How to wash stretch ceilings?
Stretch ceilings in the interior - one of the most beautiful details of the design room. But in reality, this beauty - just a fabric or film, stretched on the slats. It is treated with special solutions and can resist dirt and dust.
Glossy surfaces shine, reflecting the interior and its furniture. But like any object in the room, the suspended ceiling begins to gather dust and may become stained. And sooner or later the time will come when the canvas will have to be cleaned and washed. How to do this, you will learn from this article.
Special features
Cleaning the stretch ceiling is very difficult, so this process should be carried out with utmost care and preparation.
One of the problems is an uncomfortable posture in which to work.Constantly holding your hands up, you can earn numbness in your arms and legs. A stepladder is not suitable for this, as it is easy to fall off it, injure yourself and in the fall damage the ceiling. Therefore, we must take care that the structure on which the person will stand, was sustainable. And even if you have two hands to do the ceiling, feet should be supported without the slightest hint of swaying. Therefore, to clean the stretch ceiling is to provide a special stepladder at home or a piece of furniture that will allow you to safely clean the surface.
Before starting the process you need to prepare yourself. Cutting and piercing jewelry must be removed., because the fabric is very gentle and you can accidentally damage the fabric or film. All rings and chains must be postponed until the end of the cleaning.
Scratches that spoil the coating can even cause long nails. Therefore, the hostess with a manicure, you must work with gloves.
What can I use?
To work with the canvas is to pick up a soft clean rags. Suitable old bedding and baby diapers, which need to be broken into small pieces.You also need to stock up on new soft sponges, a vacuum cleaner and non-abrasive cleansers. In order to keep the stretch ceiling in all its glory as long as possible, it should be handled gently, gently and effortlessly.
Stretch ceilings are made of films and fabrics, so you need to treat them delicately. If the ceiling is dusty, you can use plain water and a soft cloth. If the pollution has become more noticeable and the water does not help, it becomes necessary to use detergents.
Facilities
From the wet cleaning products offered on the market, it is better to choose the most benign. This is Vanish, Mr. Proper and "Mr. Muskul." They can not be used in concentrated form.. Household chemicals must be diluted with water and wash the surface of the ceiling. Then the condition of the fabric will return to its original appearance, and there will be no stains on the ceiling.
There are also special products for use on stretch ceilings. Brilliance and beauty of the canvas will return the polish designed for this. Before using it, you should carefully read the instructions for use, and only after that work with the ceiling.
Also It is worth paying attention to the care products for the ceilings with antistatic effect.This will not only remove dust in a timely manner, but also prevent it from reaching the surface. Due to the antistatic effect, the dust particles will be repelled from the ceiling, cleaning will be needed less often and will be much easier.
If at hand there is no special household chemicals, you can use mild household detergents with a small amount of alkali.
For cleaning the ceiling suitable household or baby soap. But it should be used only in the form of foam. Do not soap the ceiling by applying soap directly to the canvas.. It is necessary to make a foam out of it, and wash the surface with it. It will remove dirt, dust, stains and easily get away with water.
Water is important to take for cleaning the ceiling temperature of 37-38 degrees. Some fabrics carry higher degrees, but you should not experiment. 40 degrees is the maximum temperature for cleaning the ceiling fabric.
Also for cleaning you can use the tool for windows containing ammonia. It should not be acetone, you can read about it in the instructions.Best suited for household chemicals in the form of a spray, which must be sprayed. The less pressure exerted on the web, the better. So the fabric or film will remain longer in its original form.
After using detergents, especially soaps, stains may remain. To do this, the ceiling must be washed several times with warm clean water and a sponge. After each wash, the sponge is washed and the water is replaced with a new one. After washing, wipe the cloth clean with a clean cloth.y. After wiping should not be left marks and stains.
A solution of high-quality alcohol in a ratio of 1:10 will help to recreate the gloss on a glossy canvas. Most often for this take liquid ammonia. It does not clean well the dirt, but does not harm the fabric.
For cleaning, you can use a steam generator, steam cleaner or gently apply Karcher.
Prohibited for use
For wet cleaning of ceilings, it is prohibited to use soda ash and baking soda, washing powders, Antipyat soap, detergents with acids, concentrated alkalis, chlorine, abrasive powders, as they will damage the ceiling surface.
Prohibited and cream detergents, which may contain abrasive particles. All of them have a devastating effect on the canvas. The paints lose their brightness, the luster of the fabric disappears. Microcracks form in the canvas, wrinkles and scratches appear on the surface. In the end, sagging and even holes can form, as the products listed above have a negative effect on the fabric and film. As a result, after aggressive washing, all beauty will be lost, and the ceiling will have to be redone. Therefore, you must follow the rules for the choice of detergents in order to preserve the beauty of the ceiling and the whole interior for as long as possible.
