Preparing Ceilings for Painting

Can I use Selleys Liquid Sugar Soap to clean yellow stains off a ceiling before painting — and do I have to rinse?

Yes. Selleys Original Sugar Soap is the best solution for cleaning before painting — it is what the product was developed for.

On rinsing, the answer depends on what happens next:

• If you are repainting soon: it is not necessary to rinse off. It is still good practice to keep a bucket of clean water and a clean cloth or mop beside you and wipe the surface over after cleaning, to remove any residues.
• If you are cleaning but not repainting: you should always rinse off.

Why the answer splits that way

Sugar Soap is a salts-based alkaline cleaner with a pH of around 11. When the solution dries on a surface, the water goes and the cleaning salts stay behind as a fine residue.

Under a coat of paint that residue is inconsequential — which is why the product's own data sheet says "no need to rinse" for its wall and ceiling use, in the context of cleaning and preparing for painting. Left on a surface you are going to keep looking at, the same residue is a visible film. That is the entire basis of the distinction, and it is why the same product gets a "rinse" answer on glass and a "no need to rinse" answer on a ceiling about to be painted.

The recommended wipe-over even when you are repainting is worth doing anyway. A ceiling that has just been washed carries loosened grime as well as cleaner, and a clean-water pass takes both off rather than leaving them for the roller to pick up.

The method

1. Mix the solution. Add half a cup of Liquid Sugar Soap to 5 litres of water. That is the dilution for most jobs; dilute to suit the task.
2. Use a soft clean cloth such as a Selleys Super Cloth. Soak it in the solution, wring off the excess, and start cleaning.
3. Always start washing from the highest point and work down. This avoids runs — dirty solution running down over a section you have already cleaned leaves streaks that show through paint.
4. Keep a bucket of clean water and a clean cloth or mop to hand and wipe over the cleaned surface to lift residues.
5. Let the ceiling dry completely before painting.

For stubborn or in-ground marks the product can be used neat with a non-scratch scouring sponge or cloth such as a Selleys Wash Up Wiz. On a ceiling, keep neat use to the mark rather than the whole surface.

Working on a ceiling specifically

A ceiling is the hardest version of this job, for reasons that have nothing to do with the cleaner.

Wring the cloth out properly. A cloth carrying more solution than it needs drips onto you, the floor and the walls. Wringing off excess is in the directions for a reason.

Protect your eyes. Selleys Original Sugar Soap's safety directions warn that it causes serious eye irritation, and on a ceiling you are working directly beneath the surface you are wetting. Eye protection is the sensible call. Avoid contact with skin and eyes, use rubber gloves if you have sensitive skin, wash your hands after use, and if it does get in your eyes, rinse thoroughly with water.

Work in sections. The high-to-low rule applies within each section as well as across the room.

About those yellow stains

Selleys Original Sugar Soap's listed wall and ceiling use is cleaning and preparing for painting, and specifically removing dirty marks and smoke stains from walls and ceilings. Nicotine, candle and cooking staining are what it is built for.

Yellowing from a water leak is a different matter. Cleaning removes surface grime but does not remove a stain that has come through the plasterboard from above, and no cleaner will. Where the discolouration is from water, deal with the leak, let the ceiling dry, and expect to need a stain-blocking primer before the topcoat — the paint manufacturer's guidance governs that part.

Limitations to keep in mind

• Wipe it off immediately from aluminium and brass surfaces. Ceilings mean light fittings, exhaust fan grilles, cornice trim and downlights, and splashes land on them.
• Rinse it well from glass before the product dries, or it leaves a hard salts deposit. Windows, skylights and mirrors below the work are at risk — see streaking on windows after using Sugar Soap.
• Never add another product to it. Selleys does not recommend mixing anything into Selleys Original Sugar Soap — see can I add bleach to Sugar Soap.
• Test an inconspicuous area for compatibility and colourfastness if the solution will reach fabric, carpet or blinds.

Common questions

Do I have to rinse Sugar Soap off before painting?

Not if you are repainting soon. It is still good practice to wipe the surface over with clean water and a clean cloth to remove residues.

What if I am not going to repaint?

Then always rinse off.

What dilution do I use?

Half a cup of Liquid Sugar Soap to 5 litres of water.

Which direction should I work?

Always from the highest point to the lowest, to avoid runs.

What should I clean with?

A soft clean cloth such as a Selleys Super Cloth — soaked in the solution and wrung out. For stubborn marks, neat product with a non-scratch scouring cloth.

Will it remove smoke and nicotine staining?

Removing dirty marks and smoke stains from walls and ceilings is one of the product's listed uses.

Will it remove water stains?

No cleaner removes staining that has come through from a leak above. Fix the source, let the ceiling dry, and use a stain-blocking primer as the paint manufacturer directs.

Can I use it neat on a bad patch?

Yes — neat use with a non-scratch scouring sponge or cloth is in the directions for stubborn or in-ground marks. Keep it to the mark rather than the whole ceiling.

Do I need eye protection?

Working overhead, yes. The product causes serious eye irritation.

Is there more on the rinsing question?

Yes — see is it necessary to rinse Sugar Soap, and top 5 Sugar Soap hacks for other uses.