What Kind Of Mold Is In Your Bathroom
Molds come in three different classifications:
- Allergenic: Causes an allergic reaction or asthma-like symptoms.
- Pathogenic: Harmful to people with acute illness or compromised immunity.
- Toxigenic: Dangerous or even deadly to everyone.
Unfortunately, it can be difficult to tell different kinds of mold apart. Black mold in showers could be Stachybotrys the most toxic black mold but it could be Alternaria or Aspergillus, two common household molds.
You can have your mold tested to determine what variety it is, but the CDC recommends treating all molds as harmful. Its best to remove and clean any mold as quickly as possible.
Black Mold On Silicone Around The Tub Shower And Sinks
Silicone is usually a white color, sometimes called caulking that fills the space between a sink, countertop, or the tub, shower, and the wall. The growth of the black mold often happens on silicone in the shower and throughout the bathroom, as it is a difficult area to keep dry and clean. Clean this area as you see the mold start to form to prevent it from getting out of control.
More Drastic Measures For Treating Mildew
If mildew still persists even after youve treated your bathrooms surfaces repeatedly with white vinegar and baking soda, its time to take more drastic measures to eradicate the mildew. You can start by putting some hydrogen peroxide in a spray bottle, spraying the remaining mildew and scrubbing the treated area.
When hydrogen peroxide and white vinegar are combined, the results can be toxic. For this reason, its critical to exercise extreme caution and avoid combining these things or using the same spray bottle to treat mildew with white vinegar and hydrogen peroxide.
If hydrogen peroxide isnt enough to rid your bathroom of persistent mildew, you can treat the affected areas with a solution of bleach and water. This solution should be 75 percent water and 25 percent bleach. Just like you shouldnt combine hydrogen peroxide with white vinegar, avoid combining bleach with other cleaning agents. Youll also want to put on protective gloves before you treat the mildew in your bathroom with your bleach/water solution.
Mildew is generally pretty easy to treat. If you have any tips for treating mildew with common household items, we encourage you to share them in the comments section below!
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Removing Mold Growth With Vinegar
One natural way to remove grout lines from the affected surfaces is to spray with an undiluted vinegar solution. Vinegar solution has an acidic concentration that keeps your bathroom clean and mold-free.
There are no special steps here, just fill a bottle with distilled vinegar the same way youd use it in your kitchen. Once you have a filled bottle, you can start cleaning.
You will need to apply your undiluted vinegar to your shower tiles. Next, you can use a damp cloth to spread the vinegar solution on the entire surface. It would help if you sprayed the vinegar directly on your tiles to get better coverage.
Although vinegar has a strong smell, it disappears after drying. Moreover, the pungent odor from the vinegar solution does not pose any serious health risk. However, you can add a few drops of your preferred essential oils to your spray bottle to eliminate the odor.
Note that you must allow the vinegar to dry for at least an hour. During this period, the vinegar penetrates the mold growth and kills bacteria. Hence, you find it easier to remove mold after the penetration.
Youll require a damp sponge to clean mold from your bathroom tiles. Wet the sponge or cloth with warm water and wipe the surface back and forth.
The mold should quickly leave your grout. You can continue cleaning the entire surface until you dont see any more grout lines.
Take Care Of Your Bathtub Towels And Everything Involved In The Showering Process
Thoroughly clean your bathtub, both inside and out. If you have shower curtains, take them down and wash them in the washing machine if the fabric allows it. If you notice dark spots on them, do not try to clean them up throw them away immediately.
Check your bathroom mats for possible mold signs and wash them in the washing machine if you have the non-slip kind. You should opt for very absorbent floor mats to ensure the water splashed during showering doesnt find its way to your tiled floor.
Do not forget the towels too! After using a towel a couple of times, wash it in hot water and ensure it is completely dry before you store it back. You can swap fabric softeners for vinegar if you have sensitive skin or if you are allergic to them.
The key to protecting your bathroom from mold is to keep everything dry.
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How To Remove Black Mold In Shower Drain
Shower drains contain cellulose materials via soap scum, body hairs, and oils and lots of moisture so they can be a breeding ground for black mold growth!
Its important to keep drains open and clear of cellulose materials. Treat the drain with vinegar and/or baking soda and water solution periodically to keep it clean and prevent mold spores from developing.
