Stains on bathroom tiles. How to clean the seams in the bathroom from mold and mildew with the help of folk remedies and household chemicals. The consequences of mold formation
Keeping a bathroom clean can be difficult. Due to the high humidity, there is a high chance of mold growing between the tiles.
These bacteria not only contaminate the coatings, but can also harm the health of apartment residents. This article will discuss how to remove mold in the bathroom between the tiles on the wall and what preventive procedures need to be carried out to prevent its recurrence.
Causes of mold formation
Most often, the fungus forms in a damp or frozen room.
Mold spores are even in an empty dwelling, as they move in the air.
They spread quite rarely, for this they need good conditions- high temperature and high humidity.
Because of this, mold is sometimes found in a frosty room or a room with good ventilation, but in the bathroom the appearance of such bacteria is almost guaranteed due to the high temperature and constant use of water.
Molds are very harmful to health
Mold can form on almost any surface.
The main reason for its formation is an increased level of moisture, up to 80% is considered the norm.
As soon as the humidity overcomes this mark, mold begins to grow on the damp surface, forming colonies.
If you do not prevent the spread of bacteria in time and do not reduce the humidity in the bathroom, small stains can increase significantly in size and cause much more damage.
Harm from different types of mold
The fungus Aspergillus niger is very dangerous for humans and is poorly removed from the premises.
There are quite a lot of varieties of such bacteria, but they can all be divided into 3 large groups:
- blue fungus;
- mold fungus;
- decay fungus.
The greatest danger to the bathroom is mold fungus. It can form on concrete, brick and paint. There are times when its formation on the tile is practically not noticeable.
Mold damages finishes and building structures, and can also cause significant harm to human health. Volatile substances can enter the body through the lungs and cause a number of severe diseases: asthma, allergies, dermatosis, and others.
The first signal of the appearance of the fungus is a severe migraine.
How to get rid of high humidity
The best thing to do is to arrange effective ventilation and monitor leaks.
Before removing the fungus in the bathroom, it is necessary to create conditions that will prevent its reappearance. The temperature cannot be changed, but it is quite possible to reduce the humidity. To do this, search for pipes with a possible leak.
It is not uncommon for an imperceptible crack in the pipe to cause the formation of a puddle that was not immediately detected. If such defects are found, they will need to be eliminated immediately.
The next thing to do is to ensure good ventilation. If a natural circulation broken, you will need to install in the ventilation opening special device. Prevention will prevent the formation of mold in the bathroom and save the tenants of the apartment from various ailments.
Fungus removal methods
If the tile was nevertheless subject to mold attack, you will need to get rid of it immediately, otherwise it can spread throughout the bathroom, forming on the ceiling, floor and even a mirror.
There are 2 ways to get rid of mold:
- folk with the help of improvised means that everyone has on the farm;
- with the help of special means, such as antiseptics.
Folk ways
Professional solutions for cleaning walls from mold and fungus appeared not so long ago, before that, home-made compounds were used that have high efficiency in the fight against mold. Some of their species can also harm humans, so precautions must be taken before using them: wear protective clothing and gloves. Detailed overview folk remedies, see this video:
Use alcohol or creosote ester
First, you need to assess the extent of the spread of bacteria. Small black formations will not present great difficulties; a construction knife and a swab treated with a cleaning solution for plumbing are enough to eliminate them. Large lesions with a width of more than 10 cm will require more serious solutions.
A good way to clean mold is tar-based creosote. It is used for processing sleepers and wooden buildings to prevent possible rotting. The mixture is a burning liquid yellow color with a pungent odor.
Spray vinegar over the affected area
Creosote does not dissolve well in water, so it is better to use alcohol or ether. The substance can be harmful to health, so after the treatment is completed, the mold remover will also need to be removed.
The best solution for cleaning mold in the bathroom is ordinary white vinegar, which is used by almost everyone in the household. The product is natural and safe for health, the only thing left after processing is bad smell, but it will gradually fade. How to remove the fungus in this way? Getting rid of mold with vinegar is carried out as follows:
- vinegar solution is poured into a spray bottle or moistened with a rag;
- the affected area of the tile is processed;
- after the solution has dried, they are passed over the surface with a stiff brush;
- the wall is washed with plain water.
Hydrogen peroxide is also good at killing fungus.
Ordinary vinegar will get rid of 80% different types fungus, so that, despite the safety for the human body, such a remedy is also extremely effective way clean the wall from mold.
