Bathroom Mold Removal

Common Sense Bathroom Mold Removal

The bathroom should be a place of refuge and relaxation where you can enjoy a clean and refreshing space.  If, instead, your bathroom is a refuge for mold, then stay tuned for a little bathroom mold removal advice.

The Best Way to Remove Bathroom Mold is to Prevent It

So what’s the best way to get rid of mold in your bathroom? Well, don’t let it grow in the first place.  That’s how!  Mold needs the right conditions to thrive, including moisture, humidity, and organic material as a food source for mold.  See more tips on mold prevention here.

In the bathroom, the single best way to get rid of mold is to prevent it by cleaning regularly.  A simple wipe down of all the surfaces with detergent and water every week will do more to control mold than any other effort.  This is especially true for bathroom mold because so many of the surfaces are non-porous, such as tile, porcelain, and glass, so any potential mold growth gets wiped away cleanly.

Secondary efforts in bathroom mold control include keeping air moving with a fan or open window, and lowering the humidity as much a possible.

Black Mold in the Bathroom !

Ok, before you freak out about black mold in your bathroom, first ask yourself what is black mold?  And get the facts on how to kill mold.  Before attempting bathroom mold removal yourself, make sure you understand when it is appropriate to be a mold removal  do it yourselfer, and when to hire a mold specialist.
If you are doing bathroom mold removal yourself, it is important to know that the methods used for removing mold depend on whether the surface is porous or non-porous.  Typical porous surfaces include grout and drywall.  In porous surfaces, moisture gets absorbed and creates a good environment for mold growth.  In the case of grout, moisture and organic material sit in all the little nooks and crannies, which then allows the mold to thrive.  Before you know it, you are trying to remove mold from your grout, and that ain’t fun, yo.

Non-porous surfaces include tile, porcelain, and glass.  These surfaces do not absorb or keep moisture in, so mold only grows on the outside surface.  When removing mold from these bathroom surfaces, you will follow a different set of rules because you don’t have to worry about the mold hiding out inside the material.  In fact, you don’t even have to kill the mold, you just have to remove mold.

Remove Mold from Bathroom Tile

 Step 1: Select one of the following recommended cleaning solutions

• Mixture of household detergent and water (recommended by the EPA)
• Commercial mold removal product (always follow manufacturer’s instructions on the label)
• Distilled Vinegar
• Baking Soda -Detergent Solution (1/2 cup baking soda, 1 cup water, 1 Tbsp mild liquid detergent)
• Borax Solution (1 gallon of water to 1 cup of borax, or 1 part borax to 16 parts water)

Step 2 – Put on Protective Clothing and Make Safety Precautions

Before starting, make sure this project is small enough to do it yourself.  Because you are working with mold, we recommend the following protective clothing:

• A respirator, or air mask, that is adequate for blocking mold spores from entering your lungs.  The EPA recommends a N95 mask or equivalent.
• Rubber or Nitrile gloves.
• Safety goggles that do not have air vents in the sides.
• If you are moderately sensitive to mold exposure, we recommend wearing coveralls to protect your skin as much as possible.  If you are severely sensitive to mold exposure, we recommend getting somebody else to perform the task.

If you are using a product that has strong or dangerous fumes, also make sure your are working in a well ventilated room.

To see more on how to prepare to remove mold, click here.

Step 3 – Apply the Cleaning Solution and Scrub

Apply the cleaning solution that you have elected to use.  You can do this with a spray bottle, a lightly damp rag, or a low-abrasive sponge or pad.  Do not use anything abrasive, such as a wire brush.

Apply the mold removal solution generously.Let the solution sit for a few minutes, then scrub the area in circular motion with your rag, brush, or a scrub pad.  Using a disposable towel, or a regular cloth towel (that you can disinfect with bleach later), wipe off the area and the excess.

Continue this process until the mold is removed from the surface.

Step 4 – Clean Up and Let Dry

After the mold is removed, clean up the area and either dispose anything that has had contact with the mold, or clean it with a proper detergent or fungicide.