You can then follow the tutorial found on this page for a good method of removing black mold from a shower drain, or you can try this simpler method.
The important thing is to NOT pour bleach down your drain, and to take your time with the process.
Ways To Prevent Shower Mold
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How To Clean A Shower Curtain
How do you remove mould from the shower curtain though? While they can be incredibly cute , they can also be massive mould traps that need some serious cleaning and maintenance to prevent them from getting ruined and smelling.
However, the process of removing mould is not necessarily a hard one, and we have two excellent methods for getting the job done. The first of these is by using a baking soda and vinegar solution to remove the mould in question, the steps for which are below:
#1 Remove the shower curtain from the shower.
#2 Place it in the washing machine with a couple of bath towels .
#3 Add half a cup of baking soda alongside your usual washing tablets and start the cycle.
#4 Once it reaches the rinse stage, stop the machine and add half a cup of white wine vinegar and then allow the cycle to finish.
#5 Remove the curtain from the machine and hang it out to dry. The mould should be gone. If not, you can repeat the process a couple of times.
You may find that the baking soda and vinegar method isnt quite enough though, and in cases like this, you can try our next method. This one uses bleach, which means it is a lot more powerful and so likely to be effective on curtains that are severely mouldy. Here are the steps for you:
#1 Place the curtain in your washing machine with some bath towels, for the same reason as the first method.
#4 Once it has finished washing, hang it out to dry, and the mould should be gone.
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Hire A Regular Cleaning Service
Regular cleaning helps prevent a buildup of stubborn mold and other stains. Signature Maids offers affordable cleaning services for your home or office. Our deep cleaning helps to prevent the development of mold, allergens and other toxic intruders. Contact us today to learn more and receive a free quote.
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Removing Mold From Wallpaper
Use the natural mold remover spray on finished, painted, or wallpapered surfaces. Spray the area well, then immediately scrub it with a clean cloth or brush to remove the surface layer of mold. Then lightly respray the area, using only enough to dampen the spot you dont want it dripping. Wait 10 minutes and wipe it with a clean, fresh cloth. Let it dry overnight without rinsing the remaining acetic acid from the vinegar will work overnight to finish killing mold you cant see.
Causes Of Mold Growth On Your Shower Caulk
Mold spores are spread by air, and they can stay alive despite extreme conditions. Like any other organism, molds need food to grow. In this case, anything containing organic material can be food, but molds prefer cellulose above all else. They can form on paper, wood, particleboard, or drywall because of their cellulose content.
Apart from food, molds spread faster in the presence of moisture, oxygen, heat, high humidity, and low light. The reason black mold grows on your shower caulk is that your caulk often retains water and soap scum, which contains cellulose. If left untended for a few weeks, black mold will begin to germinate, especially in a warm dark bathroom.
Leaks, humidifiers, condensation, wet clothes, and lack of maintenance are common causes of serious mold growths.
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What You Should Avoid
We all have unique preferences for cleaning agents. But when it comes to nasty invaders like mold, its vital to use solutions that not only remove it but kill most or all of the residual spores. Otherwise, youre likely to end up with a recurrence.
- Your own mix: Never deviate from the manufacturers guidelines on your household detergents. Dont use an undiluted cleaning agent or play the scientist to make a more powerful solution. You could injure or intoxicate yourself .
- Plain water: Blasting the mold off your shower wall or door wont do the job. Even if the growth is physically gone, it can return.
Do You Have Mold In Your Bathroom Heres How To Clean It Up
Help! Theres mold in my bathroom shower that wont go away no matter how much I scrub at ithow do I get rid of it?!
We hear this question all the time and its nothing to be ashamed of. It is common to find mold growth in showers, sinks, and other high-moisture areas. Mold flourishes in certain environments, and your shower is most certainly one of them. Luckily, there are some things you can do to combat mold using basic household cleaning products.
No matter what you do, DONT scrape mold with your fingers or scrub it dry with a brush as this will cause living mold spores to fly up in the air where theyll find somewhere else to land, thrive, and give you additional headaches.
