# Solved: Mold/Mildew...tired of scrubbing!!



## Farmgirl22 (Jun 12, 2006)

We have a nasty tub in our apartment that looks like someone threw up in the tub and never cleaned it out (there's stains that are rough and won't come up...*blech*) anyway, I'm getting tired of scrubbing that area daily to keep the mildew/mold out of that area. I clean it with Comet (contains bleach) but the darn stuff keeps coming back!

We have a fan in our bathroom which runs constantly, but it's not helping. I leave the door open, the fan on, the shower curtain open as much as possible, but the darn bathroom never dries out! The mold/mildew only grows in that area where there's the rough part (I'm pretty sure the enamel is gone there, but I'm obviously not an expert), I don't want it to take over my bathroom, but I can't keep scrubbing it everyday because I'm running out of time to do it.  And motivation too, I'll admit.   I scrub it before I shower in the mornings, and by the time my hubby showers at night it's already starting to come back, and it's in it's fully glory by the time I get ready to shower again in the morning. It's black, nasty, and starting to get under the caulking around the tub as well (can't recaulk though, it's the only tub/shower we have and can't wait for it to dry.)

Does someone know something else I can do? I've even tried drying the tub with a towel, but our place holds humidity so well that it doesn't seem to make any difference.


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## blues_harp28 (Jan 9, 2005)

Hi you mention a fan in the bathroom, is there any heating..radiator etc.
Black mold, damp etc needs heat to properly dry out after using the shower etc
Cold air will keep the mold growing..you need some heat in there.

If it's enamel, then try an enamel spay, after cleaning and drying.
http://www.diydoctor.org.uk/projects/bathrepairs.htm


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## Farmgirl22 (Jun 12, 2006)

No, there's no heat in the bathroom, and no outlets in/near the bathroom to plug in a heater either (believe me, I was furious when I discovered this earlier this spring!!)

I'll have to check out your site for enamel spray later...I'm not sure if this is an enamel coated tub or not--it may just be porcelain (it's pretty old, this place was built in the fifties and the tub is original).


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## LauraMJ (Mar 18, 2004)

Spray it with a sprayer filled with Chlorox Bleach. We had some black mold growing under the paint on a wall once. I sprayed it twice a day with bleach. In a few days it was gone.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

Bleach will indeed kill mold, but it also takes the color out of many materials, be careful out there!


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## LauraMJ (Mar 18, 2004)

I figured I could repaint.  The mold had to go!


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## Farmgirl22 (Jun 12, 2006)

Did you rinse the bleach off? Or just leave it until it dried? Will it for sure get under the grout? It won't erode the grout away will it? (Grout is already is poor shape even though it and the surround for the tub are only about 9 months old.)


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

Well if the grout is really bad water can get in behind the tiles so it is wet back there all the time. Your need to get that dried out and regrout to seal things again but that will mean taking the time to redo it and not being able to shower. Now if it is a tub then take a bath and not a shower till you clean then up so your not getting water into places you need to fix.


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## LauraMJ (Mar 18, 2004)

I agree with hewee. Remove the old grout and redo it. If it is molding behind there, then it's leaking behind there, and that will eventually cause a whole lot more problems than just unsightly mold. 

And yes, when I'm killing mold on something, I just leave the bleach dry, I don't wipe it off.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

If the grout is bad after 9 months, it's either a really bad job, or you have significant settling/shifting of the tub and the floor!


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## Farmgirl22 (Jun 12, 2006)

JohnWill said:


> If the grout is bad after 9 months, it's either a really bad job, or you have significant settling/shifting of the tub and the floor!


Honestly, I'm SO not an expert, but I suspect that it's because of shifting/settling (shroud was installed by a professional). The lines look pretty enough to have been done by someone who knew what they were doing.

I also doubt I'll be redoing the grout, probably have the landlord do it when we move out...which is hopefully soon--and not because I'm concerned about rotting out the wall behind the tub!!


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## SIXX (Jan 4, 2007)

Farmgirl22 said:


> We have a nasty tub in our *apartment*


Why is the Apartment complex not taking care of it?



Farmgirl22 said:


> *landlord*


Ok, so why is the landlord not taking care of it?


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

Also how was the tile put on the wall? So many now days is not done the good old was where they papered and hot mop the wall to seal it and then put down a grout bed and then the tile was set on it. Plus a good grout job will last years and I have seen old homes where they have not ever been redone. 
But then they got really cheap and started gluing the tile to the green board. Doing that they say is only good a couple years because once any water gets to the sheetrock your be looking at some work to get it all fixed. Now they use the cement board that better but I don't know if that is still as good as a hot mop behind everything because no matter good or bad all is the worse that can happen is the tile coming off and mold. But with the hot mop you really should not get mold if the grout is done right because no water should get behind anything and if it did it should not damage the wall because it's sealed. 