Let the area dry by keeping it warm and dry with good ventilation.  If you live in an area with higher humidity, you may want to place it in a room with a dehumidifier.

Step 5 – Check for Signs of  Remaining Mold

If mold begins to reappear in the next few weeks, it is probably because your bathroom doesn’t get enough air circulation.  Look for ways to improve air circulation, perhaps by opening a window or running a fan or dehumidifier.  If this isn’t possible, the only other prevention method is clean the tile with a mild cleaner more frequently.  This will disrupt the mold growth process and prevent it from getting established.

If the mold reappears, repeat steps 1 through 5.

We hope this was helpful, and good luck in your bathroom mold removal efforts! Please feel free to leave a comment or question below.

Bathroom Grout Mold Removal

Step 1- Choose one of the recommended cleaning solutions

To properly remove mold from grout, you must use a cleaning solution that creates an environment that is hostile to mold.  Most products do this by raising or lowering the ph, or through a chemical process that breaks down the mold’s molecular structure.  Not to get all nerdy on you, however.  Learn more about the science of how to get rid of mold here.

Since grout has little nooks and crannies where mold can hide, especially if it isn’t sealed well, you want to use more than just detergent.  Below are bathroom mold removal heroes when it comes to killing and removing mold from grout:

• Rubbing Alcohol or Denatured Alcohol
• Commercial mold removal product (always follow manufacturer’s instructions on the label)
• Distilled Vinegar
• Borax Solution (1 gallon of water to 1 cup of borax, or 1 part borax to 16 parts water)
• Baking Soda -Detergent Solution (1/2 cup baking soda, 1 cup water, 1 Tbsp mild liquid detergent)
• Bleach-Detergent Solution (1 part household detergent, 10 parts bleach, and 20 parts water)

Warning:

Never mix bleach with a product that contains ammonia.  It will produce toxic fumes that can cause serious illness or death.

Step 2 – Put on Protective Clothing and Make Safety Precautions

Before starting, make sure this project is small enough to do it yourself.  Because you are working with mold, we recommend the following protective clothing:

• A respirator, or air mask, that is adequate for blocking mold spores from entering your lungs.  The EPA recommends a N95 mask or equivalent.
• Rubber or Nitrile gloves.
• Safety goggles that do not have air vents in the sides.
• If you are moderately sensitive to mold exposure, we recommend wearing coveralls to protect your skin as much as possible.  If you are severely sensitive to mold exposure, we recommend getting somebody else to perform the task.

If you are using a product that has strong or dangerous fumes, also make sure your are working in a well ventilated room.

To see more on how to prepare to remove mold, click here.

Step 3 – Apply the Mold Removal Solution and Scrub

Apply the mold cleaning solution that you have elected to use.  You can do this with a spray bottle, a lightly damp rag, or a low-abrasive sponge or pad.  With grout, it is best to use a flexible brush, such as a toothbrush.

Apply the mold removal solution generously.Let the solution sit for a few minutes, then scrub the area in circular motion with your brush, or a scrub pad.  Be sure to get the bristles into the grout as much as possible.  This will both remove the mold from the grout, and spread the solution into the little nooks and crannies to help prevent the mold from growing again.  Using a disposable towel, or a regular cloth towel (that you can disinfect with bleach later), wipe off the area and the excess.  Do not rinse the area too much since you want some of the cleaning solution to dry into the grout.  This will help prevent that pesky mold from reemerging.

Continue this process until the mold is removed from the surface.

Step 4 – Clean Up and Let Dry

Now that you successfully attacked this bathroom mold, clean up the grout lightly with a rag and either dispose anything that has had contact with the mold, or clean it with a proper detergent or fungicide.

Let the area dry by keeping it warm and dry with good ventilation.  If you live in an area with higher humidity, you may want to place it in a room with a dehumidifier.

