Quick Fix: How to Get Rid of or Minimize Small Water Stains on the Ceiling

Before we get back to tackling our bigger water problems, I wanted to share a quick solution for getting rid of or minimizing small water stains on the ceiling. Honestly, I can't believe how simple this was and how long I waited to try it. We had a couple of water leaks in the bathrooms upstairs that made their way to the main floor ceiling: one small bathtub overflow that was quick caught and dried up, and another more massive toilet overflow in the kids bathroom that created a waterfall in our kitchen through the light fixtures.

Fun times. Both left a brownish water stain on the ceiling in the main floor - one smaller and one larger, with some seriously damaged drywall around the light that was obviously holding more water than we knew. I don't think I can handle seeing any more drywall cut out right now and I really didn't want to try to spot match paint to the ceiling so I was hoping we could just clean this up and buy time on any sort of larger repair need.

What You'll Need to Get Rid of Ceiling Water Stains

Most of you likely already have every you will need for this!

• Bleach

• Water

• Measuring Cup

• Spray Bottle - that has a light mist setting

• Sponge

• Gloves

• Protective eyewear

• Ladder

• Any protective covering you may need for the area under the stain in case of drips

• Clothes you are going to be OK splattering bleach on!

WARNING - you will be spraying bleach overhead so be sure to wear clothes you don't mind bleach splatters on and cover anything underneath that needs protecting.

How to Remove Ceiling Water Stains

Mix 1/3 cup bleach with 2/3 cup water and pour it in an empty spray bottle. Make sure the bottle is primed for a light mist. Spray this carefully into a sink to get it ready.

Gently spray the stained area with your bleach mixture.

Have your sponge ready to catch drips. I also had an empty bowl nearby in case I had to set the sponge down.

Dab the stain with the sponge then let it dry for 1-2 hours.

For a really dark stain you may need to go through the process a second time but my ceilings cleaned up in one! Totally minimized the stain without needing to match paint colors.

Even the really bad stain around and near the light in the kitchen. Definitely need to do some proper drywall repair here but for now this really looks much better.

Lesson learned here - don't wait so long next time we have a second floor "flood"!

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Need a water stain fix? Here's what we used:

• Bleach affiliate

• Measuring Cup affiliate

• Spray Bottle affiliate

• Sponge affiliate

• Gloves affiliate

• Protective eyewear affiliate

• Ladder affiliate

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