Removing Water and Smoke Stains from Ceiling Tiles

When you look in a business, school, or home you have the chance of running into one of the most common things to find on a ceiling, tiles. Since you can find these celluloid ceiling tiles just about anywhere you go, it only stands to reason that you will come across a variety of different stains. Some of the most common types of stains to find on these ceiling tiles are water and smoke stains. The question though is how to go about removing those stains? Well, removing water and smoke stains from ceiling tiles isn't as difficult as you might think. All you really need to do is carefully follow these simple steps.

1. Remove the tiles. Before you can begin removing water and smoke stains from ceiling tiles, you need to first remove the tiles from the ceiling. This will allow you to have an easier time of cleaning the tiles without making a huge mess all over the room that you are working in. As you remove the tiles, please pay special attention to any that look like they are a different shape, or dimension, than the rest. If you come across any that are, place them directly underneath the spot that you removed them from, and clean them in that location if at all possible. This will help prevent any possibility of confusion with the tiles later on.
2. Vacuuming is good. Once you have the ceiling tiles down, begin vacuuming them. Use the same attachment that you would on upholstery to clean the tiles. While you are vacuuming the tiles, be sure that you are as careful as possible since they could easily break if you use too much pressure or don't handle them correctly.
3. Wash gently. Create a cleaning mixture using some mild degreasing detergent and some warm water. Put some of the cleaning mixture into a spray bottle, and begin spraying and gently wiping down the tiles. Washing the tiles gently like this will get them clean while also lessening the chances of damaging the tiles themselves.
4. Dry the tiles. Preferably you should leave the tiles out to air dry, though you can have someone else helping you out by drying them for you. Usually by the time that you are finished washing the last of the tiles, the first ones should be dry.
5. Paint them. Once you have finished letting the tiles dry, begin painting them (if you wish). This will help hide any stains that are particularly set in, and allow you a little more flexibility in the look of your room. For example, if you are tired of having a white or beige ceiling this would be the perfect opportunity to give your room a new look.
6. Dry and replace. After you have painted the ceiling tiles, allow them to dry completely. Unlike with washing, paint may require a little more time before the tiles are completely dry and safe to handle again. Once the tiles have been dried, begin replacing them in their proper locations.