What Is Black Mould And Why Does It Form
Mould is a fungus that grows in damp, warm conditions, such as a bathroom, where there is very little airflow. It can start as mildew, a white form of fungus found on a flat surface.
The growth of black mould on bathroom walls and ceilings is due to excess moisture, which may start with condensation building up over time following a shower or bath. The warm, moist air meets a cold surface and clings to it, like windows.
Mould can build-up for many reasons, apart from a lack of ventilation in your bathroom these include leaking pipes, poor insulation or if condensation has not been removed following a shower.
How To Get Rid Of Mold On Bathroom Walls
Bathroom mold is an unsightly and unhealthy problem that should be addressed as soon as you spot it. For mold on painted walls, try a natural remover. Learn more here.
Bathroom mold is an unsightly and unhealthy problem that should be addressed as soon as you spot it. The most common places to find mold are tile grout, caulk and painted or wallpapered walls.
Bathroom mold occurs primarily because mold loves damp, dark, isolated spaces, says Larry Vetter of Vetter Environmental Services in Smithtown, N.Y. Typically, a bathtub, shower, or entire bathroom remains damp enough for mold growth just from showering or bathing.
Chances are, if youre reading this, you already have a mold problem in your bathroom. In that case, there are some simple steps you can take to get rid of that mold.
What Kills Bathroom Mold
There are many techniques to kill mold. I bet your family has a tradition or secret mold killer recipe. Generations of families have had to deal with the issue of mold growth. You will never bomb proof your bathroom from mold, but you can take preventative measures and mitigate your risks. Here are a few basic tips to follow:
- Physically remove the mold: the best but most expensive and time-consuming method
- Dry all wet surfaces : mold only grows in wet and damp areas
- Have a vent fan on for extended times after a long shower
- Use a dehumidifier in the bathroom
- Use bleach to remove the stains from mold, but it wont kill the spores
- Mix vinegar with an essential oil as a post shower spray, which will kill the spores if left to air dry
- Do a deep clean often, at least once per month of your bathroom
- Fix ANY AND ALL possible leaks and cracks to minimize moisture collection
Also Check: How To Get Mold Off Bathroom Ceiling
Treatment For Mold Exposure In Your Shower
For any type of allergy, the most important part of treatment is limiting your exposure. If you find black mold in your shower, it can be cleaned with soap and water or a diluted bleach solution. Keeping the shower dry between uses and installing a bathroom fan can help prevent mold. Your doctor may also suggest any of the following treatments:
Nasal sprays
Nasal sprays containing corticosteroids or antihistamines are often the first line of treatment. They can help reduce the inflammation caused by allergies. Some, such as fluticasone, can be bought over-the-counter. Others, such as Azelastine, must be prescribed by your doctor.
Allergy medications
Antihistamines such as cetirizine or loratadine are often used to treat allergies. They work by blocking histamine, a chemical that is released by your immune system when you are exposed to something you are allergic to.
Montelukast is a prescription allergy medication that works by blocking leukotrienes, another chemical released by your immune system in response to an allergen.
Sinus rinses
Saltwater rinses can help flush away irritants such as allergens from your nose. This can help eliminate your allergy symptoms. There are kits available over the counter that contain the saline mix. It’s important to use distilled water and make sure all of the parts of the kit are cleaned and dried between uses.
Allergy shots
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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Possible Symptoms And Health Effects
When there is black mold inside of the walls, it often causes allergy-like symptoms, including watery eyes, sneezing and running nose. If anyone in your home has respiratory problems, such as asthma and those with a weakened immune system may have a higher risk of infections from exposure to the mold. Black mold can also cause more serious illness, such as sleep disorders, memory loss, bleeding lungs in infants and sudden infant death syndrome.
How To Clean Mold In The Shower Or Bath
Cleaning mold from the shower or bath can be done with the same methods used on the ceiling.
Psst! Now that you know how to clean black spots in the bathroomprevent mold and mildew from growing back with an exhaust fan. Heres how to clean your bathroom exhaust fan to ensure its running properly.
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How To Remove Mold From Bathroom Tiles
Black mold is a type of fungus that grows in damp, poorly ventilated areas. This fungus is frequently seen growing in bathrooms and can cause several health problems, including respiratory problems, cold-like symptoms, skin irritation, eye irritation, and asthma attacks. If left alone for too long, you may even end up developing an allergy. This is why it is so important to remove black mold from your bathroom tile.
