cleaning grout

MRSTITTLEMOUSE

JoeyEmma wrote: »

So far its just one mushroom in the corner between the wall and the floor.

The window is also open all day.

I am loathed to have the heating on yet, but I think that we might have to give in and put the heating on in their for an hour in the morning after showers to help dry it out.

Has anybody tried the crystal filled dehumidifiers from Lakeland? OH thinks that the crystals will be rock solid after 2 days and it'll be a waste of money.

The damp crystals are great but would be a waste of money in the bathroom as let's face it you would always be producing moisture in there and you could'nt expect them to work efficiently.
You need the grouting redone with something containing a fungicide,we did this in our bathroom.I don't think ventilation will be enough I'm afraid.

JoeyEmma

Primrose wrote: »

Do you have a leaking overflow pipe on the outside of your bathroom which could possibly be causing your external brickwork to become soaked? Or a leaking guttering above your bathroom which could possibly be doing the same thing?

Funnily enough, the toilet is ALWAYS dripping. Its donkeys years old and probably needs replacing

buxtonrabbitgreen

I too have a cold damp bathroom. I got fed up with washing the walls and re painting them with bathroom paint at least once a year. I got DBS decorative bathroom systems. It is plastic sheets of tile looking material. It wasn't cheap it cost about £800 but now I just wipe it down with a towel when it gets damp. The mould still gets on it a bit but is easily wiped off.
Now I am just waiting for the oh to do the ceiling as well. I bought the dammed stuff 6 years ago.

nettles77

in places, it is white grout. We were told not to grout white as this would happen, any tips on how to get rid of it please.

Patchwork_Quilt

Sorry to hear this. How new is the bathroom, exactly? The builder should have used mould-resistant grout.

The only way I have got rid of mould in grout is to get some thick bleach (Grotbuster is the best) and an old toothbrush and literally scrub every bit of it. Even then, it comes back. Black mould in the silicone sealer won't come out. Best to replace that.

Good luck

Bongedone

If the above fails you can buy a tube of grout refresher from Homebase or BQ. It is mould resistant.

westcountrymaid_2

Best thing for mouldy grout I've found is Dettox Mould & Mildew remover spray, it will come back again eventually though.

mouseymousey99

I used Tesco bathroom cleaner spray (about 89p ish) on my tiles and the grout and tiles came up really well.

Gingernutmeg

I love the Dettox mould and mildew stuff, but the best stuff I've ever used is HG mould spray (from Lakeland, and I think you can get HG stuff in Homebase). It's BRILLIANT - we moved into a house with a *very* mouldy shower and this has brought it up like new. It's dear (£4 odd a bottle) and you need to be careful as it's very strong, but it even cleaned up the grotty sillicone sealant. Fantastic stuff, and I shall be keeping a bottle with me.

I'd still recommend the Dettox stuff for other jobs though, I find it works really well round windows etc. And yes, I do get overexcited about cleaning products

tilinglogistics

I thought these pointers may help!!!

There is a lot of consideration to this topic and therefore the contributing factors list is huge. First and foremost ask yourself why the grout has discoloured? If grout has been applied correctly it should only require the odd wipe down once a week. If you have to intensively clean it regularly I would consider other factors like ventilation in the room or sealing the grout with a good quality penetrating sealer will help. If you have black mould then the chances are it is growing on the substrate behind the tile and every time you think you eradicate it you are only getting rid of the surface spores. Try and remember the grout allows water to pass through and then to re emerge so if the water is filthy the grout will retain some of the dirt. It is also important that when using some of these ideas of cleaning you give consideration to the actual tiles. Some tiles are acid sensitive e.g. Marble, travertine, limestone to name a few. so if you use an acid you may etch the tiles themselves and cause bigger problems than dirty grout. Just a few thoughts.

Kev Martin