Mold might be a natural substance, but it can be a nuisance to encounter inside of your home. No homeowner wants to deal with the frustrating situation of mold growth, but it is a common issue because of how easily mold can develop.

Mold spores are naturally present in the air, so all they need is the right environment to start forming mold colonies. For mold to grow, it needs two things: a moisture source and a food source. The fungus often uses cellulose as one of its primary food sources, and it is a material that is present in numerous common building materials. This is why mold growth is such a frequent after-effect of water damage.

Because of the need for moisture, mold growth is often found at home in areas where moisture is popular. This includes kitchens, basements, and bathrooms. Your shower, in particular, can become a breeding ground for mold and mildew if the area doesn’t dry out properly in a timely manner.

Common Causes

• Bad ventilation. No airflow inside the bathroom will create a moist environment perfect for mold growth.
• Not cleaning the shower door or shower curtain. Not only will it get dirty, but it will also be perfect surfaces for mold to grow on. Keeping it clean reduces the likelihood of having mold in the bathroom.
• Leaking pipes or faucets. Pipes and faucets in the bathroom could be leaking, resulting in mold growth. Be sure to check for water damage if you see or smell anything musty or weird in the bathroom.

Places Mold Grows in the Shower

• Grout between the tiles of the shower
• On the shower or bathtub caulking
• Around the drain area or on the drain plug
• Window frames if the window is in the shower
• Doors in the bathroom
• Behind plastic shower panels
• Anything that allows mold to cling on, from shampoo bottles to shower curtains.

The fungus is mostly found growing in between tiles on grout lines, but it can grow everywhere given proper conditions. The mold can appear in different shades from black to brown to green. The darker the color, the more the damage. Regardless of the color, if you do come across mold growing in your shower, then do not hesitate to act. Once mold growth has begun, it will only get worse. You need to address the issue as soon as possible.

If there is mold in your shower, use the following steps to take care of the problem.

Steps to Remove Mold from the Shower

1.   Ventilation

Before addressing the mold issue, make sure you ventilate the bathroom. Open the windows to allow the airflow into the bathroom. If there isn’t a window in the shower, open the bathroom doors and open the window closest to the bathroom. You can also purchase an exhaust fan to keep the bathroom dry to prevent future mold growth. Buying a dehumidifier could also be a solution.

2.   Protect Yourself

Because of the potential health concerns that mold presents, you should always prioritize your health and safety when dealing with the fungus. So, when you find mold in the shower and are going to work to remove it, protect yourself.

This means acquiring and using the proper protective gear. Wear rubber gloves, a face mask, and goggles. Additionally, consider wearing clothing that fully covers your limbs to prevent direct contact with the mold.

3.   Choose and/or Create Your Cleaning Solution

While mold is an annoying issue to deal with, a good thing about it is that it can be cleaned using numerous cleaning solutions/products. So, it can be easy to find the products needed to remove the mold.

Various stores have mold-specific cleaning products that will do the trick. But even standard commercial bathroom cleaning products and household bleach can be sufficient enough to eliminate the mold from your shower. Some people, however, may prefer to use natural cleaning methods. In such a case, using baking soda or white vinegar in place of bleach are good natural alternatives.

4.   Clean the Mold

If you choose to use a commercial cleaning product to clean mold in the bathroom, then follow the provided instructions to clean the areas of your shower that have been affected by mold. Usually, this includes spraying the affected areas, scrubbing them down with a toothbrush or sponge, and then rinsing away the remnants.

If you will be using bleach to clean the mold, then create a solution of 4 parts water and 1 part bleach. Transfer the solution to a spray bottle and apply it to the moldy sections. After letting it sit for 10 minutes, scrub the area with a toothbrush or sponge to better work the solution into the mold. From there, use water to rinse down the sections.

Following the bleach solution, create a mild detergent solution of water and dish soap to do additional scrubbing of the shower to ensure a thorough cleaning.

This bleach-based method can also be used with white vinegar or baking soda (to create a paste) if you prefer to use natural products.

Professional Mold Remediation Services

These cleaning methods should be effective at cleaning mold in bathrooms — specifically the shower. However, even if you remove all the mold you see growing on the surface of the grout lines, the entire issue may not have been handled. You may have just cleaned the visible mold. There could still be mold beneath the shower tiles, which is the real problem at hand.

For mold in the shower to cease to be a problem, it must be removed at its source and in its entirety. Additionally, the issue needs to be dealt with promptly to prevent it from worsening and affecting other areas. If you have a mold problem, then seek out help from a professional.

ServiceMaster by Restoration Contractors provides professional mold remediation services in Fort Wayne, IN, to help homes and businesses with their mold problems, call us 24/7 at (260) 420-1502. Within these services, our mold removal specialists will evaluate and contain the mold, preventing it from affecting new areas. We also work with a third-party company to have the property tested for mold. From there, we develop a proper remediation plan and use it to completely eliminate the mold from your property.

With help from our mold removal services, your shower will be free of mold and can be used comfortably again.

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