Tag Archives: mold removal

Helpful Ways to Eliminate the Mold in Your Shower

Helpful Ways to Eliminate the Mold in Your Shower

Showers are the one place in your home where you are almost guaranteed to find mold. Mold grows in environments with high humidity, low sunlight penetration, mild to warm temperatures and poor air circulation. These are the exact conditions found in most showers.

The most common type of mold found in showers is black mold which usually appears as dark stains in grout lines. Mold makes your bathroom look ugly, and no amount of scrubbing with ordinary wash soap and a hard bristle brush will successfully get rid of it.

Every time you use a moldy shower, you inhale mold spores. Mold spores and toxic gases (Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)) emitted by mold, especially black mold, can cause respiratory issues or worsen existing health challenges. That’s why you need to get rid of mold in your shower.

Below are some cheap and easy DIY methods for eliminating mold from your home’s shower.

3 methods to rid your shower of ugly mold

Use hydrogen peroxide

What you need

  • A spray bottle
  • Hydrogen peroxide
  • Hard bristle brush
  • Rubber gloves
  • Toothbrush
  • Clean rags or towels

Most mold-killing products in the market have hydrogen peroxide in them. Instead of spending money on these specialty cleaners, use hydrogen peroxide for better results. This method is for bathrooms where the mold problem is not very bad. Note that hydrogen peroxide turns to water when exposed to sunlight; if you are using a clear spray bottle, you may want to wrap it.

Steps: Spray bathroom walls with hydrogen peroxide. Focus on grout lines since this is where most of the mold is. You might hear a hissing sound and see some foaming. Let the liquid sit for ten to thirty minutes before you wipe it with a clean wet rag. If there is still some mold left in parts of the bathroom, repeat the steps or move on to the second method.

Bleach and baking soda

What you need

  • Mixing bowl
  • Bleach
  • Baking soda
  • Face mask or respirator
  • Paintbrush
  • Plastic wraps
  • Spray bottle
  • Rubber gloves
  • Old clothes

Steps: Scoop a few spoonfuls of baking soda into a bowl and add bleach. Stir the mix and add more baking soda until you get a moderately-thick paste. The mixture should be thick enough to spread easily. Spread the mix generously all over the areas where the mold is. Cover with plastic wraps to keep the bleach from evaporating (so your mixture doesn’t dry out).

Wait an hour; check to see if the mold is gone (you should be able to see this through the plastic wrap). If you see mold on shower walls, spray walls with bleach using a spray bottle. The bleach will get behind the plastic wrap and saturate the mix. Let it sit for another hour, and inspect the walls again. Remove the plastic and rinse the walls with water.

Use bleach

What you need

  • Bleach
  • Bowl
  • Face mask or respirator
  • Paper towels or cotton pads
  • Spray bottle
  • Rubber gloves
  • Old clothes
  • Plastic bucket
  • Clean rags or towels

Steps: Cut the cotton pad into strips; Use them for lining the grout lines on your shower walls. You may skip this step and use paper towels. Pour some bleach into the bowl and dip cotton pads or paper towels into it until it absorbs the liquid. You may want to roll your paper towel into long strips before you do this. Next, take a towel and wipe your shower walls dry.

Paste the paper towel on the moldy areas of the shower. Ensure the paper is thoroughly wet and makes firm contact with the surface. If the paper is wet enough, it should have no problems sticking to the walls. Do this for all affected areas in the shower. Leave on the walls overnight. When you peel them off the next morning, your shower walls should be as good as new.

Preventing mold in the shower

You don’t want the mold to come back after you have gotten rid of it. The key to making sure your shower stays mold-free is to always keep it dry. Here is how you can do that;

Fix leaking faucets and showerheads 

Leaks raise the humidity levels inside your shower; high humidity encourages mold growth. Fixing leaky faucets or dripping showerheads will help to solve the problem. You can also reach out to a local plumber if you need help.

Install an exhaust fan 

Use an exhaust fan to get steam out of your shower as quickly as possible. Run the fan throughout your bath time and for 30 minutes after. Another option is to install a bathroom fan.

Squeegee your walls 

Move all the water on the shower walls into the drain with a shower squeegee. Do this every time you finish showering. A good shower squeegee doesn’t cost more than $5 and takes less than two minutes to squeegee shower walls.

And those are our tips for getting rid of mold in your shower; you will love how your bathroom looks after you use them.

How to Remove Mold in your Bathroom

Ready to remove mold in your bathroom

How to remove mold in your bathroom

Fighting mold is one of the most infuriating parts of keeping a bathroom in good order. It can pop up frustratingly quickly, and getting rid of it can seem nearly impossible. But it is possible, and here’s how to remove mold in your bathroom.

