The Best Way To Clean Mold In Your Shower
You have seen mold existing in your shower and bathroom fixtures. Some mold may have serious side effects, while others are quite harmless. Lets face it -most of us have never heard of a person becoming ill from shower mold. However, lets not temp it, remove the mold whenever the first sign of it appears. Youll get no off-the-wall scare tactics from this blog, just some practical advice. The black or green gunk we may commonly know as mold does have a technical term. What are the names of these unpleasant offenders? Even though these different types of mold may be challenging to say, each type of mold can have a different effect on our health.
Where Does Mold Grow In My Shower
- Mold can grow in the grout. That is one of its favorite places.
- It can grow inside the window frame if your window is IN the shower like mine is.
- It can grow around the drain and on the drain plug.
- Mold can grow on the shower caulking.
- It can grow in the door tracks if you have doors.
- Mold can grow under shampoo bottles, bars of soap, shaving cream bottles, etc
- While not technically a part of the shower, mold can grow on a shower curtain.
Mold can also grow behind shower tiles and on the wall but this is due to a leak behind the shower and not from water in the shower typically. The exception is if your grout is old and cracking. Then water can seep behind the shower tiles allowing mold to grow.
How To Remove Black Mold From Shower Tile Grout
How to remove black mold from shower tile grout? To remove the black stains that mold leaves on non-porous surfaces like grout, mix equal parts of bleach and water in a spray bottle and spray it over the stained area, allowing it to sit for several minutes. Return and spray the area again, and use a scrub brush to scrub out any remaining discoloration.
Can green mold on food make you sick? Chances are you wont have any ill effects after eating a bit of mold but its def not something you should actively try to do. The good news is that mold generally tastes pretty bad, so youll likely notice it and spit it out. Even if some does slip past your guard, its unlikely to make you sick.
What happens if you accidentally eat green moldy bread? It is very, very unlikely that you will get sick from eating mold. While you may get a slight stomach ache and feel a little nauseous, you shouldnt experience any other symptoms like vomiting or diarrhea. On the off chance you do have worsening symptoms that just wont quit you should see a doctor right away.
What happens if you eat green moldy cake? Dont worry: Swallowing the fuzzy green stuff isnt likely going to do your body harm. The most awful part about eating mold is probably realizing you ate mold. But, since mold is a type of fungus, some people can be allergic to it.
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How To Clean Grout
Show that mold and mildew whos boss with our best tips and tricks for cleaning grout.
Even the best tile-cleaning routine in your shower can leave the grout begging for extra attention. Mildew and mold are commonly seen between shower tiles, breeding quickly in the perpetually wet and humid atmosphere. If you have light shower grout, youll see it first spots, then bigger areas and hopefully you can clean it before it gets out of control.
How To Get Rid Of Mold In The Shower
Before we get to the various ways toclean a moldy shower, I want to provide you with links to posts that I have writtenabout some of the specific mold removal products. This will give you a betteridea about why I am recommending them.
How to remove mold with:
I think it is also important for you to know why I do NOT recommend cleaning mold with bleach. You need to read that post but in short, it causes MORE mold growth and doesnt actually kill mold.
Ready? Lets go area by area.
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Vannessa Rhoades is the author of Just Right! Easy DIY Home Staging: Second Edition and founder of Three Bears Home Staging®. She is an HSR Certified Professional Home Stager and Certified Expert E-Designer and has staged and consulted on hundreds of properties in person throughout the Houston metro area and virtually across the country.
How To Prevent Mold Growth In Shower Caulk
Keeping the shower dry and the space well-ventilated is the best way to prevent black mold growth. Use the bathroom fan whenever you take a shower. If you dont have an exhaust fan, open the window and leave the door cracked to maintain airflow.
Assess caulk frequently in the bathroom to immediately kill visible black mold and mildew before it can spread. Make bathroom deep cleaning part of your weekly or bi-weekly cleaning routine to catch early instances of mold and take away the growing conditions it needs.