One thing you may do is look higher up on the wall to see if it's sealed good to make sure water is not getting in there and running down behind the tiles.


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## wacor (Feb 22, 2005)

look for something like a calk tape. 

you can put it on and then use the shower right away.

as to the mold it looks like the enamel is worn away. unless there is a way to reseal the area I would guess that will always be an issue.

you rent this place dont you??


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## Farmgirl22 (Jun 12, 2006)

SIXX said:


> Why is the Apartment complex not taking care of it?
> 
> Ok, so why is the landlord not taking care of it?


Because my landlord told me in no uncertain terms that if we wanted stuff fixed that we either did it ourselves or we paid double the rent. I told him I'd be [email protected] if I was going to pay him twice what the place was worth (if it's even worth what we pay now) just so that he would do his job. He knows I'm not going to fix anything, just as I know he's not going to. So far we're agreeing to disagree or something like that. *grimace*


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## vicks (Jan 31, 2005)

Another thing, you could tape a plastic drop sheet to the wall and let it drape down to allow the grout time to cure and still use the shower. Just be sure to raise the bottom edge to expose the grout to the air after showering.
vicks


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

He can not up you rent and if there is mold that can also have a effect on your health he needs to fix it. I would call the HOUSING AGENCY in your State. Or the Public Housing Authority or Housing and Redevelopment Agencies because they may all be in one place. 
Get a renters guide and also a landlords guide from them. It should be free so get both.

Look here too.
http://www.rentlaw.com/


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## Farmgirl22 (Jun 12, 2006)

hewee said:


> He can not up you rent and if there is mold that can also have a effect on your health he needs to fix it. I would call the HOUSING AGENCY in your State. Or the Public Housing Authority or Housing and Redevelopment Agencies because they may all be in one place.
> Get a renters guide and also a landlords guide from them. It should be free so get both.
> 
> Look here too.
> http://www.rentlaw.com/


We don't have a contract Hewee, so we apparently don't have any rights.  I discovered this when it was 100* out and our A/C went down for about a week (wouldn't have been so bad, but there's only 4 windows that open in this place.) We just have to deal with it until we find a decent place to live. (And I plan to tell everyone how crappy this place is as soon as we are out and tell people not to live here no matter how desperate they are.)

I don't let the mold get enough of a toehold to hurt us, or at least I don't think I am--I scrub it every morning. And it's not enough to turn the whole tub black/red or anything, it just goes across the front part under the faucet and around the front corners. My son is highly allergic, so if there were much more, we'd know.


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## Farmgirl22 (Jun 12, 2006)

So anyway, the bleach spray thing seemed to work, so hopefully that will help out a bit...think I'll probably set the spray in the top of the tub surround and have hubby use it when he gets done and I'll do the same. I compulsively clean my shower once a week anyway, so hopefully that will work out well.

Thanks for your help guys--I might try Wacor's idea if I can get that stuff at the local hardware store and it's inexpensive. We've got more important things to spend our money on than someone else's property.  Sounds bad to say, but it's true.


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

Still there are Fed and State laws.

But read the MOLD and Mold Cleanup and other links at the pages at the site.

And http://www.epa.gov/mold/index.html

You also said "it just goes across the front part under the faucet and around the front corners."

I would check the faucet for leaks and also the line going up to the showerhead. It may be it leaks some. Then when your done taking the shower you still have the water in the line going up to the shower and that is leaking out. Now you have the value to make the water go from the tub to the shower and when you re less it the water should stay in the line to the shower but it may leak. So see if you can get the water out. On the shower where I moved from you turned a knob so when I was done taking a shower I would turn the knob back so water would come out the tub faucet but I did not turn it all the way back so it would let air in the shower head and then the water in the line to the shower could drain out. If it does leak back there this well help some because it will only leak when water is in that part of the line so only leak when your taking a shower. But clearing out the water after your done will keep it from leaking all day long.
This will only help some but it just may help get better control on the mold troubles too.


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## Farmgirl22 (Jun 12, 2006)

OK, the bleach spray thing is still holding, however, my caulk seems to have finally deteriorated so badly that I felt like I had to do something. I bought some caulk from the hardware store today, scraped off all the old caulk, rubbed down the rim with rubbing alcohol, and applied new caulking....had to use a bit of artistry to get it into the corners effectively (coincidentally that's where the deterioration/mildewing started) so I'm hoping it stays put this time. We'll see I guess...it should have enough time to dry while we are at the in-laws, and if not, I've got a piece of dropcloth around somewhere I can tape up like Vicks suggested.

