile & Grout
A long handle and a sponge head reach most bathroom ceilings from the floor. Wring the sponge well so it doesn’t drip.
- See it on Amazon
Protect your eyes
3M splash-proof safety goggles
Sealed goggles stop overhead drips that regular glasses let through.
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