Here at bathroommold.org we will take a look at exactly what bathroom mold is, because there are many different varieties of mold and you need to understand the difference between a relatively harmless mold, like mildew, and something more serious, like toxic black mold. To be fair the former is most common and most likely so don’t start panicking unnecessarily even if you have a black mold in your bathroom. While mold can present a health risk this is rarely the case but it is worth pointing out some of the risks especially if someone in your family is prone to allergies or respiratory problems. If you are seriously concerned that you have mold which presents a health risk then please contact a mold removal specialist or your local housing authority.

There are a few different ways to effectively clean mold, including the use of special cleaning products, home made cleaning solutions, eco friendly solutions and good old fashioned elbow grease. Whichever product you decide to use remember that the fight against mold is an ongoing battle and you will need to be constantly vigilant. This may sound overly dramatic but it is worth pointing out that mold can always return, especially in a damp environment like a bathroom.

By far the best form of attack is defense, stay on top of the causes of mold and you will save yourself a lot of time further down the road. Molds are a type of fungus, neither a plant or animal, but certainly a living organism that likes to make its home in damp and moist places, hence its occurrence in your bathroom. Leaky taps, unventilated spaces and a lack of routine cleaning will all play their part and create an environment in which mold can thrive. Preventing mold is the key.

Take steps to routinely maintain your bathroom and you will prevent the possibility of mold. Regularly air your bathroom or make sure you have an effective extraction fan. Don’t ignore wear and tear to sealants or taps and stay on top of normal household cleaning. Why does mold often appear in student bathrooms? Simply because cleaning the house is not often a priority! Don’t forget that mold is not fussy about which type of surface it grows on. So as well as keeping the bathroom dry and clean remember to regularly clean and air towels or dressing gowns.

When it comes to using a mold cleaning product always, as they say, read the label so that you don’t turn one problem into another. Some products bought over the counter can contain some pretty toxic chemicals so be careful with your hands and skin and which surfaces you apply them too. A good rule of thumb is always wear rubber gloves and experiment on a small area of your bathroom first to test the results.

In conclusion, you may want to read the other articles on this site to get a clearer understanding of what types of bathroom mold there are, what cleaning methods exist, what the best preventative measures are and why removal is important, but ultimately mold and damp go hand in hand. Remove the damp and you’re well on your way to removing mold. If the walls of your property have an inherent damp problem then you are well advised to seek professional help. Similarly leaky roofs and faulty plumbing should all be dealt with immediately if discovered.

•    Maintenance of Bathtub and Shower – Make sure that all parts of your bathtub and shower are dry and clean all the time.  A good way that you can prevent mold in common areas is to stretch the curtain for your bathtub after the tub has been used to allow the tub to dry equally and completely.

•    Flow of Air – Making sure that there is good circulation and air flow in the bathroom is going to help keep the levels of humidity low in the bathroom and give the mold less chance to grow. One of the best ways to do this is to open the window in the bathroom. It can also be done by turning on an extraction fan in the bathroom.

•    Daily Maintenance – Maintenance on a daily basis is also going to help prevent both mold and water damage. Make sure that your drains are in good shape. Make sure there isn’t any water in the tub and then remove all the debris from your drains.  You can also use semi-gloss paint on the walls of your bathroom to create a hard surface, which is going to make it harder for the mold to grow on the surface. Even though this isn’t done every day, it’s going to go a long way to prevent surfaces in your bathroom from getting mold on them in the future.

When you perform the tips that are listed above for preventing mold in the bathroom, you are going to discover that you don’t have to deal with too much mold in the bathroom.  Mold is something that is a real problem in the bathroom due to the amount of moisture in the air on a consistent basis, and when the surfaces are kept clean and dry, the mold doesn’t have as much time to grow.  Installing an extraction fan is a really good idea to help keep down the humidity in the bathroom and to help stop the mold from growing after a shower or bath.

Caulk or Tile Mold

•    Clean with hot water, baking soda and soap to remove the better part of mold.
•    Spray the caulk or tile with 1 part bleach/2 parts water solution.
•    Let the caulk or tile to soak until your solution is dry.
•    Spray your wall with solution once more and scrub the area where the mold is with scrub brush.
•    Use hot water to rinse the area.
•    If, after doing all this, the mold remains, repeat the above process and increase the amount of solution to equal parts water and bleach. If that doesn’t work, then chances are that you will need to replace either your caulk or tile. If you replace the grout, then a sealant needs to be used so this doesn’t happen again.

Mold on Ceiling of Shower

•    Mix solution with two parts of water and one part of bleach in your bucket
•    Use a damp rag or sponge to wash the ceiling, and be sure that none of the solution drips onto your clothes. You should also use goggles or something to protect your eyes from any possible drips.
•    Rinse the solution off of the ceiling and repeat the process if you need to.  If you are unable to remove the mold after washing the area three times, it may be necessary to replace your ceiling. If this happens, use primer that inhibits mold from growing.

