We have a problem with mould in our shower and are considering purchasing a bathroom heater as the bathroom is damp encouraging the mould. Unsure whether to get a ceiling heater/lamp to run all day (but we don’t need an exhaust fan as we already have one) or another type of heater that is safe to use in a bathroom. We have limited wall and floor space. Have looked at ones that you plug in to a socket and fix on the wall, but it appears some of these have been banned in the UK and are probably getting taken off the market in Australia.
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Welcome @Elaine2!
Some useful ideas from CHOICE:
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If possible leave the bathroom window open after finished in the bathroom for the the purposes of showering for the day, use a window squeegee to remove as much water as possible off the shower area walls and doors, If the shower has a door, leave the door ajar after showers have finished. Leaving the door open helps to dry any moisture left in the cubicle after use, similar to how a washing machine door should be left open after clothes washing has finished. Use a moisture absorbent in the bathroom, leave it in the bathroom except when showering (or cap/close it while showering). Clean the shower area regularly, to stop build up of soap scum on the surfaces (even if we can’t see it, it is there).
Another product that may help is clove oil. It does have a strong scent/smell, so that is something to be aware of. About 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon (a teaspoon not a tablespoon) to a litre of water in a spray bottle. Use a light spray on hard surfaces, a litre bottle should last near a year, it is to be sprayed only lightly, and shake the bottle every so often as the oil doesn’t mix well. Avoid breathing the mist in, though in the small quantities in the mist it should not be harmful. Some people mix the oil with a little detergent (a couple of drops) to make the oil mix better.
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Thanks heaps. I did know about using vinegar/clove oil cleaner and have to organise that. All the other things you mention we have already been doing, except for ‘moisture absorber.’ Didn’t know there was such a thing. I’ll get one.
We only moved into this house 18 months ago and it looks like the previous owner had the same problem and has tried to hide it by using a silicone grout over the mould and now the mould is showing through, even on a few of the tiles. I still think that a heat lamp fitting with a second extractor fan would help to dry the air as well. Choice doesn’t appear to have investigated heat lamps. Leaving the window open is a bit of a ‘no no’ as we live in a coastal area where there is a lot of new development and dust is a problem, particularly as I have a lung condition. If the mould still doesn’t leave after trying the remedies it looks as though we shall have to have the grout removed and replaced with the new type silicone grout that doesn’t get mouldy.
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DampRid and similar are desiccants, they adsorb moisture. They have to be replaced when they are completely “used”. If doing all the other things except the window, then the adsorber will take the moisture out of the surrounding air.
There are many brands of the adsorbent.
If mould is behind the tiles, you are better off getting them removed and the shower cubicle properly cleaned and prepped. There also rubberised sealants to keep moisture from penetrating the wall material. After that get the area tiled again. There are anti mould products that can be added to the grout to help provide mould protection. If the mould is low down, you may only need to remove one or two courses of tiles to take care of the area.
If the mould is just growing in the silicone/mastic sealer, then often complete removal of all the existing sealer and then sealing again will provide the desired outcome. We once needed this done and we used a professional tiler to carry out the resealing of our shower, I don’t have the required skill to make a neat job. Some people don’t remove the old sealant and just reapply the new silicone, this doesn’t fix the problem. It simply disguises the problem in a cosmetic manner for a period of time until moisture causes regrowth of the mould.
Some Bunning advice about the silicone mould issue.
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Thank you for your help. Looks like we may be up for a fair bit of expense.
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The silicone replacement job wasn’t that expensive. If you or someone in your family are able to get down and do the work it can be even cheaper, just the materials to do the job and the time.
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In addition to the above, it might be worth squeegeeing the shower out (wall tiles, floor tiles and also glass) after having a shower. This removes excess water and allows the shower/bathroom to dry out quicker. A wet shower keeps the air in the bathroom damp longer.
We do this after the last shower for the day as well as leaving the bathroom door open when not in use. This ensure that the bathroom has a chance to dry out as much as possible to prevent mould etc.
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We have ‘old school’ smaller tiles in an open concept shower. 1/2 height wall and no door. Dual exhaust fans in the ceiling and for warmer days a window.
Regardless we wipe the wall tiles with a chamois cloth after every shower when it will not be used again for an hour or more; this soaks up the water in the grout valleys a squeegee alone would miss.
The floor tiles can be a problem because of the amount of water that pools in the crevices, so we periodically scrub the grout and tile to keep anything from starting.
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You said earlier that the room already has an exhaust fan, but the persistent dampness and mould suggests to me that it isn’t extracting the moist air efficiently. If it’s not window-mounted, it should be ducted to the outside (not just venting into the ceiling). Check that there’s a good airflow into the fan when it’s running, and a similar airflow emerging from wherever it’s exiting to. If not, the fan itself might be weak, or there might be something obstructing it.
Note also that the exhaust fan should be running while someone’s showering. If it’s only run afterwards, a lot of extra moisture will already have condensed onto every surface, where it can’t be removed by the exhaust fan.
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If the bathroom door and windows are closed, the fan might be ineffective as it is trying to create a vacuum as their isn’t opportunity for air inflow. It might mean installing a vent towards the bottom of the bathroom door, taking a slither off the bottom of the door to increase the gap or installing (more efficient) ventilation grills on the bathroom window.
We are currently exploring additional vents as our own extraction fan struggles when the door and window is closed, making extraction inefficient. We currently keep the door ajar to improve airflow.
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Our bathrooms have exhausts into the ceiling with whirly birds on the roof 24x7, so no moisture build-up. If one has exhaust fans into the ceiling cavity and no whirly bird or power roof vent there could be more serious problems after decades of moisture build up, so taking a look in the ceiling should be a priority if it has not been done.
After showering we use a chamois cloth on the wall tiles to get the water from the tiles and from the grout between the tiles. The floor tiles pool too much water to chamois because of the tile and grout pattern so we scrub the grout and tile periodically at the first sight of any discolouration as well as spray a diluted vinegar solution on the grout every few months.
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Yes, I meant to mention that. If the bathroom door is well-sealed even a good fan would be ineffective when it’s closed.
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Bosistos Shower and Bathroom cleaner is Super , Eucalyptus based
Thanks for that info. Will definitely get whirlybirds and now leaving the window open whilst showering and overnight.
Thanks for that info. I have been leaving the bathroom window open whilst showering although it’s COLD and also leaving it open overnight.
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Our exhaust fan is into the ceiling cavity. Thanks for reminding me about whirly birds. We don’t have any in this house that we recently moved into, but we had two of them at our previous house. I will organise at least one over the ensuite. Also, will use a chamois instead of a squeegie as the squeegie allows water to remain in the grout. Vinegar is good. Will be making up a vinegar and oil of cloves solution to spray on the tiles. Hopefull we can get on top of the mould without going to the expensive of retiling etc.
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Haven’t heard of that one before. Will look out for it.
Use Microfibre to dry Glass and Tiles leaves a clean streak free finish , then hang outside to dry
My Bathroom tips are tried and proven
Bosistos available at Woolies
Please don’t discount a squeegee off entirely: it does an efficient and quick job at removing water from wet tiles, doesn’t have to be squeezed off like a chamois which becomes quickly saturated and can leave water marks.
A microfibre chamois could be used after the squeegee to dry and polish off the surfaces completely.
PS Could be that the tiles in your bathroom are square edged ones (preferred look at present) with a thin, flush, line of grout, much easier to ‘squeegee’ off.
