Getting rid of bathroom mould

[weeble]

This is a home problem but could equally apply to the boat. I have to reseal my shower cubicle to shower tray and there's a fair amount of mould blackening that I'd like to get rid of, also the grouting around the lower tiles is quite discoloured. I've used a couple flavours of Mr Muscle and a specialst cleaner but they're all pretty ineffective. So does anyone have any suggestions as to what to use that actually works?

[nina]

This is a home problem but could equally apply to the boat. I have to reseal my shower cubicle to shower tray and there's a fair amount of mould blackening that I'd like to get rid of, also the grouting around the lower tiles is quite discoloured. I've used a couple flavours of Mr Muscle and a specialst cleaner but they're all pretty ineffective. So does anyone have any suggestions as to what to use that actually works?

 

If you haven't found success with mould killing products, the only other chemical you can try is bleach. Leave it on for half an hour and it should kill it all. If you don't fix the moisture problem causing the mould though, it will reappear so might be best to treat the problem at the root cause first. You can also buy mould inhibitor products which will help initially but won't solve the problem long term. Husband and I have renovated many properties. Mould is one of the worst problems to treat. Hope this helps.

[Guest Quo Vadis]

Domestos works if you give it enough time and hold it against the surface using kitchen towel.

If you can dry the area after use, it won't go moldy in the first place.

[gaggle]

VENTILATION VENTILATION AND VENTILATION , prevention measures to stop it recurring , expensive mould reduction products are available but a cheap household product worked best for me in one renovation , i just cant remember what it was.

[IDS]

Spray on bleach (eg Domestos Spray Bleach from Poundland) is as good as anything for cleaning mould on grout, though if the mould is in deep scrape out and replace the top layer of grout. Once existing silicone sealant has gone badly black it's as easy to scrape it out and replace it. Use quality 'sanitary' sealant grades for a longer lasting job.

Regualar treatment of tiled walls with spray bleach (once a month) keeps the problem at bay, and wiping cubicle walls with a squeegee after showering helps it to dry out quickly.

[Pentargon]

Weeble, I had exactly this problem at home. En-suite shower. It's true that ventilation prevents mould, which needs moisture and time to develop, but we want to get rid of what is there not prevent what might be. I used a handheld spray bottle of Dettol Mould and Mildew and found it necessary to spray lightly every day for a week before the last sign of darkness was gone. But the job came up like new. The 'grout' in my case was that white rubbery/plastic product and it came up ace eventually and progressively with the original 'blackest' parts being last to vanish. Be careful with it 'cause it is simply VERY strong bleach. Try not to breathe it in or get it on your skin .

Edited December 15, 2011 by Pentargon

[keble]

This is a home problem but could equally apply to the boat. I have to reseal my shower cubicle to shower tray and there's a fair amount of mould blackening that I'd like to get rid of...

Me too. Googling suggests bleach (as have other posts here) once a week but also white vinegar daily.

I started today on the bleach ...

[nina]

This link is helpful. Even gives the Latin name for mould & mildew type bacteria.

 

 

http://www.domestos.co.uk/solutions/

 

Just to say if you're on a boat and you have mould, you can still get it off with bleach but obviously not flush bleach or any hazardous chemical into the canal system. We usually use it to clean around the shower & tiles but wipe it off with water & cloths squeezed out into a bucket, which then gets emptied into a container and poured elsewhere. I know that's commonsense but thought I'd mention it anyway.

[Ally]

White vinegar sounds preferable for boat bathrooms, hopefully people don't use bleach on boats where it could get into the water course.

 

edit:....oops, overlapped with Nina there...great minds.......

Edited December 15, 2011 by Ally

[bag 'o' bones]

This is a home problem but could equally apply to the boat. I have to reseal my shower cubicle to shower tray and there's a fair amount of mould blackening that I'd like to get rid of, also the grouting around the lower tiles is quite discoloured. I've used a couple flavours of Mr Muscle and a specialst cleaner but they're all pretty ineffective. So does anyone have any suggestions as to what to use that actually works?

I've not read the previous posts so if it already been suggested then sorry for the repeat.

 

In my experience the trick to banishing black mold - or should that be keeping it to a acceptable minimum as I believe it is impossible to eradicate completely - is a combination of good bathroom design, as much ventilation as possible and quality mold resistant grouts and sealants. Ventilation is the most important. So as well as opening a window, invest in a above shower timed extractor fan that continues to operate for a few minutes after the shower is switched off.

The thing is, mold feeds off steam condensing on the bathrooms surfaces therefore if you can reduce the condensation you reduce the mold. Simply cleaning the mold off with the many cleaning products available merrily treats the symptoms and not the cause.

