Mold In The Bathroom: Prevent And Remove!

The bathroom is the space in the apartment that has a particularly high level of humidity. As a result, the bathroom is often affected by mold growth. If he appears, measures should immediately be taken to combat the mold in the bathroom. Permanent mold can affect your health.

THE EMERGENCE OF MOLD IN THE BATHROOM

In every 10th household it comes to mold. Particularly affected are the bathroom and the bedroom. The formation of mold in the bathroom is based on the high humidity. When bathing or showering it comes to the formation of water vapor. This provides an excellent basis for molds. If there is a false ventilation, the growth is still promoted. After showering or bathing, the bathroom should be ventilated. Recommended is scorching. That is, the window in the bathroom is opened five to ten minutes wide.

In some places in the bathroom mold develops very quickly. This includes:

•             shower curtains

•             silicone joints

•             fittings

•             tile joints

Colorings in black or green indicate that mold has formed here.

BLACK MOLD IN THE BATHROOM: THAT'S WHY HE'S SO DANGEROUS

The black mold is counted among the Trichocomaceae , a family of molds. He is particularly noticeable because he leaves black spurs. It grows particularly well in a humid environment. In the bathroom, it is therefore often found. The infestation usually begins in room corners, since the moisture collects here. In addition to the aesthetic problem, black mold brings with it high health risks. It is assumed that black mold is involved in the development of the following diseases and symptoms:

•             lung disease

•             difficulty concentrating

•             fever and cough

•             bronchitis

•             difficulty in breathing

•             Gastrointestinal problems

•             allergies

Tip : The Federal Environment Agency has published a Schimmelleitfaden. Here are notes on the prevention, detection and control of mold infestation. If you want to know more about it, you can contact the Federal Environment Agency directly:

Federal Environmental Agency Headquarters

Wörlitzer Platz 1

06844 Dessau-Roßlau

Tel : +49 340 2103 2416

Mail: buergerservice@uba.de

Web: www.umweltbundesamt.de

If you would like to download the guide directly, you can do so at the following web address:

www.umweltbundesamt.de/.../schimmelleitfaden

REMOVE MOLD IN THE BATHROOM FROM JOINTS

Particularly affected by the mold are the joints. Today silicone joints are usually used in the bathroom. This is a problem with mold. Silicone joints can be wiped well. Most spores have already penetrated the material. A superficial cleaning does not solve the problem. Instead, it is recommended to replace the joints. If you want to do this yourself, you can do it in the following steps:

1.            The remove grout The grout can be removed with a knife. Care should be taken not to damage the tiles.

2.            Remove residues with a silicone remover: The remainders can be removed from the joint with a silicone remover. Only then can it be ensured that no spores remain. Then the joint is cleaned again.

3.            Use of alcohol : Now the joints are provided with alcohol. This can be bought in the pharmacy. The alcohol should work for 24 hours to kill the mold. Then the substrate is cleaned again.

4.            Masking tiles and inserting grout : The tiles are now masked with a masking tape so that the silicone compound does not get onto the surface. With a suitable cartridge, the grout is now inserted into the joint.

Finally, a joint smoother is used and the mass has to dry. After this process, the mold has disappeared from the bathroom when he has just sat in the joints.

Note : There are also special joint brushes. If it appears that the mold is only superficially available, cleaning alcohol can be added to the joint brush. With this, the joints can be rid of mold.

HOME REMEDY FOR MOLD REMOVAL IN THE BATHROOM

With mold in the bathroom, there are several home remedies that can be used:

1.            Alcohol Cleaning alcohol or methylated spirits are especially recommended for the removal of mold. It is a medical alcohol. This has at least 70% and can be bought in the pharmacy. It is also possible to opt for isopropanolto decide.The mold removal with alcohol is done in a few steps. It should always be done with the windows and doors open. To protect the hands, rubber gloves are used. Even goggles may be useful. Now a cloth is soaked in alcohol. The affected area is now cleaned with a rag. Another option is to apply the alcohol over a spray bottle and let it react. After he was removed from the surfaces, the mold should no longer be visible. Rags that have come into contact with alcohol and mold are thrown away.