Step 5 – Check for Signs of  Remaining Mold

If mold begins to reappear in the next few weeks, it is probably because your bathroom mold has a good environment for it to thrive.   Look for ways to improve air circulation, perhaps by opening a window or running a fan or dehumidifier.  If this isn’t possible, the only other prevention method is clean the grout with a mild cleaner more frequently.  This will disrupt the mold growth process and prevent it from getting established.  When cleaning mold off of grout, remember to use a cleaning solution, such as bleach, borax, or vinegar, which create an environment that grout mold dislikes.

If the mold reappears, repeat steps 1 through 5.

We hope this was helpful, and good luck in your grout and bathroom mold removal ! Please feel free to leave a comment or question below.

Bathroom Shower and Bathtub Mold Removal

Bathtub mold removal is very  much like removing mold from bathroom tile.  We have a specific post on removing mold from the shower and bathtub.  Check it out by clicking here.

Getting Rid of Mold on the Bathroom Wall

The walls are alive! What a scary thought.  Ok, so if there is mold on your tile wall, check out the best method for bathroom tile mold removal here. The mold has grown onto the drywall portion of your wall, then things are going to get a bit more interesting for you.

Step 1: Take Safety Precautions

Before starting, make sure this project is small enough to do it yourself.  Because you are working with mold, we recommend the following protective clothing:

• A respirator, or air mask, that is adequate for blocking mold spores from entering your lungs.  The EPA recommends a N95 mask or equivalent.
• Rubber or Nitrile gloves.
• Safety goggles that do not have air vents in the sides.
• If you are moderately sensitive to mold exposure, we recommend wearing coveralls to protect your skin as much as possible.  If you are severely sensitive to mold exposure, we recommend getting somebody else to perform the task.

If you are using a product that has strong or dangerous fumes, also make sure your are working in a well ventilated room.

To see more on how to prepare to remove mold, click here.

Step 2 – Assess How Far into the Drywall the Mold has Grown

If the mold has penetrated through the paint and has grown into the drywall, then you will need to replace the drywall.  For a how-to on patch a hole in drywall, see this video.

If the mold is only on the surface of the drywall, or on the paint, then you can proceed with the following steps:

Step 3: Select one of the following recommended cleaning solutions

• Mixture of household detergent and water (recommended by the EPA)
• Commercial mold removal product (always follow manufacturer’s instructions on the label)
• Distilled Vinegar
• Baking Soda -Detergent Solution (1/2 cup baking soda, 1 cup water, 1 Tbsp mild liquid detergent)
• Borax Solution (1 gallon of water to 1 cup of borax, or 1 part borax to 16 parts water)

Step 4 – Apply the Cleaning Solution and Scrub

Apply the cleaning solution that you have elected to use.  You can do this with a spray bottle, a lightly damp rag, or a low-abrasive sponge or pad.  Do not use anything abrasive, such as a wire brush.

Apply the mold removal solution generously.Let the solution sit for a few minutes, then scrub the area in circular motion with your rag, brush, or a scrub pad.  Using a disposable towel, or a regular cloth towel (that you can disinfect with bleach later), wipe off the area and the excess.

Continue this process until the mold is removed from the surface.

Step 5 – Clean Up and Let Dry

After the mold is removed, clean up the area and either dispose anything that has had contact with the mold, or clean it with a proper detergent or fungicide.

Let the area dry by keeping it warm and dry with good ventilation.  If you live in an area with higher humidity, you may want to place it in a room with a dehumidifier.

Step 6 – Check for Signs of  Remaining Mold and Repaint if needed

Sometimes, the mold will discolor the wall, even though the mold is completely removed.  Use a stain block paint or primer to cover the discoloration, the paint over the area to match the rest of the wall.

If mold begins to reappear in the next few weeks, it is probably because your bathroom doesn’t get enough air circulation.  Look for ways to improve air circulation, perhaps by opening a window or running a fan or dehumidifier.  If this isn’t possible, the only other prevention method is clean the tile with a mild cleaner more frequently.  This will disrupt the mold growth process and prevent it from getting established.

If the mold reappears, repeat steps 1 through 5.

We hope this was helpful, and good luck in your bathroom mold removal efforts! Please feel free to leave a comment or question below.

Clean Mold From The Bathroom Shower Curtain