Edited December 15, 2011 by bag 'o' bones

[JerryP]

bleach works well ,i scrub it into the grout and sealant using an old toothbrush

[Spesh]

Weeble, I had exactly this problem at home. En-suite shower. It's true that ventilation prevents mould, which needs moisture and time to develop, but we want to get rid of what is there not prevent what might be. I used a handheld spray bottle of Dettol Mould and Mildew and found it necessary to spray lightly every day for a week before the last sign of darkness was gone. But the job came up like new. The 'grout' in my case was that white rubbery/plastic product and it came up ace eventually and progressively with the original 'blackest' parts being last to vanish. Be careful with it 'cause it is simply VERY strong bleach. Try not to breathe it in or get it on your skin .

 

Another vote for the Dettol stuff. You don't want to spend much time in the shower cubicle with it and make sure you wear gloves as has been said, but it does a damn good job and you don't need to scrub at all. It also gets mould off fabrics if you spray it on before stuffing in the washing machine.

[Bobbybass]

Bleach is good for the inital removal...but it doesn't kill mould. It turns it white so you can't see it. I got the following from a guy who spent 40 years running a business that rids people of mould:

 

If you buy a little bottle of clove oil from the chemist...mix it with some warm water and a tiny bit of washing up liquid (its an oil...so you need to dilute it)

Find yourself an old spray bottle ( not £1 shop ones as the spring tends to rust)

Keep this handy and occasionaly spray about...smells nice like 'Mums apple pie'.

We leave our boat for 6 months. Last year...due to timing...we had several days of rain and the boat was wringing when we left it...

We lightly sprayed curtains..matresses...ceilings...carpet..wiped interior of the fridge. etc...

Upon return 6 months later....there was not a spot of mould...not a spot !!

 

Seems to work...

 

Bob

[Woodstock]

Thick bleach applied with an old toothbrush and leave for 30mins, will kill it but may not remove the black staining. Wilko used to do a tube of something that you re-applied over existing grout- I tried it a while ago and it worked, but you do need to repeat

[Guest Quo Vadis]

White vinegar sounds preferable for boat bathrooms, hopefully people don't use bleach on boats where it could get into the water course.

 

edit:....oops, overlapped with Nina there...great minds.......

 

I was under the impression that modern bleaches break down within 24 hours to become environmentally inactive ... can anyone confirm this?

 

ps in my experience, even the very expensive mold-resistant silicone sealants don't actually resist mold. The only cure has been to dry the shower after use, no mold whatsoever now.

Edited December 15, 2011 by Quo Vadis

[Wiggins]

I had read somewhere about using clove oil on mould & as an inhibitor - we used it once & it seemed to work a bit, but the main benefit, according to Dr Wiggins (who got to do the work as it was too high for me) was that the bathroom smelt of burbon (sp?) for some time...

[Naughty Cal]

Milton works well on mould but as has already been said, prevention is better than the cure. Stopping mould occuring is by far the preference. If it is too late and the mould has started to grow spray on a diluted solution of milton (follow the instructions on the bottle) wait for a few minutes and then wipe off. It can also be used on shower curtains and fabric curtains that have started to get mildew on them.

[weeble]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. The worst area was where the water had got between the clear silicon sealer and the glass of the shower cubicle. That was a bu**ger to shift but with repeated scrubbing with neat bleach as suggested it got the worst of it off, and to hide the bit that remained I resealed it with white sealer rather than clear. My main concern when I wrote the original post was just how crap some of the proprietry cleaners turned out -- waste of time and money!

I've increased the ventilation fan overrun from 5 minutes to 15 in the hope that helps matters in future.

Thanks again... Weeb

[claudia]

The only way is to cut out all the old silicone and re seal with good quality sanitary grade silicone and keep well ventilated as said.

[Pentargon]

I was under the impression that modern bleaches break down within 24 hours to become environmentally inactive ... can anyone confirm this?

 

ps in my experience, even the very expensive mold-resistant silicone sealants don't actually resist mold. The only cure has been to dry the shower after use, no mold whatsoever now.

You are right about beach 'breaking down' and 24hrs is a ball-park figure for it to become effectively in-active. in a post above I alluded to spraying the mould every 24 hours. "found it necessary to spray lightly every day for a week "that was precisely why.!

Edited December 16, 2011 by Pentargon

[i love my narrowboat]

White vinegar and bicarbonate of soda is a good 'degreaser' and keeps the plug hole clean too. a good site is Aggie and whatever the other half of that famous duo is, they have some really good ideas. that is where i got this one from .

[JonL]

An expensive but great solution is underfloor heating.

It's the benefit that Topps Tiles never mention.

The rising heat from the floor dries everything out in the bathroom

My shower is bone dry 2 hours after use - I have no mould problem