Most of the time mold can be cleaned. The best way to make sure that mold is cleanable is to clean it as soon as you see it and not put it off. The longer that mold is on a surface, the harder it will be to clean off. Catching it when it first happens will save you a lot of money and more than likely keep you from needing to replace areas of the bathroom which would have needed to be replaced otherwise.   Keeping on top of mold in your bathroom helps your bathroom and keeps you healthy.

•    Rash – The first common symptom of bathroom mold is a rash on your skin.  Although most people think that you have to have direct contact with mold to get a rash, that isn’t always true. If you simply inhale the fumes the mold gives off, you can develop a rash.

•    Irritation in the Eyes – Even though most may pass this off simply as allergies, watering and redness in your eyes could be a sign that there is mold in your bathroom or other places.

•    Headache – Another symptom of mold in the bathroom is a headache. When you breathe in mold, it often causes a headache, especially if you are already a sufferer of migraines.  People who get migraines have hypersensitivity to different stimulants, such as mold.

•    Sore throat – A fourth symptom that you may have and may not attribute to mold is a raw, sore throat or a hoarse voice.  Often mold spore will go into a person’s throat and become lodged there, irritating the tissue.

•    Respiratory problems – The final symptoms that you may have because your bathroom has mold in it is problems with breathing – having trouble breathing, runny nose, nosebleeds, and problems with the sinuses. Often these will be attributed to allergy problems or you may think that you have a cold, but this isn’t always the case.  If you have these problems consistently, you should take a good look at your bathroom and see if there is any mold there, because that could be what is causing your symptoms.

A lot of people have mold in their houses and they don’t know about it because they are having symptoms that can be attributed to many other things, but if the mold isn’t taken care of, it can be very costly both in terms of the repairs that need to be made to the house and to the health of the people who live there. So don’t just discount your health problems and symptoms to a simple case of the sniffles or to allergies. It may be something much more sinister lurking in your bathroom that is making you sick.

Here are four of the most common mold types that are found in the bathroom.

• Aureobasidium – This mold is generally found around windows and the bathtub and is a grey/black mold. It can cause symptoms such as asthma, hay fever, or humidifier fever, and in rare cases, keratitis and skin lesions. It is not yet known if it produces toxins.

• Penicillium – This type of mold is often found growing beneath the sink and on carpeting and it’s a greenish color. It can cause things like asthma, hay fever, woodman’s lung, and hypersensitivity pneumonitis. It produces toxins such penicillic acid, penicillin, peptide nephrotoxin, and many others.

• Altenaria – This is brown mode which is usually found on ceilings and walls. It can cause hay fever and asthma, and can affect a person’s nails, skin, and respiratory system. Those who have immune systems which are suppressed and have open wounds are at the greatest risk.

• Aspergillius – This green/white mold is found just about anywhere in the bathroom. It can cause things such as Farmer’s lung, hypersensitivity to oat grain and straw, Compost lung, asthma, and hay fever. It can also affect a person’s skin, ears, cornea, respiratory system, and can lead to a host of illnesses, including some very deadly ones. It can produce a lot of toxins, which makes it one of the worst molds that you can have in your bathroom. It is particularly dangerous to people whose immune systems are suppressed or compromised.

The four molds which are listed above are just the ones that are most commonly found in the bathroom. To have a positive identification of any of these bathroom molds, it’s a good idea to get a professional testing of what is in your bathroom. But it’s simply to give you an idea of how sick bathroom mold can make you and how important it is that you have it taken care of. Otherwise, you are going to find that you and the people who are living with you are going to become very sick and have a lot of health problems on their hands.

Wearing a mask is important in filtering out mold spores while you work on removing them. Also, consider using eye protection, gloves and old clothes that you will immediately need to wash upon finishing. Hard, nonporous surfaces should be scrubbed with a cleaner that does not contain ammonia. Ammonia and bleach should never be mixed, as the combination can be toxic. More porous surfaces, like paper or carpet, will most likely need to be disposed of, as you may never be able to completely remove old spores.

Combine 1/4 to 1/2 cup of bleach with 1 gallon of water to make a cleaning solution. Use the solution to disinfect the area that was cleared of mold. Let the area sit for at least 15 minutes, then rinse it with clean water. Quickly dry the surface to prevent more mold from growing.

Now you can ventilate the location thoroughly with a fan, dehumidifier or open a window. Moisture causes mold to grow, so you will want to keep the location dry. Mold grows on wet surfaces and humid air, so keeping these problem areas under control will greatly reduce the risk of mold problems recurring. Doing the job right first will save you lots of time later.

Consider vinegar as another alternative to bleach products, if you are striving to be environmentally friendly.

Basement mold removal will greatly reduce health risks for you and your family and cleaning black mold is essential. Tackle mold early and the job will be even easier.