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Read On For Some Tips And Advice On How To Clean Shower Mold
Vacuum
Before you clean shower mold, you will want to clean your shower walls with a vacuum with a HEPA filter. This can help remove any loose mold rather than just moving it around your shower.
Baking Soda
Baking soda is an effective, gentle inexpensive cleanser. You can use baking soda to make your own shower cleaner. Use one cup of baking soda, one teaspoon of liquid soap, a few drops of essential oils, and enough water to make a paste. Spread the paste over the mold and allow to sit for a few minutes, then wipe away with hot water. Do not forget to clean mold from the shower door. This should remove most of the mold.
Bleach
For the mold that was not removed by the baking soda paste, you should try bleach. Make a solution of 1 part bleach to 2 parts water and put in a spray bottle. Spray directly onto the mold and allow to it to dry. Spray again and then use a scrub brush to remove the mold. Rinse with water. If there is still mold left, repeat the bleach process.
Bleach can be dangerous. Make sure to wear gloves and keep the bathroom ventilated to prevent inhaling toxic fumes.
Replace Caulk or Grout
If you cannot get rid of all of the mold, you may want to consider replacing the caulk or grout in your shower.
Vinegar
If you try the vinegar method along with the baking soda method, make sure to keep your bathroom well ventilated, as the mixture of the two results in the production of carbon dioxide, which can be toxic in large quantities.
Borax
How To Clean Black Shower Grout
If you need to know how to clean black grout in shower spaces, we have the solution for that as well. As described above, you can use baking soda, which is a great way to remove harmful contaminants.
Another way to clean dark-colored grout is to use vinegar. This is a natural and effective cleaning agent which inhibits the growth of bacteria. Mix equal parts of water and white vinegar and generously spray on the areas affected by mold. Wait for about 30 minutes for the solution to begin working, and then scrub with a bristle brush. Finally, rinse with warm water and repeat if needed.
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How Do I Get Black Mold Out Of Shower Grout
Molds like to grow in warm, moist areas with poor air circulation. Bathrooms are a common place for mold because the humidity always high and there’s not much airflow going on. This means you’ll often see it growing on walls and ceilings, between tiles or even where caulking meets bathtubs!
Tile grout is a breeding ground for mold. This should come as no surprise, considering that tiles are often found in moist areas where the porous material of tile can be easily contaminated by moisture-loving spores like mildew.
How Can I Get Rid Of Mould In My Bathroom
Depending on the scale and location of the mould, you may be able to remove it yourself. The NHS advises that you only remove mould if its caused by condensation and covers an area less than one metre squared.
If this is not the case, you will need to call a specialist, such as a mould remediation and removal company or damp repair company.
Before you look at removing any mould from your home, it is important to identify the source. Common areas where mould forms include the walls, ceiling, on bathroom tiles, grout, basins and bathtubs, drains and behind shower tiles which can result in large repair costs if the damage is extensive.
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Getting Rid Of Mold With Baking Soda
From absorbing odors in the fridge to relieving heartburn, baking soda has a multitude of uses around the house including black mold removal. Its safe for your family and pets, and it not only kills black mold, but it also absorbs moisture that attracts mold.
Add one-quarter of a tablespoon of baking soda to a spray bottle of water and shake until it has dissolved. Spray the moldy area with the baking soda and water solution, then use a scrub brush to remove mold from the surface. Next, rinse the surface with water to remove any residue and baking soda. Finally, spray the area again and let the surface dry without wiping. This will kill any left-over mold and help prevent the mold from returning.
For really tough black mold removal, mix two parts baking soda with one part white vinegar and one part water. Stir the mixture until it becomes a thick paste. Spread your mixture liberally onto the surface and let it dry. Scrub away the black mold and stains, and wipe down with water.
How To Remove Mold From Shower Grout
Now, you might be wondering how toclean mold in shower grout naturally. Valid question seeing that everyonerecommends bleach. This is where there is no one size fits all shower moldcleaner so let me share my three methods.
