Does anyone have a problem with pink mold in their house? Does anyone know what it is, if it is dangerous, or how to get rid of it?
It's pretty arid here & in 20 years, I NEVER had any mold problems until we bought this house.
Thanks all. I am pretty sure it's not skin cells or it, most likely, wouldn't be unique to this home. I am thinking it's the bacterium noted below, especially as it is not ONLY in our bathroom (I have found it in the cat's bowls too - many rooms away from any other moisture).
I will try the various cleaning methods noted, and THANK YOU to EVERYONE who responded. I just wish I understood how this house is "holding" it! We don't usually get any kind of moisture related ANYTHING in Colorado! It's sooooo dry here!
Mold needs two things in order to live, bacteria and humidity. Clean, dry areas do not get moldy. Pink mold is very common and easily gotten rid of with some bleach water. Some bathrooms require more than a once a week cleaning you might have one of those. Make sure to leave your shower curtain open yet spread apart to eliminate moisture.
I get this in my shower area, too. I can get rid of it completely for months at a time by spraying/wiping down walls with white vinegar, then wiping but not rinsing surfaces with a saturated solution of borax in water. The slight residue of borax left behind prevents any kind of mold from growing until bathroom moisture eventually rinses the borax away.
This is the most bang you can get for your buck, or for the effort needed. The vinegar is completely non-toxic, but could irritate if inhaled, so be careful. I never spray borax, because it is mildly toxic and can be extremely irritating in the lungs, so just a wet wiping will do the trick. Both ingredients are considerably less toxic or potentially harmful than bleach.
I googled 'pink mold' and found this:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=2010040319531...
If you are talking about the nasty stuff that ends up in your bathroom, on the shower curtain mostly, it is not dangerous (any more than mildew is) and the typical cleaning methods work for it. It is actually dead skin cells, no "mold" in the traditional sense. Ew, right!
