Painting - Painting a basement ceiling--exposed ductwork, etc

Hi--I just joined, so I apologize if this has been covered recently!

Does anyone have any tips on painting the exposed ductwork/pipes/floor joists/wiring/etc in an unfinished basement ceiling?

Our "helpful hardware folks" said we could do it, but I'm a little concerned about that tangle of "stuff" up there. What if someone needs access to the pipes? Can we really paint over those wires?

How do I clean them before I paint, what's the best paint... Help!! I've done a lot of painting, but nothing like this!

I'd appreciate any help or advice you can offer!

Thanks!

Well, it needs to be clean. With all that, I would use a sponge dampened with spic and span. It requires no rinsing. You might vacuum first. Zinsser 123 or its equivalent should handle the array of surfaces. Then semi-gloss latex.

All those things look the same one color or the other. Unless there is some obscure code requirement, you should be able to paint it all.

Hope this helps.