Did my procedure sound correct? It's water-based caulk, will it disintegrate because I might have used a bit too much water trying to smooth it down? (I don't know that I did, but I'm concerned about it anyway....) Or should I just hope it holds until we get moved out of here in a couple of weeks or so?

Wacor--I wanted to use the tape stuff, but the local store doesn't carry it.  I think it would have worked the best for the curved corners since there was so much gap I'm afraid that I might have installed too much caulking trying to "plug it up".  I think this is why I'm NOT a plumber.


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

If you got all the mold taken care of and used the water-based caulk and then a damp rag or sponge to wipe over it then your get a really nice looking caulk line. Use warm water to wipe or smooth works best. 

If you think you put to much caulking on then you can start over and redo it all. You need to cut the tip on the caulking at about a 45% and have a hole about the size or a little smaller then a 16 penny nail. This well give you a nice bead. If your gap is wider then the bead then add to it by doing it slower and wipe it into place with a damp rag or sponge with warm water. 
Then if you think it needs more and is getting hard to deal with doing a wide bead let what you did dry and add more to it later to fill the gap. 
I used to do caulking on new homes all day long. One thing is the brand where one is better then the other. If it is really thick then it's hard to get a good bead. Old caulking can get hard to use too because it gets thicker.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

What I do for caulking is mask the seam and then just put the caulk on. You can simply use your finger to smooth it to a nice seam and peal the tape off and have a perfect job.


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## Farmgirl22 (Jun 12, 2006)

I wish I'd have gotten your post about the tape before I had done it JohnWill--that might have worked pretty good. My job looks decent (at least as nice as the last one) and so far it's holding up. Course, I just did it over the weekend, so it's only been a couple of days.

My hubby says that if he was paying someone big bucks to do the job I did he'd be ticked, but since I was free help, he says he wouldn't complain.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

I actually found that in some book years ago, and I could have kicked myself for not thinking of it myself. It makes the job so easy, no super-steady hand required.


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## worknfool (Sep 27, 2008)

Time to go. I worked in Hazmat abatement field and mold was a big and growing, pardon the pun, part of the business. First, mold needs moisture, warm air and food to thrive. The more of each that you can eliminate the better and quicker it will be gone. Humidity under 50%, over that and it will still live, bleach or no bleach, unless you can eliminate every last spore, (not likely). Mold eats organic materials, organic being anything that contains elemental carbon, eg. wood, drywall, all of the stuff that your house is built out of. The source of the moisture needs to be addressed if it was your place or you're stuck there long. Usually it's water leaking through bad grout and being absorbed by the substrates behind it. Some other possibilities could be roof / gutter leaks, faucet supply leaks behind the wall, waste lines leaking in the floors (toilet, tub or sink tie in), bad window flashings or exterior wall penetrations with bad flashings. Most of these are beyond the pervue of a renter or do it yourself. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5508a1.htm is a website that will give you an idea of how dangerous mold can be, especially for the young, old or those suffering from other medical issues already. You might want to share it with your landlord 'cuz there are schiesty lawyers all over America making a nice living suing landlords and property owners over mold. While not the cheapest, a dehumidifier either in or at the door of the Bath room should be able to take the humidity down low enough to stop any new growth. Use the bleach for clean up and remember to never mix bleach with ammonia, (like window cleaners), it makes chlorine gas - like the stuff used in WW I to kill troops. Good luck!


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## Stringsof6 (Nov 9, 2008)

The suggestion of a spray bottle and bleach will work great. I use it myself. But I've found that you don't need it at full strength.Your apartment will smell like bleach.That is really strong.Maybe the first time or two, but for daily use I have found that if you fill the first two inches of the spray bottle with bleach and the rest with water, It will do a great job. But BE *VERY CAREFUL, BLEACH WILL MAKE YOUR BATHTUB VERY SLIPPERY. EVEN AFTER IT DRIES. **The next time it gets wet the water will rejuvenate the bleach.* Let the water run for about a minute to let the bleach dilute some before you step into the tub. If you *use caution* you'll be OK.


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## Kprance (Oct 21, 2006)

Although this problem has been marked "solved", felt obliged to post a little higher tech solution. There is a Rx drug ( cheap one) called "Grispeg". It's generic name is grisofulfin sulfate. This stuff will kill any fungus. It's for human internal use for treatment of hard to cure fungus infection. The stuff makes you feel like you have a 23 hr hangover, so I don't reccomend it medically. However when I was taking a massive dose of the stuff I noticed that if I so much as touched any fungus - including mushrooms - that there would be a dead spot in the fungus where I had touched it. I could go out in my yard and touch a mushroom, and the next day it would be dead in the area I had touched it. 

So, the next time your at your doctor, ask him to give you a small Rx for some (tablets) disolve ONE in warm water and put it in a spray bottle and spray the moldy area, let it set undisturbe for at least 24 hrs.


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