stripping OP crud off my ceilings

[McCall]

This is what the OP did to most of my walls and ceilings,
then painted over it. They look like xxxx [add derogatory word of choice]
Son used a wallpaper steamer and scraper on the wall over the mantle and took a long time and got most not all off.
But I am not comfortalbe with using a steamer on the ceiling overhead, Do you think that by using a wallpaper scorer and hot water with fabric softener that we can the this crud off?
any other suggestions?
Mantle area:


This is Kitchen ceiling but same as rest of house

[Sashguy]

Ever thought about a nice Tin Ceiling? Perhaps textured wallpaper? New Sheetrock?

[YinzerMama]

I have no tips but in a way I admire their perseverance, it couldn't not have been easy to get that stuff in the ceiling!

Maybe you should just leave it as an example of late 20th/early 21st century "What WERE they thinking?"

[McCall]

Well even if I could stand it which I cannot, the living room had one area that was part of my recent leak catastrophe so there is a section missing that got wet and we pulled down to get at pipes. AND the OP cut trenches in the ceiling to un wires and such so there is a huge snake like mound where she tried to mud over that. She used a lot of mudding for repairs in the house and some of it was sanded Grout!!!
However we would rather NOT pull down the entire plaster ceiling and so either need to cover it with stick up tile or something else. But even the stick up tile needs a flat surface so we much remove the crud and fix the other "repairs" before putting up the new ceiling tiles.
Just want to get it off with the least trouble and injuries.

[mross_pitt]

I'd vote for new drywall as well. Might be cheaper than you think and way less work.