Q&A for How to Clean Smoke Off of a Ceiling

To start out, you should prep the ceiling by vacuuming it and the adjacent walls, as well as ventilating the room. You can simply use some dish soap and water with a clean rag, or apply vinegar or degreaser for smoke buildup. Scrub the area, then rinse and dry it thoroughly.

Depending on if the smoke has left behind soot, or if it is cigarette smoke damage, you can use either degreaser or vinegar on the residue. Scrape away the residue from cigarette smoke or vacuum away the soot. Using the appropriate solution, scrub, rinse, and dry the area.

Start by vacuuming the walls and ventilate the room if possible. Apply a degreaser to the area, and scrub and repeat as necessary until the smoke residue is gone. Rinse and dry the wall to finish.

Unfortunately, porous ceiling tiles can be very difficult to clean. They soak up soot and the particles are hard to get out of the porous material. First, try to vacuum the tiles to pull out as much soot as possible, then try to wipe the tile down with a dry sponge or soot sponge to absorb dirt and soot. It is not recommended to wet sponge porous cleaning tiles. If you have excessive damage, it may be best to replace your tiles or hire a professional to clean your ceiling tiles.

Start by vacuuming the area. After you've vacuumed, you may lightly spritz the ceiling with vinegar to absorb unpleasant odors, but avoid dousing the ceiling, as this could cause mold or mildew to form.

There is no way to clean a popcorn ceiling. Any type of wiping will pull off/dissolve bits of the texture, and you will not get into all the nooks and crannies to clean it properly. The only option is to repaint with a stain-blocking primer to prevent the smoke from bleeding through, then top coat with regular ceiling paint.

A white film suggests that there is a coat of lacquer or other sealant on the tin. You can remove the lacquer with a varnish remover, or you can use a degreasing agent (dish soap works well) to polish away the film.

Look online at stores like Amazon or eBay, or it is available at local hardware stores as well.