Need advice with mould in toilet and cleaning altro flooring

crazyshady

We have had issues in our toilet for about 5 years now with mould and have kept on top of it with mould cleaners and within 10 minutes it is gone. Last year we noticed that mould was appearing on the walls and on the ceiling so it was repainted with paint that stops mould, that put an end to that but it has appeared elsewhere and I will explain why that is.

When we moved in here we tended to keep the toilet window closed because (I know it sounds silly) there is a lot of spiders outside and insects and they would crawl inside. It's a downstairs apartment. That soon changed with an insect net but at the time I did not know what these black marks on the grout was or under the radiator. The toilet is a wet room and is altro flooring so it's like little holes all over it. This was cleaned with a floor cleaner and warm water and to be honest it was never 100% clean, it's clean under the shower but around the toilet seat it's a little dusty looking, I can only assume it's just people standing there with their shoes on causing it. There is also a puddle behind the toilet seat which I now is what's known as a sweaty toilet and can be fixed a few different ways.

So there's a lot of things probably causing this. It was only through research that I found out that this was mould or mildew, no family member knew what it was and when I got the spray, I ended using different ones, it was gone within minutes so it looked completely new, it was all over the wet room floor under the radiator, it was gone and it was blue again! It was great but I have made some errors. I used different sprays and I also used bleach. Bleach takes away the mould too. I never washed the bleach off nor did I wash away the mould spray so what's happened is around some of the edges of the flooring where the tiles meet the flooring the blue has been stripped from the flooring and I don't know if it was the bleach or the mould spray that did that because I know a lot of mould sprays are full of bleach.

In those dusty parts of the flooring I was talking about, there are a lot of small black dots, I don't know if that is mould in them. Behind the toilet seat where the pipe goes out to the wall outside is very black. The sink is held up by a ceramic pedestal. I don't know if it's possible to remove that pedestal and see if there is any mould at the other side of it.


Last week I gave it a thorough clean so everything apart from the small parts of the grout, the small dots on the floor and this pipe behid the toilet is mould free. I have a family member who is a plumber so I think he can fix the sweaty toilet and stop that puddle forming and having to be washed away but I now don't know what to use to clean this floor. Is there some kind of really good cleaner that is going to dig deep into the grooves and clean it properly? Sometimes it looks to be like a swirl, it curves around, I think that might just be me with the mop sometimes and getting lucky and the mop handle has scraped against it and lifted some of it out. It really needs a proper deep clean. I know mould can be wiped off on surfaces like that. It can be wiped off wood and walls, I think a good cleaner that could clean this floor properly would lift it if it was infact mould.......and then with the grout and behind the toilet I don't know if I should use a mould cleaner or bleach again because I don't want anymore colour stripped from the flooring and when you spray it on the tiles it runs down so I don't know how to spray it on the tiles or this pipe without it running and dripping on the floor. If i knew it was definitely the bleach on it's own that caused it to go white I could maybe just spray the mould killer on the floor but I don't want to take that risk.



Basically I need a lot of advice:) I've read a few things about cleaning wet room flooring but this one is the one with the little circle grooves so it's not flat and obviously the mould I want to fix and keep in top of but i don't want to damage the floor. Also I just want to say the window is kept open all day and night until I go to bed, the extractor fan is kept on for 20 minutes after every shower, the room is very well ventilated. I just want advice on cleaning this floor which MAY have some mould in it and cleaning the pipe and the grout and then KEEP ON TOP OF IT. Is there some kind of routine I can do that keeps on top of it.

Fire_Fox

What type of product have you been cleaning with and how exactly?

Household cleaning products can roughly be divided into three categories: acid- based, alkaline-based and detergent-based. Some household cleaning products overlap. Limescale removers are acidic, toilet cleaning gels are acidic, drain unblocker and oven cleaners are strongly alkaline, bleach is alkaline, washing up liquid is detergent, sugar soap is mildly alkaline and detergent.

Nobody here can tell you exactly what will work or what will be safe for your floor. Detergents are safe for most surfaces, stronger acids and stronger alkalines should be patch tested on a small area and the instructions followed as regards rinsing off or flushing through.

I use spray sugar soap all over my bathroom and kitchen including the floor, but I do not have hard water so have little limescale. If I did have limescale I would probably alternate sugar soap with an acidic product (the MSE Old Style board regulars would recommend white vinegar).

Textured surfaces or grime build up may need more 'elbow grease' than just mopping. Try hand washing with a microfibre cloth or a towelling face flannel or a non-stick scouring sponge. If you dry the floor after 'deep cleaning' using disposable white kitchen roll/ kitchen towel you can see if the floor and remaining water are clean.

Try scrubbing grout with old toothbrush or nail brush. If it does not come up white use a grout whitening pen from a DIY shop. Pound shop ones are useless IME, Wilko stocks a decent (branded) grout pen.

HTH!

knightstyle

It seems very obvious that the mould is caused by the air in the room being damp! This dampness will settle on cold surfaces and cause mould. Cure must be to ventilate. Perhaps have a fan fitted.

Cyclamen

I have a wet room with the specialist flooring. The texture in the flooring just didn't get clean with a mop.. i have a scrubbing broom from amazon and a really good squeegee that has a head that angles. The scrubbing broom is so much better at getting in amongst the texture and does a good job, my cleaner has since bought one for one of her other clients and my PA for her home. So definitly a better option than a mop for me, and being a wetroom you can swill down and squeegee off.

If you want chemical free a steam cleaner worked well on mold but increased humidity too much so we sold it.