Step 1: Remove black mold by spraying household cleaner on the area. Scrub until you have removed the visible fungus. Wipe away the grime and place the towels in a trash bag. Repeat as necessary.
Step 2: Once you have removed the visible black mold, spray the bleach solution on the area. Let the solution sit for about 15 minutes. Bleach is a fungicide and will help to kill any remaining microorganisms.
Step 3: Wipe away bleach solution and place towels in a trash bag. Make sure to tightly close the bag after filling it with infected towels.
Step 4: Pat the entire area dry. The dehumidifier will also help eliminate moisture. Do not use a fan, as this may spread mould spores.
Step 5: Once the tile is dry, use the HEPA vacuum on the tile. Vacuum each square foot of tile for about one minute.
Step 6: Immediately after finishing, place the vacuum bag into a trash bag.
How To Remove Black Mold From Bathroom Ceiling
If you have spores on your bathroom ceiling, you need to take a few more precautions. Use goggles, gloves, and a cotton face mask to help protect yourself from the spores. You can use a cleaning agent or any of the aforementioned mixtures.
It is likely that youll need a ladder to reach the ceiling. In the event that it cannot be removed, you may need to replace the sheet rock or wall tiles where the spores are.
These black spores are toxic and dangerous to your health. Be sure to use this guide as you monitor your bathroom for spores in the most common areas: shower, ceiling, bathtub, and toilet. Always prioritize your safety first and dont expose yourself to unnecessary health risks. If you think you have spores that are too difficult to remove yourself, consult a professional call for a free quote today.
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How Do You Get Rid Of Mold In Showers And Bathrooms
Although mold can grow in virtually any conducive conditions, it especially loves to grow in the grout of the shower, which is porous and holds moisture longer than the tile, as well as around the shower drain. The same goes for bathtubs and sinks.
The first thing you want to do when it comes to knowing how to get rid of mold in showers and other bathroom areas? Assess the damage. If your mold problem covers less than 10 square feet, you should be able to handle it on your own. And if the grout around your shower, tub and sinks is compromised that is, broken, cracked, missing sections, overrun with mold, etc. youll need to remove it and recaulk after the mold is removed.
Next, gather these supplies:
Related: The Best Way To Clean Grout
American Home Shield® Insight: If you are planning on using bleach or a commercial cleaner, open a window or run the ventilation fan. You should also wear gloves and a mask to protect yourself from fumes. Likewise, never mix bleach with other cleaners.
Now, lets get to the cleaning:
Why Do I Have Mold In My Shower
Its very common for mold to be found in the shower. There is lots of water and humidity in the bathroom which mold just adores.
Frequently running water in the shower creates wet surfaces and puddles of water. If you dont dry this moisture out quickly it can easily lead to mold growth.
On top of this, when the water in the bathroom does dry out it evaporates into the air and increases the humidity. Steam from the shower or a hot bath also makes the bathroom more humid. Since bathrooms are often not well ventilated the humidity tends to hang around and wet surfaces take a long time to dry out. Enter mold.
Another reason mold grows in theshower is because grime from body oils and soap scum which is washed off andonto the shower or tub create a food source for mold to feed on.
Basically, if mold were to have achoice vacation destination it would be the shower. Soooo inviting.
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Prevent Black Mold In Bathroom
Preventive ways are always needed before it is too late. You can prevent black mold from growing in your bathroom by applying anti-mold paint on the clean bathroom wall and ceiling.
In addition to retaining the bathroom moisture and keeping bathroom humidity in low level, anti-mold paint is a good way. It will hold the steam produced by showers as a primary cause of black mold infestation.
Why Is There Black Mold On My Bathroom Ceiling
Molds can be very disgusting. This organism can grow anywhere and present itself in different colors . However, black mold is considered to be the most toxic mold, because it produces mycotoxins which can cause health hazards to humans.
Because many people do not take immediate action when they encounter mold problems, it becomes the cause of different illnesses.
This article will give you a better understanding of what causes black mold on your ceiling.
Also Check: How To Clean Mildew Off Bathroom Ceiling
How To Remove Mold From Concrete Walls
- Fill a bucket with 1-gallon of warm water and add ½ cup of liquid laundry detergent.
- Dip a scrub brush or a push broom into the cleaning solution and scrub the concrete to remove it.
- Rinse the concrete wall with a garden hose and allow it to air dry.
- Empty the bucket and fill with a mixture of 1-gallon warm water and ¼ cup of bleach.
