Help mouldy bathroom

superskintmouse

Please can someone offer some advice?? we have recently redone our bathroom ourselves, we used expensive anti mould tile grout and sealant, now 6 months on it is covered in mould, i have tried everything to get it clean and feel kind of conned by the company selling it, i could have just bought the cheaper version and had the same mould!! do i have any come back with the company? any tips to get rid of it??

elsmandino

Hi there,

When you ask for tips for getting rid of it - I take it you mean the mould rather than the Kitchen (or maybe you even mean the company in question!).

We have terrible problems with condensation in our bathroom and the we get black mould appearing every six months or so. The only thing that I have found that works perfectly is HG Bathroom Mould Spray - it is a quite a bit stronger than other brands, but it does the trick.

It was quite difficult to get hold of when I tried, but the massive Homebases stock it, otherwise you can buy online.

WestonDave

To be fair if you are getting mould, its due to water lying on the surface (either as splashed water or condensation) so that problem needs to be dealt with - probably by increasing ventilation. Mould killing sealant is only treating the symptoms and the chances are if it wasn't growing here it would be somewhere else invisible (e.g. under the bath etc) if the conditions for mould growth are right. So get an extractor fan installed, or open a window after showering and leave it open with the bathroom door shut for long enough for the walls etc to dry. Dealing with the visible mould is a bit like taking an aspirin for a brain tumour - it might remove the obvious problem but not the real cause.

In terms of the visible mould, you may end up having to replace the sealant especially if you've let it sit mouldy for sometime. One trick which has worked for me in the past as a stop gap is to put some folded toilet roll (say pull off ten sheets in a long strip, fold lengthways a few times so you have a long thin sausage) along the sealant and cover it in strong thick bleach. If you leave that overnight it may remove the worst of the mould colour but it is likely to still be stained.

katejo

Could it be to do with insufficient ventilation in the bathroom? Do you have a window/extractor fan? Is the fan used regularly/window opened after someone has a bath/shower?

Just a thought. It makes a difference in my bathroom if I remember to do it.

slimzee

I have a small bathroom and a power shower = steam = wet tiles.

After usage I wipe the tiles down with a towel and make sure there is not puddles of water lying around the tub on the silicone, this does help... You could also use a hand window wiper thingy to wipe the tiles down.

Marie27lol

I also have a mould problem, and I am sorry to say, that the sealant is being taken up and having fresh laid down.

However, this is alsowhat we do to help the condensation / mould:

Use window wiper to get excess water off the tiles and bath screen
Use a teatowel to wipe it down
Open the window wide whilst still in the house - even if for only 15mins, it makes a difference
Keep it on the security latch during the day, and close once back home (and the heating comes on)

Fingers crossed, the mould stays away this time
M

ListysDad

Sorry folks but lets go back to basics.

You can go spend all the money you like but no matter what fancy stuff you buy or apply you'll spend the rest of your life doing it if you don't address the root cause.

Mould forms for one reason only: dampness. To stop dampness what is needed is air changes and air movement. By having sufficient air changes in a room you'll move the moisture laden air out and replace it with dryer air.

The other issue is where you place fans etc. If you have an extract fan its no good whatsoever putting it next to an open window! All that'll happen is that air will be drawn in via the window and get blown straight out. For best effect (read only one worthwhile) the best place for an extract fan is in the shower cubicle ceiling. Put an inline fan in the loft as inline fans are designed to move decent amounts of air (if a fan can't hold a piece of a4 paper against it its not worth having) through ducting. These £20 jobbies you see are a complete and utter waste of space. When your fan is on make sure you are drawing air through the damp area so if poss cut 10-15mm off the bottom of the door to allow air through. Its then drawn from low to hi level taking with it the moisture laden air. Where physically possible use a fan with an overrun timer and set it to a minimum of 15 mins - pref more. The electricity you'll use is minimal and you'll save shed loads on having to redo decor etc etc.

By having a decent fan running, what you're doing is creating a negative pressure area so air is drawn into the room you're extracting from. That also draws mal-odurs too.

If you have a problem with damp generally, fit a slow moving fan into say your kitchen but pulling air IN. That then pressurises your home and pushes damp out slowly and continually (air changes...)

Happy to give more advice if asked.

N9eav

With the everlasting rain we are getting, my house too suffers from mould.
I found that Astonish mould and mildew cleaner works about the best. If you can find it, it costs about 89p. Spray and it's gone.

It comes back of course and may be part of a weekly ritual, but it works the best and under a £1 if you can find a shop that sells it.

ariba10

Have look at these two sites.


http://www.harfordsonline.com/downloads/condensation%20

http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/ageng/structu/ae1204w.htm

dogactor87

My boyfriends bathroom gets mould too. For around the bath I put bleach in a spray bottle and spray all around the bath and the tiles and leave for a few hours. I keep checking and can see the mould vanish. When its gone I spray it off with the shower. Easy.

BUT he also gets mould all around the bathroom window which is painted. Not got a clue how I can fix that, best I can do is wipe it every month or so with a damp cloth. Any ideas as to how to stop it happening around the window?
We try leaving the window open lots but still get it. The worst is above the window, you can actually see water drips hanging! The window is also always covered in condensation but no idea why. It's a rental house too.

N9eav

dogactor87 wrote: »

My boyfriends bathroom gets mould too. For around the bath I put bleach in a spray bottle and spray all around the bath and the tiles and leave for a few hours. I keep checking and can see the mould vanish. When its gone I spray it off with the shower. Easy.

BUT he also gets mould all around the bathroom window which is painted. Not got a clue how I can fix that, best I can do is wipe it every month or so with a damp cloth. Any ideas as to how to stop it happening around the window?
We try leaving the window open lots but still get it. The worst is above the window, you can actually see water drips hanging! The window is also always covered in condensation but no idea why. It's a rental house too.

It's colder outside than inside, so condensation forms. Spray the paint with your bleach bottle. At worst, re-paint the window area from time to time