If there is any doubt about how much household chemicals can affect the fabric, it is necessary to apply it on a small imperceptible piece of cloth, and only after making sure that there is no danger for it, you can use the tool already on the entire surface.
How to clean?
Stretch ceilings on the composition of the material are of two types - fabric and PVC. They differ in appearance and some nuances of cleaning.
Fabric for such ceilings are made of synthetic yarn, which is then further impregnated.This woven canvas, which looks like a well-plastered wall, can be embossed, imitated suede and satin, with hand-painted. Fabric canvas - only matte, since it is impossible to achieve a gloss on it, although designers note that haze in the interior sometimes looks even more aristocratic than glossy shine. Due to the large width of the fabric, such a ceiling can be made a single panel on a room without seams.
PVC material - These are films that are distinguished by density and uniformity, as they are made on special production machines. In appearance, they are homogeneous, are matte, glossy and satin. Matte films have the appearance of a whitewashed ceiling, glossy reflect the surrounding interior and light, visually expanding the room, satin create a blurred soft reflection. The films have a greater variety of shades up to metallic, can be produced with photo printing of any drawings. Their coating can be lacquered, specular, translucent, like tinted glass, translucent, mother-of-pearl and perforated.
Stretch ceilings create a beautiful interior not only in the rooms.They can be used in the kitchen, in the bathroom and even in the loggia. But in these rooms more attention is needed to the canvases, since they are amenable to active pollution from the environment.
Nicotine
Modern materials used for the manufacture of stretch ceilings, quite dense and treated with antistatic and dirt-repellent materials. Due to this, dust particles practically do not stick to the coating. Therefore, you can smoke indoors, although it is not recommended to do so as not to cause a fire.
In general, nicotine should not settle on the coating. If after a long time the ceiling is still contaminated with traces of nicotine, it is removed in the same way as other simple pollution. Dry cleaning, water, the usual means for such ceilings are able to remove dirt.. No special measures for cleaning nicotine traces are required.
Dust
Modern canvases on stretch ceilings are treated with special means so that dust does not cling to them. Therefore, dust particles poorly adhere to the ceiling fabric and films. If you periodically clean the dust from the ceiling with a damp or dry cloth, you can keep it in good condition.
You can collect dust from the ceiling with a vacuum cleaner. But even the softest brushes can damage the fabric or weaken the tension. Therefore, collecting dust, you need to keep the brush of the vacuum cleaner at a distance of a couple of centimeters from the canvas.
Stains
It is more difficult if there is a spot on the canvas, for example, glue. When the entire surface is clean, you can do the removal of stains. If the entire ceiling has already become dusty, the rubbed spot will look like a light area against the rest of the dark surface and ruin the whole look. In this case, you need to start cleaning the entire ceiling.
In the bathroom on the ceiling can settle lime from water splashes. It is cleaned with a damp cloth, then wiped clean and dry. The glossy film is sprayed with soap, causing its appearance to deteriorate. While they are wet, they should be cleaned with a dry cloth after each use of the shower. Scrubbing dried soap drops will be much more difficult.
If a stain appears, you can take a window spray to remove it, apply it on the canvas and leave it for a few minutes. When the stain softens, it is gently washed with warm water and a sponge, and the removal zone is dried with a clean and dry cloth.If it was not possible to completely remove the dirt from the first time, the procedure is repeated.
Soot and soot
Soot and soot on the ceiling may appear in the room if it has a fireplace. Given the dirt-repellent and dust-repellent properties of the ceiling, it should not be too much dirt to settle. If it nevertheless became noticeable, the simplest methods — a dry cloth, warm water, and simple detergents — will help in cleaning.
The greatest pollution occurs in the kitchen, as there are also greasy stains added to the soot from the stove, which are absorbed into the canvas. They are the hardest to clean. Even when installing the hood on the ceiling, grease, dust and soot accumulate at the same time. Therefore, it is necessary to clean the canvas here more often than in the room, and then it will retain its beautiful appearance.
If the ceiling is woven, sprays and fumes do not simply stick to the surface, but penetrate inside. Therefore, wash the ceiling with warm water and a damp cloth. Be sure to pick up household chemicals for washing. Particular attention is paid to fat traces. They are first treated with solutions, leave for a few minutes, then washed with water. and sponge and dry this place.If it was not possible to remove the dirt at once, the procedure is repeated until the traces disappear.
Also with kitchen dirt can be fought with a steam mop. Steam stream emanating from the mop is directed to the ceiling. Movement should be made parallel to the seams. If there are very dirty areas, they must first be treated with detergents and washed, then with steam treatment you can achieve the maximum effect of cleanliness.. After steaming, the droplets formed should be wiped off with a dry cloth. The ceiling should be wiped dry, only after that you can finish cleaning.