2.            Hydrogen peroxide Also hydrogen peroxide can be bought in the pharmacy. The application is similar to the removal of mold with alcohol. The active ingredient should be applied to the affected areas with a brush and removed after a contact time.

3.            Mold remover There are special mold removers available on the market. They can be used against mold in the bathroom. However, some contain dangerous chemicals. Therefore, it is important to ventilate adequately.

4.            Paint against mold If mold in the bathroom also affects wallpaper , they should be completely replaced. Then you can work with a special color against mold. It is applied directly on the wall or on the new wallpaper and is intended to prevent the mold from forming again in the bathroom.

Important : The cause of mold formation should be investigated. If structural defects exist, the landlord must be informed if it is a rented apartment.

PREVENT MOLD IN THE BATHROOM: THE BEST TIPS

It is important to take care to prevent the mold in the bathroom. This works in different ways:

1.            Adequate ventilation Mold in the bathroom is created because the fungi have an optimal breeding ground due to their high humidity. If you want to prevent mold in the bathroom, you should ventilate regularly. After showering or bathing as well as twice a day scorching is the recommendation.

2.            Remove condensation forms on the windows or on the tiles condensate , it should be wiped off. If it remains on the walls or on the windows, it is also a breeding ground for mold.

3.            Use lime plaster Lime plaster is ideal in the fight against the mold in the bathroom. It is designed to absorb the vapor from the air. This reduces the humidity in the room and spores have no chance to multiply. The lime plaster is used in areas that are not exposed to the spray water. In contrast, tiles should be used for areas with a high spray load.

4.            Using hygrometers Often, it does not even happen that the bathroom has a high level of humidity. To be able to assess the values better, a hygrometer in the bathroom isrecommended. It displays the current values and gives an indication of when it should be aired again. The bathroom should also have temperatures between 21 and 24 degrees Celsius. The humidity should be below 60%.

5.            Using open-pored wood Wood in the bathroom is in trend and can prevent mildew in the bathroom. Open-pored wood is able to store liquid. For example, ceiling tiles or furniture with a surface of open-pored wood can help prevent it.

6.            Using Vinyl A very good material for use in the bathroom is vinyl. Vinyl is usually used as a floor covering. It has a smooth surface that is very easy to clean. It also has a very good grip. Even if the humidity in the bathroom is very high, residents will not slip on the floor.

7.            Cork for the floor or splash-proof areas Cork is a material that is waterproof and does not change its shape even in high humidity. In addition, it can be cleaned very well and thus provides no adhesion substrate for mold spores. When using cork should be checked at regular intervals, if there are cracks. If this is the case, the cork panels should be replaced.

8.            Insert bamboo For the floor in the bathroom, the handle is suitable for bamboo. The environmentally friendly material is reasonably priced and can be easily replaced if damaged in the ground. The cleaning is done easily and quickly.

9.            Cleaning surfaces There are only a few minutes left, but they can help fight the mold in the bathroom: cleaning the surfaces is especially important. After washing or brushing, the fittings should be wiped off and dried. This also applies to the fixtures in the shower and bathtub, as this can also form mold.

Important : If there is no window in the bathroom, an effective ventilation system should be installed. This helps to dry the air and to keep the climate in the bath comfortable.

CHECK MOLD GROWTH WITH MOLD TEST

A mold test gives information about the mold, how bad the bathroom is affected and how high the wall moisture is. Meanwhile, there is the mold test for home. With the help of small sets, tenants and owners can find out about the mold. However, the mold test for the home is not as detailed as a technically performed test. It is better to contact an expert directly. This can be a construction biologist, for example. Information about a building biologist nearby can be found here:

Professional association of German building biologists VDB registered association

Roggenkamp 21

21266 Jesteburg

Tel : +49 4183 7735 301

Mail : info@baubiologie.net

Web : www.baubiologie.net

Bundesverband publicly appointed, sworn

and qualified expert e. V. (BVS)

Charlottenstraße 79/80

10117 Berlin

Tel : +49 30 255938 0

Mail : info@bvs-ev.de

Web : www.bvs-ev.de

The mold test is especially useful if the infestation in the bathroom is already advanced and there are mold in other areas of the apartment. The report provides information about how high the burden actually is.