How to get rid of mold in the bathroom at home

Fungus or mold in the bathroom is a common problem for apartment owners. The appearance of black, gray or greenish deposits on tiles or seams with a characteristic smell of mustiness suggests that it is time to take urgent measures. 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. Her disputes cause allergies and bronchial asthma, provoke skin rashes, headaches, nosebleeds and coughing attacks. In this regard, it is advisable to start acting immediately after you have discovered the first signs of a 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, as 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 mold bathroom 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.

The following factors provoke development:

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

Mildew Prevention

So that mold in the bathroom does not bother you, it is very important to remove the causes of its occurrence. If this is not done, all the funds that you use to fight the fungus will be wasted. In order for your attempts to remove mold in the bathroom to be successful, 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 the dryer in another room or on the balcony;
• identify and repair all leaks;
• If condensation forms on the walls due to poor bathroom positioning, purchase a dehumidifier.

Mold control agents

Special means for removing the fungus are sold in construction 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 remedies.

• "Antifungal" - will help remove mold in the bathroom from different surfaces. With the help of this drug, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of mold during repair by adding a small amount of the agent to glue or paint.

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

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

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

Important! When treating surfaces affected by mold, protect yourself with gloves and respirators that prevent harmful spores and aggressive chemicals from entering the skin and lungs substances.

Folk remedies for the fight against fungus

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

• Copper sulfate. In 1 liter of water, 10 g of powder is diluted. A brush is used to apply the solution. The substance is toxic, therefore the use of protective equipment for the skin of the hands and respiratory organs is mandatory.

• Soda with vinegar. You can fight the fungus with simple improvised means. Baking soda is applied to the tile and to the seams between it, vinegar is sprayed with a spray gun. After the sedimentation of the foam, 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 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.

• Borax. One glass of powder is dissolved in 2.5 l of water, a brush is dipped into the resulting solution, with which mold is removed. It is not necessary to rinse the surfaces after processing; 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 mold areas. After 10 minutes, it is necessary to 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 joints 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 tools. But getting rid of the fungus that 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 soap solution to the joints, this is most conveniently done with an old toothbrush. You may need to make an effort and even repeat the procedure to remove traces of the fungus.

After drying the joints, evaluate the effect: if the seams were not completely cleaned, 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 joints.
2. Treat the seams with copper sulphate.
3. Fill them with new grouting material with the obligatory content of antiseptics.

If mold appears again

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 some time, the fungus in the bathroom again makes itself felt, most likely, spores have penetrated under the finish and the fungus grows there. This occurs when the necessary antiseptic treatment has not been carried out at the repair stage. To eliminate all foci 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 detergent and treated with an antiseptic.
4. After drying, the antiseptic is reapplied.
5. The surface is thoroughly washed with water and dried with a construction hairdryer.
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 process all the seams and joints with water-repellent sealant.

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