Cleaners the floor is done with tesco all-purpose cleaner (cheap flash you dilute) we spot treat mold patches on tiles with cillit bang mold remover but this is not used on floor.

I leave the extractor running for quite a while, and we upgraded to a slightly more powerful one.. it's also worth getting the fan blades cleaned. Window is almost always on vent as a minimum if we are in the house and open after showers.

We have a dehumidifier and ever now and then run it in bathroom with door/window shut just to dry it out.

We also have a sweaty toilet and puddle.. this is squeegee's until we come up with the drive to do something about it.

I love my wet room but mold is a constant battle here and the grab rails etc seem to attract rings of mold.

crazyshady

Hi everyone, thanks for the replies.


All I'm using just now is a mixture of bleach and water on the floor to wash it. The floor is pale blue but there are dark swirls on parts of it which looks like when I had an older mop, the plastic part of the handle must dug in and scooped out the dirt but never used any other floor cleaner so any advice on that would be great.


I also perhaps stupidly put bleach on the really black mould parts on it's own without it being diluted, it did take away the mould very quickly but I think that may have been what caused some parts to go white and it's stripped the blue colour from it. I also the did the same with the tiles so obviously it ran down the grout and onto the edges of the flooring, not everywhere but here and there. I also used mould spray on the tiles but I never used the mould spray on the floor so I don't really know for sure what caused the colour to strip, the main point being in the dirty parts which the mop wont lift, I'm scared to put bleach or a mould spray near it incase it lifts the colour from it and also if it is just needing a good clean......I'd rather get something that will clean it properly.



I have a new garden brush which hasn't been used, would this be good for scrubbing the floor and would you advise to continue using a mix of bleach and water or something else? I do have sugar soap too but never thought to use it. An old toothbrush is also a good idea, infact that might just be a good idea to try first as the grooves are tiny and I could really get scrubbing into them.



I know the mould is caused by the air in the room being damp but that's also my problem. For about a year now the window is opened constantly apart from during the night and there is an extractor fan in the room which I do leave on for a long time, usually most of the day just to get extra air into the room, the toilet has been completely repainted so the only mould left is what is on the grout, the pipe behind the toilet seat and what I think might be within the dirty patches of the floor that a mop will not shift. I don't know if there is any mould behind the porcelain pedestal but if I find out it's safe to remove I wont be long cleaning it if there is any there. I think if I can keep on top of the grout and get this floor clean properly all will be fine. What else can I do? The window is open, the fan is on for most of the day, I also have a cheap humidifier but there's barely any water in it. It's just a basic £1 one.

When you talk about a steam cleaner do you mean one like a hoover that does floors or do you mean a hand-held one? I could get a loan of one and try it out.


Is there anything else I can do? Surely if I can get this floor cleaned properly and then keep on top of it and get the mould removed from the grout and see about this pipe behind the toilet seat all should be fine? About the extractor fan, how would I know to clean the blades? I don't see a way of removing the panels, would some kind of pipe cleaner do or something with bristles I could slide in?

Fire_Fox

Informative reply, thank you!

IMO start with somewhat gentler cleaning products and somewhat gentler cleaning tools, patch test rather than waste all your energy or cause more damage. Work up to more 'hardcore' (stronger) products or (abrasive) tools if necessary.

The mould will stop growing if it is deprived of food and/ or water. The food is regular bathroom grime: body fat/ sebum, dead skin, residues of cosmetic products (eg. hair conditioner, body oil), other stuff on footwear or feet or hands ....

This builds up over time, even if the users themselves are clean in themselves. To clean all that gunk you want some combination of soapy detergent and 'elbow grease'. Very similar to dealing with kitchen grease and grime really.

Gentle but effective tools: microfibre cloth, towelling face flannel, non-stick scouring sponge, rubber broom, long handle sqeejee. Do experiment. Hopefully Cyclamen will link to the tools she finds effective in her wet room. :T

You should definitely only need to 'deep clean' occasionally! How often varies with the household. Then as you say keep on top of the cleaning with your chosen products and your chosen tools.

Do you have a model name/ number or user manual or any other information on the extractor fan?

crazyshady

I've had a look and can't see any model or number on it, even the white plastic on it is starting to have some discoloured patches so no doubt that will be some mould too, it could be mouldy inside for all I know.

What would you recommend I Start off with? If I was to clean the entire floor tomorrow, what would be the best soapy detergent to use on it and also how would I dry it?

enhray

sorry not read through all so might not be of help?

i would patch test sodium hypochlorite (ie swimming pool cleaner) i got mine from the local garden/diy shop 25ltr for 20 quid. good luck

Cyclamen

Could the white patches be limescale build up? if so vinegar works well.

You ask about garden broom... it would depend how spiky it is. My scrubbing broom is stiff nylon bristles so it doesn't scratch.

Some of the wetroom floors always look a bit grubby as they are speckled.. wth my first floor i was forever scrubbing mold that turned out to be black flecks in the pattern.

I don't use much bleach as asthma kicks off..a good scrub with flash and spot treating with cilit bang mold and grime works for us.

i am nervous suggesting as with it being a wet room you may not be able but can you do a hands and knees scrub with some cream cleaner /flash to get it up to scratch?
Would a tile grout pen with anti mold help?

If unable to do yourself can you get a cleaner to come an ddeep clean just the bathroom?

steam cleaner.. we had one of those hand held types that just jet hot steam out.. it had a couple of brush attachments..

I use (well my cleaner does) this broom https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07DH631ZX/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

the steam cleaner was karcher but i sold it a couple of years ago.

a window vac is useful for drying walls/windows

and a floor squeeggee with a head that angles.. i cant find the link