- Apply to the concrete with a sponge or sponge mop and allow to sit for 20-30 minutes.
- Rinse completely and allow to air dry.
Mold On The Underside Of The Toilet Tank
Occasionally, toilets will suffer from condensation on the back and bottom side of the tank. The vast majority of toilets are constructed from porcelain, a durable, non-staining, non-porous material. These qualities not only make the material perfect for handling lifes biological unpleasantries, they also make the material highly resistant to mold growth. Due to this, mold growth on toilets is unusual.
For growth to occur, it must find another food source settled dust. Often invisible to the naked eye, a thin layer of dust settles upon every surface of a home, including vertical and even inverted surfaces. This microscopic layer of dust provides sufficient organic material to propagate mold growth.
Remember, mold growth requires both a food source and available moisture. Just because the settled dust has provided a food source does not necessarily mean that mold growth will inevitably follow. Moisture must be present as well. On a toilet this primarily occurs through condensation. When the shower is used, warm, humid air is introduced into the environment. This moisture laden air hits the cold toilet and condenses. If the condensation is severe, drips will form and damage the floor below.
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What Causes Mold To Grow
Black mold, like most molds, thrive in conditions that are dark, unventilated and damp. The less the spores are disturbed the more they will grow it can grow for months, even years behind a surface without being noticed. It may have started out in an area, such as behind or underneath appliance, anywhere there are pipes, especially leaking or sweaty pipes and/or around leaky windows. It can also seep in from the ground around your home. High humidity can also cause excess moisture which can develop into spores. Once it has started to grow it can spread on and into the walls.
What To Do For Black Mold
If you see a patch of what you think might be black mold, don’t touch it remember, says Anderson, that disturbing the mold is what causes the spores to release its toxins. “Don’t attempt to wipe it or spray it or put any chemical on itthat’s just going to make it angry,” she says. “The best thing to do is contain it.” She recommends covering the entire area with plastica bag or dropcloth will worksecured around the outer edge of the mold area . “If you have HVAC running into that room, shut the vents so they’re not pulling anything into the other rooms,” Anderson adds.
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Find The Moisture Source
Black mold removal is important. But first, one must identify that it is black mold. First, look at the color, followed by the smell. Black mold is black or even dark grey in color, and often smells wet and musty, as it usually grows in areas with a lot of moisture. Black mold is also usually noticeable in the home if you experience a burning or scratching sensation in your throat or lungs. Black mold is dangerous, and can greatly affect your health if left untreated, so it’s important to remove it as soon as you’re aware of it.
Before you can begin any black mold treatment, youll need to perform a black mold test and find the source. Its often the result of excess moisture in a particular area. Youre most likely to find black mold in areas of your home that you dont visit as often like the basement, but it can pop up anywhere. Here are a few common moisture sources to look for:
- Faucets and fixtures. Sink, shower and bathtub faucets and fixtures that are leaking can lead to the growth of black mold over time.
- Exposed plumbing. Damaged or leaking pipes, especially in warmer temperatures, can often create black mold in areas like basements.
- Water heaters. A small leak can create black mold in your basement or water heater closet.
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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Removing Mold From Painted Or Wallpapered Walls
For mold on painted walls, try a natural remover like white vinegar, borax and water. Youll need a spray bottle and a few other items to scrub the walls.
- Combine two tablespoons of borax with 1/4 cup white vinegar and two cups of hot water in a bowl.
- Pour into a spray bottle
- Liberally apply on painted walls.
- Scrub thoroughly and wipe clean, then spray again and let sit for 10 minutes before wiping dry.
Bathroom Mold Prevention And Remediation
After you learn how to remove mold, youll want to prevent mold in the future. The key to stopping most mold is to control dampness. The worst infestations usually occur in damp crawlspaces, in attics and walls where water has leaked in from the outside, and in basements with poor foundation drainage. Stopping leaks, ensuring good ventilation in attics, keeping crawlspaces dry and routing water away from the foundation are the best defenses on how to get rid of mold.
Almost every home gets mold, and that means theres a need for mold remediation. Well show you how to remove major mold infestations.
Mildewcide in paint is usually effective for controlling surface mold in damp rooms like bathrooms and outside in shady areas. Many paints already have mildewcide in them. Check with your paint dealer to be sure of mold removal products. You can add mildewcide, although you might void the paint warranty.
Every product is independently selected by our editors. If you buy something through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
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