For each of these methods you will need this electric scrub brush. Trust me. It cuts your cleaning time down by hours. You are welcome to put some elbow grease in there and use a scrub brush like this but be sure you have a lot of free time.
Make sure you are wearing gloves when you remove mold from shower grout.
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Using Hydrogen Peroxide To Remove Mold
Moldy Grout Compromises The Integrity Of Your Home
Unfortunately, mold growing on your grout can quickly compromise the integrity of other areas of your bathroom. In doing so, it compromises the integrity of your home as a whole. There are countless reasons why you should prevent and eliminate mold growing in your home at all costs. A few, however, include the safety of your family and the resale value of your home.
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How To Clean Black Mold In Shower Ceiling
Like all of the other molds, you again need to fix the cause of the mold , before you tackle the mold itself or youll just have to do it again soon!
If it is on porous materials like a popcorn ceiling, wood, drywall, and so on, youll need to remove that portion of the ceiling and replace it.
If it isnt severe, and your ceiling is made of a non-porous material, and you are looking to remove the black mold in shower ceiling, youll want to:
Best Way To Remove Mold And Mildew From Tile Grout
As a bathtub re-finisher, I am constantly asked how to remove mold and mildew from around the tub and within the grout lines on the tile surround or inside a shower. It is actually black mildew that we are fighting and its not an easy fight.
Mildew binds itself to porous areas and areas that give it a surface to cling to such as silicone caulk. When you have mildew on the caulk between a bathtub and the surround it is best to remove it and just start over with a non-silicone caulk with a mildew resistant micro-ban additive.
Take a utility knife and score the old caulk length-wise from the top and from the side repeatedly until you have the majority removed. Then take your window scraper razor blade and go after the rest. Before you caulk it back in get all the nearby mildew removed as well.
Mildew thrives in a higher PH environment. Soap and minerals have higher PH levels and thus encourage mildew to grow. Staying on top of soap and minerals is the way to keep mildew at bay and this is done with a more acidic, lower PH cleaner such as Barkeepers Friend, which I highly recommend.
The key to removing mildew is by keeping a strong bleach solution on top of the affected area for a good amount of time. Having a strong grout brush is also important to impregnate the solution into the grout and work the mildew loose.
Stay at it and you will get rid of that mold and mildew in your grout!
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How To Clean Mold From Grout
Cleaning mold from grout requires a thorough scrub with warm water or baking soda. Below are the steps to clean a moldy grout.
- Step 1: Protect yourself
- Fill your bucket with warm water and sprinkle gradually on small sections of grout.
- Step 3: Scrub the grout Using a narrow scrub brush, tile brush, a closed-loop microfiber cloth, or a stiff toothbrush, vigorously scrub the grout in a back and forth motion.
If warm water doesnt help out, try using baking soda with the steps below:
- Step 1: Make a thick paste Mix three portions of baking soda with one part of water and form a thick paste.
- Step 2: Apply and wait Carefully apply the paste on the grout and give it two hours to penetrate the surface.
- Step 3: Sprinkle water Sprinkle the grout with plain warm water and try scrubbing it again.
- Step 4: Clean and rinseUse clean water, or a clean sponge to rinse the grout.
- Step 5: Dry the groutUse a piece of clean cloth to dry out the moisture from the grout. You can turn on your fan or open your windows and ensure the grout is completely dry.
How To Treat Mold With Hydrogen Peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide is an antifungal, antiviral, and anti-bacterial solution found in most medicine cabinets, and its an effective mold treatment. You can use it safely on a range of surfaces such as kitchen appliances and counters, bathroom fixtures and tubs, hard flooring, and even certain wall surfaces.
Pour a 3% concentration of hydrogen peroxide into a spray bottle. Test an inconspicuous area of surfaces first to prevent discoloration or damage. Saturate the moldy surface and leave it for 10 minutes. Next, scrub the area with just enough force to remove black mold and mold stains. Once the surface is free of residual mold and stains, wipe dry.
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