Mold in My Shower

Hi! We just recently moved out of a home with an old bathroom - the tub and shower were sealed incorrectly (they didnt allow the caulking to dry before turning on the water) and so black mold was growing both in and under all of the silicone sealing around the entire tub and shower area. No matter how hard or often I cleaned, it never LOOKED clean - I was disgusted every time I put my baby in the tub, even knowing that I had scrubbed that tub so hard one could eat off of it. I was never able to completely get rid of the mold - but I tried lots and lots of different cleaners and found something that works best. Did you know that the bottom of your bathtub is the most dirty, bacteria ridden area in your house next to your kitchen drain? The bottom of the tub also holds many bacteria that are truly harmful (things like antibiotic immune staph and strep, pre flesh eating bacteria and all sorts of really yucky things) so, it is SO important it be as clean as possible especially when you are bathing your baby in it.

1. Its a deep scrubbing that gets what is called a "biofilm" from the bottom of the tub: comet with bleach and a good rough scrub brush or sponge and some elbow grease will clean the tub part just fine. Put the comet down and scrub it in with water - then let it sit for a few minutes before rinsing.

2. Tilex works well for removing the black mold and mildew, but I prefer a simple capfull or two of straight bleach in a spray bottle. Spray the entire shower the the bleach solution - you can pick up the very edges of the silicone sealing and spray some bleach in there to try to kill the mold underneath it. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Scrub, then rinse. Repeat if necessary to get the desired whiteness. You might not get all the mold off, and that happens sometimes and you just have to deal with it.

After you do a really good deep cleaning, its just upkeep from there. We are in a new house now with a pristine remodeled shower and tub I scrub the tub with comet once every week and just use one of those scrubbing bubble shower spray cleaner things (they hang from the shower head) once a day after a shower. THe scrubbing bubbles shower sprayer really does keep the shower and basin disinfected and clean, and you dont even need to rinse it. (Im really good about having my bathroom and kitchen as clean as possible as I bathe and feed my child there).

Good luck, all it takes is one day and some scrubbing to get it really clean - and dont forget to open a window while you are cleaning so you dont suffocate from fumes!

If the shower is caulked you can use a blade or widget to get the old caulk out. Scrap it all out and make sure there it is completely dried out behind the tile. I'd wait 24 hours and dry it out completely, then get bathroom caulk and recaulk around the tub. It sounds like a lot of work, but it is worth it. There may be a new tool at Lowe's or a hardware store that removes old caulk.
Then you can use a simple household cleaner to keep it nice.
Also, make sure your fan exhaust is exiting the house and not going into the attic or just to no where. It may be time for a new fan too. Old homes used to rely on windows to vent the bathrooms, but I don't think that is adequate.
Good Luck!

You HAVE TO crack the window after the shower for about an hour to let the steam out! Then use a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to get the stubborn mold. We have the same problem. We also paint our bathroom 2X per year. Good luck.
-Sher

Hi C.

I agree with most of the posts in that you would really need to do a deep cleaning and then have it properly sealed.. and thereafter, do be sure and air it out each time you use the shower. My husband does grout cleaning and by no means do I want this to be an advertisement,he might be able to give you a few tips. if you want to email him, then go to happygrout.com *his name is Franco just tell him his wife sent you . otherwise, you may just want to try some strong cleanser like COMET and let it sit overnight, this bleaches the surfaces. (example, let it sit overnight) then .. go in and scrub it completely. now if that doesn't wk, as another posts suggests, the grout was never properly sealed and no matter how much you clean, the mold will keep coming back.
hope this helps. :)

Good Morning...I have the same problem..My house isnt sealed very well and I get mold in my bathroom as well... I use tilex mold & mildew remover.I just spray it on and leave it ( if its like on the celing or some place I cant reach to get it off)It works amazing..So try that..Good Luck

To get rid of mold, you have to work on it. For instance, cleaning the problem just once will not fix the problem. You have to be consistent. You have to clean the bathroom at least once a week, especially since the rainy season is here and there's a lot of moisture in the air.