Mold in the bathroom: get rid of the scourge at home

Fungus or mold in the bathroom is a common problem for apartment owners. The appearance of a black, gray or greenish coating on tiles or joints with a characteristic musty smell indicates that it is time to take urgent action. Why is it so important and why is the fungus in the bathroom dangerous? The fact is that mold not only spoils the appearance of the room, but also negatively affects human health. Its spores cause allergies and bronchial asthma, provoke skin rashes, headaches, nosebleeds and coughing fits. In this regard, it is advisable to start acting immediately after you have discovered the first signs of the fungus. We offer you the most complete information on how to get rid of mold in the bathroom at home.

Causes of mold

It is impossible to prevent mold spores from entering the apartment, since they easily spread through the air, settle on clothes and shoes. However, the fungus does not live in any conditions, for its development it is necessary high humidity and the temperature is not lower than 15 degrees. Therefore, a bathroom for mold is an ideal place to live.

Attention! Of particular danger is black mold in the bathroom. It produces compounds that are toxic to humans and destroys everything it touches. First of all, wood, drywall, and plaster suffer from black mold.

Development is driven by the following factors:

• insufficient ventilation;
• education condensate on cast iron pipes;
• low temperature of the bathroom walls associated with its angular location;
• leaking pipes or faucets that increase humidity;
• damp towels;
• clothes that are regularly hung out to dry.

Mold Prevention

To prevent mold in the bathroom from bothering you, it is very important to remove the causes of its occurrence. If this is not done, all the means that you use to combat the fungus will be wasted. In order to succeed in your attempts to remove mold in the bathroom, take the following measures:

• organize forced ventilation in the bathroom;
• replace cast iron pipes with modern plastic;
• check the operation of the heated towel rail and replace it if necessary;
• refuse to dry clothes in the bathroom by equipping a dryer in another room or on the balcony;
• identify and repair all leaks;
• if condensation forms on the walls due to the poor location of the bathroom, purchase a dehumidifier.

Mold control products

Special tools for removing the fungus are sold in hardware and hardware stores. Many of them are toxic and have a pungent odor, often the main active ingredient is chlorine. Consider effective, but safe for health means.

• "Anti-fungus" - will help remove mold in the bathroom from different surfaces. With the help of this drug, you can prevent the appearance of mold during repairs by adding a small amount of the product to the glue or paint.

• "Izotsid" - Ukrainian drug for disinfection of wooden, concrete and stone surfaces. In addition to mold, it can fight other types of microorganisms.
• "MIL KILL" - suitable for surfaces with a microporous structure.
• "Dali" - a powerful antiseptic, allows you to get rid of the fungus, can be used as a prophylaxis.
• "Alpa Fongifluid" - a tool in the form of a spray with fungicides, will help remove mold from any surface, from drywall to ceramic tiles.
• Olimp Stop Mold is an effective domestic drug that is absolutely harmless to humans.

To combat mold, some household chemicals are also successfully used:

• Chlorine bleach type "Whiteness".To remove fungus in the bathroom from ceramic tiles, you can use a concentration of 1:10. For plastic panels, the concentration should be lower - 1:20, otherwise the chlorine will simply corrode the plastic.
• Bleach "Vanish" or its analogues, which are called oxygen. They are not as aggressive as "Whiteness", but also help to get rid of mold.

Important! When treating surfaces affected by mold, you need to protect yourself with gloves and a respirator that will prevent harmful spores and aggressive chemicals from entering your skin and lungs.

Folk remedies for fighting fungus

Many people prefer to fight mold at home with the help of folk remedies, which will help get rid of the fungus no worse than specialized preparations.

• Copper vitriol. In 1 liter of water, 10 g of powder is diluted. A brush is used to apply the solution. The substance is poisonous, so it is necessary to use protective equipment for the skin of the hands and respiratory organs.

• Vinegar soda. You can fight the fungus with the help of simple improvised means. Baking soda is applied to the tile and the joints between it, vinegar is sprayed with a spray bottle. After the foam settles, the area is washed with water and detergent.
• Tea tree oil. One teaspoon of essential oil added to a glass of water will successfully help to remove the fungus in the bathroom. It is most convenient to spray the mixture with a spray gun, the product does not need to be washed off.

• Bura. One glass of powder is dissolved in 2.5 liters of water, a brush is dipped into the resulting solution, with which the mold is removed. It is not necessary to rinse the surfaces after treatment; after drying, the borax solution will serve as protection.
• Hydrogen peroxide. A 3% peroxide solution can be poured into a spray bottle and treated with moldy areas. After 10 minutes, wash the surface with soapy water.
• Anthracene oil - will help to get rid of the fungus for a long time, but has a persistent unpleasant odor.

Elimination of mold in the seams between the tiles

If mold has appeared on the surface of the tile, it is enough to treat its surface with one of the above means. But getting rid of the fungus that has settled in the seams between the tiles can be very difficult.

To get started, try the following: dilute 2.5 tablespoons of soda in a glass of hot water, after dissolving the soda, add 1 tablespoon of washing powder. Apply a soapy solution to the seams, it is most convenient to do this with an old toothbrush. You may have to make an effort to remove traces of the fungus and even repeat the procedure.

After drying the joints, evaluate the effect: if it was not possible to completely clean the joints, the fungus will continue to spread. In this case, to get rid of it, you will have to re-embroider the seams using deep processing. You need to do this in the following sequence:

1. Clean all grout from the seams.
2. Treat the seams with copper sulfate.
3. Fill them with new grouting material with the obligatory content of antiseptics.

If mold reappears

In the event that you removed all the mold from the surface of the finish and took all measures to prevent its reappearance, but after a while the fungus in the bathroom makes itself felt again, most likely the spores have penetrated under the finish and the fungus grows there. This happens when the necessary antiseptic treatment was not carried out at the repair stage. To eliminate all pockets of mold, you will have to carry out cosmetic repairs in the bathroom with a complete replacement of the old finish.

1. The old coating (tile, panels, paint) on the affected area is dismantled.
2. If necessary, remove the plaster.
3. The area must be cleaned with a detergent and treated with an antiseptic.
4. After drying, the antiseptic is applied again.
5. The surface is thoroughly washed with water and dried with a building hair dryer.
6. A primer with an antiseptic additive and a waterproofing mixture are applied to the wall.
7. Now you can start finishing, not forgetting to treat all seams and joints with a water-repellent sealant.

Tip: Throw away all items that have had contact with mold (gloves, brushes, sponges).