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How To Clean Mold From Bathroom Tiles
Scrubbing with vinegar or a borax solution is a great way to clean mold from bathroom tile. For small applications, mix 2 tablespoons borax into 2 cups warm water and funnel into a spray bottle. Spray the solution on tiles and let it sit for a few minutes. As noted earlier, you can also make a large-batch tile cleaning solution with 1 cup borax and 1 gallon of warm water. Use a mop or sponge to scrub away the mold. Whether you use vinegar or borax, there is no need to rinse the solution. However, you will want to dry the floor so the moisture doesn’t encourage the mold to return.
To clean mold from bathroom tile grout, use the same borax or vinegar solution as before. Apply it directly to grout lines and let it sit. Use a toothbrush or another small bristle brush to clean mold from bathroom tile grout. For hard-to-remove stains, mix two parts baking soda with one part vinegar to form a paste. Apply it to the grout and let it sit a few minutes before scrubbing away mold. If desired, you can also use a commercial grout cleaner.
Editor’s Tip: Check your tile material before using one of these solutions. Vinegar can be damaging to some tile materials avoid if you have marble, slate, granite, or stone tiles.
Get The Air Circulating
If your bathroom has a window, leave it open or cracked as often as you can to allow air to circulate through the space. Youll also want to use an exhaust fan to keep air moving and your bathroom dry when you shower or bathe.
Leave your ventilation fan on for at least 30 minutes after you shower or take a bath, too. If you dont have an exhaust fan in your restroom, consider getting one installed.
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What Is Black Mold
Mold spores form in the air and drop onto surfaces. If they drop on to moist surfaces, they become a breeding ground for mold to grow. This mold is often black but is usually not the same harsh black mold that can appear in other places in the home. There are many different types of black mold and this one can usually be easily removed.
What Causes Black Mold In Shower
Mold loves to grow in warm, damp and humid places, which is most certainly the conditions that happen in showers! The shower area is prime for the growth of mold! Bathroom surfaces literally make the perfect breeding ground for different varieties of mold.
If there is a mold problem in your home, you need to clean up the mold AND fix the water problem that is causing the mold to grow. Thats why its important to control humidity in your home, always use the bathroom ventilation fan, leave the bathroom door open , and/or open the bathroom window.
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How To Get Rid Of Mold On Shower Tile And Grout
Shower tile and grout can be a difficult area to keep mold free because the wet and warm conditions make it a prime breeding ground for mold. However, small areas of mold can be removed with a grout cleaner , a mold remover, or a bleach-and-water solution.
- Spray the grout, let the formula penetrate, and rinse. In some cases, there’s no scrubbing needed: In our tests, Clorox Tilex Mold and Mildew Remover spray killed 99.9% of mold and mildew germs and bacteria in only five minutes.
Recap: How To Prevent And Remove Mold In Your Shower
What To Do If You Have Mold In Your Shower: Preventing It From Happening Again
Once you know where all the water is coming from or how much humidity there is in your home, then preventing future issues should be easy enough. Here are some ways for removing mold naturally so they dont happen again:
Reduce Moisture install exhaust fans near showers and baths to draw out the moisture. This is by far the best way to prevent mold from growing in your shower.
Increase Ventilation install ventilation fans or open windows for cross airflow that will help dry out the bathroom faster
Use A Dehumidifier if theres not enough natural ventilation, you can pick up a dehumidifier. But keep in mind it needs to be emptied often so it does not overflow and damage your floors or furniture
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Learn How To Clean Mold In Shower Grout Naturally With Borax
Borax is a step up from vinegar or peroxide. If you need to know how to clean your shower head or clothes, look no further than Borax. It cuts through grease and dirt with ease, and it makes a superior bathroom-mold cleaning solution, too.
- 1 cup Borax
Mix the water and Borax in the spray bottle. Spray any mold, and let it sit. You dont have to rinse Borax off, so it keeps working for a long time. Use the solution as an after-shower spray to prevent mold growth.
Remove Mold From Your Shower Caulk
Gather the tools you need to clean the area and remove the mold. This might include a vacuum or broom, sponges or brushes, and your cleaning solution.
Vacuum or wipe any dust or dirt off the shower caulk first, to avoid mixing dirt or dust into your cleaning solution.
- Create your cleaning solution of choice
- Spray/Soak/Scrub according to the method you chose above
- Finally, rinse the caulk and dry everything thoroughly
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