How to stop mold?

**SixxOfDiamonds** · 11-30-2009, 11:13 AM

I seem to be having a mold problem in our master bathroom shower.

I've never had to deal with anything like this before. The shower is cleaned weekly at minimum with Arm & Hammer shower cleaner and a brush.

I thought simply cleaning it would help, but it doesn't. The shower is one piece, plastic-style. We have a shower curtain on the open side.

Nothing else in the bathroom is getting moldy other than the shower walls and floor.

Please help! Regular cleaning doesn't seem to be helping!

**saver** · 11-30-2009, 11:20 AM

I use a 10% bleach solution to get rid of mold. I make up a solution of 1 part bleach to 9 parts water, let sit a few minutes, and scrub away. Some mold might even disappear right before your eyes.

Please be very very careful with mold, it can be very serious to handle. You can get very sick from breathing it.

Also, the bleach solution will take the color out of anything! Your clothes, the rugs, whatever. Test the bleach solution on an inconspicuous spot first.

Mold thrives in damp places, so to prevent mold try to air out the shower as much as possible. Leave the shower door open and maybe even crack a window after you shower to let the fresh air in and dry the area.

**saver** · 11-30-2009, 11:21 AM

I also noticed you're expecting. Check with your doctor about this use of bleach and at a minimum, ventilate the area very well. Maybe this could be a job for DH!

**Greebo** · 11-30-2009, 11:21 AM

Is the bathroom properly vented and are you running the fan after use?

**Trishagirl** · 11-30-2009, 11:27 AM

Bleach is the best mold killer I agree with saver.

**SixxOfDiamonds** · 11-30-2009, 11:43 AM

Originally Posted by Greebo

Is the bathroom properly vented and are you running the fan after use?

Yes, there is a fan on during and after showers and the door to the bathroom is never closed, that's why it has me a bit perplexed.

**SixxOfDiamonds** · 11-30-2009, 11:44 AM

Originally Posted by saver

I use a 10% bleach solution to get rid of mold. I make up a solution of 1 part bleach to 9 parts water, let sit a few minutes, and scrub away. Some mold might even disappear right before your eyes.

Please be very very careful with mold, it can be very serious to handle. You can get very sick from breathing it.

Also, the bleach solution will take the color out of anything! Your clothes, the rugs, whatever. Test the bleach solution on an inconspicuous spot first.

Mold thrives in damp places, so to prevent mold try to air out the shower as much as possible. Leave the shower door open and maybe even crack a window after you shower to let the fresh air in and dry the area.

The shower doesn't have a door, it has a shower curtain (it's more like a bathtub/shower but it doesn't have the high sides of a bathtub. We leave the door to the bathroom open and the fan is on. Unfortunately, there isn't a window in the master bathroom that I can open. :/

**imagine** · 11-30-2009, 11:57 AM

Originally Posted by SixxOfDiamonds

The shower doesn't have a door, it has a shower curtain (it's more like a bathtub/shower but it doesn't have the high sides of a bathtub. We leave the door to the bathroom open and the fan is on. Unfortunately, there isn't a window in the master bathroom that I can open. :/

How do you leave the shower curtain (open or closed?)That can affect things.

Are you leaving the shower wet or drying it after use.

When I lived in an area that was prone to mold growth it was common for people to dry the shower (or use a squiggle Like the kind you use that the gas station on car windows)

Do you have a bath mat in the tub?

I also like straight vinegar for cleaning it works nice on mold.

**pollypurebred39** · 11-30-2009, 11:58 AM

We have Asthma and must be very careful using bleach. I found the straight white vinegar kills mold really well. I just spray on and leave on for a 1/2 hour and I come back with a soapy scrub brush and the mold peels right off. Yes peels off. It does not remove the color of mold, it kills it and it can no longer attach itself to the surface. The first time I sprayed it on and came back I remember thinking, "well this does not work at all" I was floored when a light soapy brushing was all it took to reveal clean white grout underneath the strips of mold. It really freaked me out a bit after using bleach for so many years, wondering if I let this strips of colorless mold still attached to the bathroom grout, because it looked clean and dead so I never scrubbed further.

Because I don't have an exhaust fan we turn on a big box fan after showers. It seems to help.

**SixxOfDiamonds** · 11-30-2009, 12:08 PM

Originally Posted by imagine

How do you leave the shower curtain (open or closed?)That can affect things.

Are you leaving the shower wet or drying it after use.

When I lived in an area that was prone to mold growth it was common for people to dry the shower (or use a squiggle Like the kind you use that the gas station on car windows)

Do you have a bath mat in the tub?

I also like straight vinegar for cleaning it works nice on mold.

The shower is left wet after use. Perhaps I should purchase a squeegee and dry it off. My husband leaves the shower curtain open when he's done showering and I leave the curtain closed.

No bath mat in the tub. I think today I should purchase a squeegee and perhaps a more ventilated shower curtain as well.

Thanks for the vinegar tip. I just got done bleaching it, so in the future I'll use vinegar instead.

**savvy_sniper** · 11-30-2009, 01:49 PM

Our master shower is all white tile and white grout with a small door. We have a squeegee mounted to the shower wall that we use after every shower, the mat is picked up and shaken, the door is left open AND we turn a fan on for about 20 minutes.

You have to get rid of ALL the mold and then do all of the above, plus clean it regularly.

**imagine** · 11-30-2009, 02:23 PM

Originally Posted by SixxOfDiamonds

The shower is left wet after use. Perhaps I should purchase a squeegee and dry it off. My husband leaves the shower curtain open when he's done showering and I leave the curtain closed.

No bath mat in the tub. I think today I should purchase a squeegee and perhaps a more ventilated shower curtain as well.

Thanks for the vinegar tip. I just got done bleaching it, so in the future I'll use vinegar instead.

I have a shower curtain liner that is fabric ( not a regular fabric shower curtain that you use a plastic liner with) I got the idea after seeing one at a hotel. To keep it from getting moldy I take it down from time to time and wash it in very hot water.

**mombottoo** · 11-30-2009, 03:02 PM

We get mold in one spot of the basement on the walls...I use a bleach/water solution half/half to clean it. It doesn't come back again until the damp weather starts.

When you clean make sure you clean the entire shower, not just the spots where the mold is growing. Spores are very minute so we can't see them until they grow.

A small dehumidifier might work at keeping the moisture in the bathroom down.

**SixxOfDiamonds** · 11-30-2009, 09:23 PM

Originally Posted by mombottoo

We get mold in one spot of the basement on the walls...I use a bleach/water solution half/half to clean it. It doesn't come back again until the damp weather starts.

When you clean make sure you clean the entire shower, not just the spots where the mold is growing. Spores are very minute so we can't see them until they grow.

A small dehumidifier might work at keeping the moisture in the bathroom down.

Thanks! We plan on purchasing a dehumidifier ASAP!