Have you ever come across some black or dark green colored dirt on your wall tile and shower tile? This is nothing but mold. It thrives in bathrooms because of the excess humidity and water. A thorough mold removal becomes absolutely necessary else it can be dangerous to your health. This article throws light on the dangers of mold when left unattended and also guides us on how it can be removed.
What is Mold?
Mold and mildew are a type of fungi that can grow both outdoors and indoors. There are thousands of types of fungi and mold is just one of them. There is a certain love affair between dampness and mold. It thrives in humid and warm conditions. Mold and mildew spread quickly by reproducing from their spores.
Characteristics of Mold:
- While indoors, mold and mildew breed on dampness and moisture and therefore shower is their favorite place.
- Another important characteristic of mold is that it can spread over the entire tile surface overnight.
- While outdoors, mold and mildew love to breed in shady damp areas or places where you can find decomposed vegetation.
Where Does it Develop inside the House?
Mold generally develops on porous natural stone tile, grout and on shower caulk indoors.
- Natural Stone Tile:
As stone tile is porous, it tends to absorb water. The moisture leads to mold and mildew growth.
- Grout:
Grout is a mixture of sand and cement which is filled in between two tiles to join them. It is very porous and absorbs all kinds of liquids and spills. The moisture and stagnant water in the grout leads to mold and mildew formation. As a result, grout looks dirty and stained.
- Shower Caulk:
Many people get caulking done in their showers to seal all the corners. This caulk tends to crack in dry settings and peel off in wet settings. The areas where the shower caulk has cracked or gone missing provide favorable circumstances for mold growth. Mold in shower caulk is a common occurrence as caulking is not a permanent solution to sealing shower corners and has a short lifespan.
Consequences of Mold:
- If you don’t take the best mold removal solution, mold and mildew will ruin the look of your tile and grout. Some people are highly sensitive to mold and mildew. They can get intense reactions in the presence of mold such as eye irritation, rash, wheezing and runny nose.
- Mold breeds wherever moisture is present and as tile and grout are porous, you can expect mold breeding inside the surfaces.This makes the surface lose its sheen and integrity. It will also lead to a bad odor, rendering your shower areas very unhygienic.
- Workers working in farms are exposed to large quantities of mold. They also get affected with severe reactions such as shortness of breath and fever.
- Those who have a weak immune system or have been taking cancer treatment are more likely to get mold infections.
How can Mold be Removed?
There are several cleaning agents available in the market for removing mold. While removing mold from tile and grout, you need to ensure that you do not use an acidic cleaner as it can damage the tile and cause etching. Mold does not thrive in a place which is well-ventilated and dry. Ensure that you keep your surfaces dry at all times. Do not keep carpets in bathrooms and basements.
You need to follow a systematic procedure for efficient mold remediation which has been explained below:
- Cleaning:
The first step involves a thorough cleaning using a deep soaking cleaner. Use an efficient cleaner which penetrates deep inside the tile and grout and eliminates mold and mildew. Especially in wet areas like bathrooms, it is very important to remove the mold from grout in showers from the root level, otherwise there are more chances of it breeding again.
- Caulk Removal:
The second step involves removing the caulk. We stress on caulk removal because mold quickly prowls on the corners where the caulk has peeled off and lays its roots there. Caulking is not a permanent solution and it also looks quite bulky. There are better epoxy resin based sealers available in the market which act as the best caulk replacement products. These sealants seal your shower corners ensuring that mold and mildew will not breed on the corners.
Ways to Prevent Mold:
Just like a thorough cleaning done with the proper cleaning agents helps to remove mold, there are some steps which can prevent further mold breeding:
- Sealing Grout:
People often just clean the grout, but it is not the permanent solution. After cleaning grout, it is recommended to seal the grout lines to prevent further issues. As grout is very porous, sealing grout with effective sealers ensures that a waterproof surface is created and it does not absorb any water or moisture. If grout becomes waterproof, it will discourage mold and mildew growth.
- Sealing Tile:
Just like grout, you should seal your tile too for preventing mold and mildew breeding. You can use some water-based sealers which penetrate deep inside the porous tile, shutting all the voids, thereby eliminating chances of mold and mildew formation. Water-based sealers add a luxurious sheen to your surfaces along with forming a hydrophobic layer on them. Tile sealing is the best solution for permanent mold removal.
Mold should not be ignored at any cost. Leaving it as it is will not only have unpleasant consequences on your interiors but will also pose health hazards on your family. If you’re facing stubborn mold and mildew issues which are difficult to handle alone, you can contact D'Sapone® – one of the leading mold removal companies, to offer you professional and long lasting results along with a 5 year labor warranty.