Fabric ceilings are very durable, they are difficult to scratch, but it is still better not to risk and touch sharp objects during cleaning. They are durable and serve up to 25 years, thanks to antistatic treatment they do not perceive dust. However, they are more afraid of water than dirt. Therefore, it is better to wipe them with a dry cloth. And washing with water is permissible only in case of strong dusting.
Fabrics spoil with a flood from above, as water seeps through the interlacing of threads and leaves stains. After that, the canvas can not be returned to its original state, it only needs to be replaced.
PVC ceilings serve a little over 10 years.During the flood from above, the film web does not break, but it is strongly stretched and therefore deteriorates. Films are not amenable to fungi, but they do not tolerate temperatures below zero, and therefore are not suitable for unheated rooms, such as summer houses. With the film you need to be careful in everyday life, as they are very fragile. Therefore, they should be protected from heating lamps, tall houseplants, flying poultry, toys, shooting balls, darts, champagne corks and other things that could damage their coverage. If something happened and the stretch ceiling was damaged, it is easy to replace the film by pulling a new one onto the same structural slats.
When washing you need to take special care not to scratch and not to push through the film sheet.. Films, as well as fabrics, have antistatic treatment, and if the pollution is not strong, they can be cleaned with a dry cloth. You can also apply wet cleaning to them.
Fabric ceilings are only matte, from the film - matte and glossy. On the glossy can see every spot, so they are better to use for cleaner rooms.. Matte is more suitable for the kitchen, bathroom, loggia, where dirt is an order of magnitude more and more often spots of soot, grease, and soot appear.
If you follow and clean the frosted ceilings in such rooms often, they will retain their original appearance.
To clean the glossy surfaces, it is enough to wipe them with a dry cloth, the use of liquid ammonia will help restore shine. For cleaning matte cloths, you can use a damp cloth. Antistatic treatment allows not too sticky dust to the canvas, so you can regularly maintain cleanliness, simply by wiping the surface.
Vacuum cleaner is more suitable for cleaning fabric on the ceiling. The fabric does not tolerate glass sprays very well, as their components can penetrate the web and change its color. But fabric can be safely treated with steam. When washing the fabric, it is impossible to wipe one place for a long time in order not to destroy the coating. In general, wet cleaning is permissible only for heavy pollution, so it is better to use other cleaning methods, starting with a dry cloth.
Film ceilings are not afraid of water, so they can be washed.The most important thing - do not exert pressure on the film, so as not to stretch. They are suitable diluted ammonia, spray for windows, a special polish, mild detergents.
Care Tips
Wash woven and film ceilings only by hand. You can, of course, try to do it with a mop, winding a clean rag over it, but this is a very risky way. If the hard surface of the mop scratches the fabric, it will not be possible to remove the mark. Therefore, it is better not to take risks, but to acquire a stable stepladder or other device and work diligently with your hands.
When washing it is impossible to press with a rag on the hanging canvas of the ceiling. You can overdo it with a load, the fabric or film will tear or the tension will weaken, thus the ceiling will sag. Stretch ceilings do not tolerate the load, so they need to be treated very delicately. And then the ceiling will serve for a long time and please the owners with its beauty.
When washing it is impossible to make movements in a circle. If there are seams in the construction, it is necessary to wipe them only along so that the solution does not get into them, otherwise the web will be deformed, and the fabric will lose its luster.
You cannot use a broom, as it will scratch the fabric, as well as hard and abrasive sponges and brushes.
When vacuuming it is necessary to set it to the minimum power.
After any cleaning of the ceiling, it must be dried with a dry, clean, lint-free cloth, and then wiped with a solution of ammonia. And the canvas will shine like new, especially if it is a glossy finish.
Ceilings must be protected. In the bathroom, you can install a horizontal curtain over your head so that during the shower does not splash water. In the kitchen, you must install a powerful hood and carefully handle food so that fat does not fly to the ceiling. In the living room you need to carefully open the champagne so as not to splash the ceiling canvas. It should also be borne in mind that stretch ceilings do not tolerate physical exertion, so at home they should be protected from physical influences not only during washing, but also during operation.
Cloths should not be damaged by household objects, too hot lamps, children's games. Otherwise, if damaged, they will have to be changed.
Manufacturers of ceiling paintings always give advice on how to care for the coating.They should be carefully studied and followed by them in order to preserve the original beauty of the interior. Also, when installing the ceiling, you should immediately consult with experts about the possibilities of cleaning at home. They will tell you what is suitable for a particular type of coverage, and what should be avoided.
If there is a financial opportunity, you can invite experts to clean the ceiling. Then you will not have to worry about what and how to do. With the help of professional equipment, specially trained people will come to your home, correctly and quickly wash off all stains, remove dust using tools that are suitable for ceiling materials. They can do it after repair, even when the ceiling needs to be cleaned from the inside. And the owners can only admire the beauty of suspended ceilings.
How to wash stretch ceilings, see the following video.