This was a frustrating solution to figure out. I'm sharing it in hopes it will help someone. About a year ago we bought an older home that had popcorn ceilings throughout. I didn't notice until after moving in that there was dust stuck to every one of those stupid ridges; dust and years of what appeared to be cobwebs.
I first tried a regular duster. I didn't get much off there but I did get a mouthful of popcorn and a heck of a mess on the floor I do not recommend trying that method.
Second, I used duct tape to secure a swifter duster to a broom stick, again big mess in the floor, little (if any) dust removed from ceiling and little pieces of swifter duster stuck to the ridges in addition to the dust.
Ok, so this was beginning to drive me crazy. Over several months, I tried loads of different methods, failing each time until I decided I'd try one last thing before breaking down and scraping it smooth and painting.
So the solution is: Duct tape wrapped around a paint roller (wrong side out obviously). This worked like a charm!
It's easy, cheap and effective. I highly recommend trying it. You'll be happy knowing you finally cleaned the ceiling.
By Dana from Katy, Texas
This page contains the following solutions.
My popcorn ceilings may be old, but I still want them to be clean. They tend to collect dust and spiderwebs over time, and I've finally found a way to get them clean without much effort!
Is there a easy way that you know of to clean and then paint my ugly textured ceilings? Or should I not clean them and just paint? We have a textured ceiling in our kitchen, and it had a lot of dirt and grease buildup (little fuzzies all over the ceiling).
My bedroom ceiling is covered in popcorn coating. Each time I lay in bed, my focus was drawn to the dust hang off the popcorn. For me, that was bothersome as I am asthmatic. The other day it occurred to me that I could use compressed air to blow them off.
I dust my popcorn ceiling by using a broom. Yes, it does cause some particles to fall but not if you dust/broom it lightly.