Remember to properly equip yourself

While trying to remove mold in your bathroom is hardly something you’ll need bathroom plumbing services for, it’s not exactly a walk in the park, either. That means you’ll want to prepare appropriately for the task ahead. And the best way to do this is to acquire a few crucial tools and protective equipment that guarantees your safety, whether you are using one of the safer and ‘natural’ solutions for getting rid of mold or something slightly more heavy-duty. Here’s a list of everything you’ll need to successfully wage your war on mold:

  • A spray bottle
  • A soft-bristled brush or a toothbrush
  • A bucket (preferably plastic)
  • A rough sponge
  • A measuring cup
  • A ladder
  • Protective face mask, gloves, and eyewear

Do not try to remove mold in your bathroom if you are allergic

Note that trying to remove mold in your bathroom if you are strongly allergic to it is very unwise. You would be surprised by how different just being around it while showering is to trying to scrub it clean. It is just like people with a dust allergy are pretty okay with being in their home, even if the shelves get a bit dusty, but the second they start wiping that dust away, they start sneezing and coughing. That is also why Allstate Moving and Storage experts recommend thoroughly cleaning a new home before you move in. If you insist on cleaning up the mold yourself anyway, at least make sure to take some allergy meds beforehand. And that there’s someone nearby who can help you if you get a nasty allergic reaction.

Use borax to get rid of mold

The first way to safely remove mold in your bathroom is using borax. Know that while it does not emit dangerous smells or chemicals, it is toxic if ingested. So, wear your protective gear properly before using borax! Using it is relatively simple: just add one cup for every gallon of water. You’ll also want to use that brush or toothbrush we recommended you grab to loosen the mold and dirt from the wall. Then, just wipe it all down and leave it to dry since borax helps prevent mold from appearing again.

Vinegar your mold problems away

Vinegar is entirely safe and relatively simple to use. All you need to do is to pour white distilled vinegar into a clean spray bottle without mixing it with water. After an hour, you can wipe the area with warm water. You can also combine the vinegar with baking soda to make it more effective.

Tea tree oil as a solution

Tea tree oil is one of the best things to use to remove mold in your bathroom and one of the most expensive solutions to the problem. What recommends is the fact that it’s highly effective while also being perfectly safe around both humans and animals. To work correctly, check the packaging and see if it lists ‘Melaleuca Alternifolia’ as one of the ingredients. You can rest assured you are buying authentic natural oil if it’s there. Then, mix one teaspoon of oil with one cup of water inside a spray bottle. Then, spray and scrub. If you end up rinsing your walls afterward to get rid of the gunk scrubbing produces, just spray them down one more time after. That is because the oil prevents mold from growing again and protects your home.

Using hydrogen peroxide 

Hydrogen peroxide is very effective and non-toxic. You will need the 3% concentration version, which you should pour straight into a spray bottle and soak the moldy areas thoroughly. After about ten to fifteen minutes, you can scrub the area, wash any lingering dirt and mold bits off, and let it dry.

Heavier chemical solutions

Of course, many specialized solutions are used to get rid of mold. Not just in your bathroom, either, since preventing/removing mold in a storage unit and similar spaces is crucial to keep this space clean and safe. The foremost is bleach, which is extremely good at removing mold. We haven’t suggested any of them earlier because working with them is potentially hazardous for your health. Following the bleach example, half a cup of chlorine bleach, one tablespoon of dishwashing liquid, and one cup of warm water is a mix not only excellent at cleaning walls. Still, it is also perfect for removing mold from a ceiling. Double and triple-check your protective eyewear, however, since getting any in your eye would result in a hurried ER visit.

Eliminate mold sources

Of course, once you remove mold in your bathroom, your biggest priority will be to keep it from appearing again. That is extremely difficult since bathrooms are normally humid and wet due to showering and all the piping in the room. Worse, a lot of bathrooms lack windows due to privacy concerns. So, you must do everything possible to reduce the room’s humidity and wetness. Installing a better vent system is very helpful. As helpful, in fact, as checking to see if there’s something wrong with your plumbing. Bathrooms are the prime locations for leaks to go undetected. After all, a little extra wetness and humidity don’t stand out. So, the leak detection service plumbers offer might be your only chance of detecting anything wrong. You should immediately rely on them if you notice mold popping up more persistently than usual.

An extra scrubbing

Now that you know how to remove mold in your bathroom, you can beat it back as soon as you notice it appearing. That will do a ton to delay another outbreak. However, if you still see persistent mold problems in your bathroom, consider contacting a plumber near you since it can signify several different plumbing problems.