Hydrogen peroxide is also a very effective option for cleaning walls from fungus and mold with your own hands. The composition has antibacterial properties, so that the destruction of small accumulations of mold will not be difficult. However, after peroxide, a slight whiteness may form on the surface of the coating. The procedure is the same as when processing with vinegar.
In addition to the methods listed above, to remove mold, there are other equally effective solutions:
- baking soda;
- bleach for linen;
- ammonia;
- boric acid;
- household chemicals with the addition of bleach.
Special antiseptics
How to clean tiles with an antiseptic? Antiseptic formulations are good choice If necessary, remove mold in the bathroom. Solutions are not expensive, but they have good efficiency in the fight against bacteria on tiles. Similar mixtures from different manufacturers can be found in almost every hardware store. For an overview of the mold remedy, see this video:
Apply the solution to the surface and wait
The most popular are the following solutions:
- You can get rid of the fungus on the walls with the help of the Antifungal antiseptic. It will be equally effective as during repair work, and in case of accidental detection of mold. How to remove bacteria? The solution is applied with a roller or brush on any coating. The advantage of this composition is its safety.
- You can also wash the mold with the help of the MIL KILL latex emulsion. It can be used to treat rooms with high level moisture. Due to environmental safety, use in the kitchen and bathroom is acceptable.
- You can remove mold on the walls in the bathroom using the DALI antiseptic from the Russian brand. The solution is suitable for both the destruction of bacteria, and for simple prevention. It has no color and is completely safe for people or pets.
In the bathroom, as in any other room, the formation of fungal bacteria is unacceptable.
If they are found, they should be cleaned up immediately.
If you want to save money, there are many ways to clean with home remedies, but maximum efficiency allow only special antiseptics to reach.
Removing mold in the bathroom is a must-have solution not only for the aesthetic appearance of the room, but also for health. Why is mold most common in the bathroom? What is the reason for this, as well as methods that will allow you to get rid of mold in the bathroom, let's try to consider in detail.
Options
How to remove mold in the bathroom? In total, two effective methods can be distinguished:
- chemical agents;
- folk ways.
But not so bad to get rid of mold in the bathroom, it is important to remove the mycelium. That is, the center where the bacteria are located, spreading black spots over the entire surface of the room. Usually the mycelium is hidden. It can be under a layer of plaster, even under a tile. In this case, the mold on the tiles in the bathroom will be removed simply, but will appear periodically.
The bathroom is an ideal environment for the growth of fungus and mold. Several factors influence this:
- high level of humidity;
- lack of natural light (or its extremely minimal degree);
- poor air circulation: the bathroom is a place that is very difficult to ventilate, with the exception of the layout, where a window is installed in the room, but this is very rare;
- high temperatures, their differences.
Black mold in the bathroom not only worsens appearance premises, it is extremely hazardous to health: it can cause various infectious diseases. Most often, with constant contact with mold, candidiasis, asthma, allergic rhinitis, etc. can develop.
Appearance
Three indicators are enough for mold to permanently settle in the bathroom:
- lack of ventilation;
- uneven heating of the room;
- permanent water procedures (drying clothes, washing, etc.).
By eliminating the cause, the effect will be eliminated. The first and most important springboard for the appearance, spread of fungus and mold will be the walls and ceiling. Attention! Many believe, while erroneously, that by destroying blackness, the mold will be defeated! But it's not. The mushroom body is located at least half a meter from the manifestation. Therefore, to erase a black spot with soapy water means doing nothing to eliminate the fungus.
Naturally, there is special agent from mold in the bathroom, but it will help if you process all the walls with it or find a specific mycelium. And this must be done if the blackening began to increase.
Definition
Black mold belongs to the genus of fungi. Its development may not appear for a very long time. The most serious causes of occurrence will be - heating the room to a constant temperature of +20 degrees, dampness, moisture.
It is poorly attached to the surface, as a result of which it quickly scatters into microparticles that can enter the upper respiratory tract. This causes serious infections.
Struggle
It is best to use multiple antifungal agents. You can choose them in the department of household chemicals or in a pharmacy. To begin with, let's look at the algorithm of an offensive operation against mold, after which we will move on to choosing an effective weapon against the fungus.
So, at first it is important to remove as much of the surface layer as possible. Naturally, if we are talking about plaster or paint, the option will be simple. But in the case of tiles on the walls, this is much more difficult to do.
When processing, it is important to use protective equipment. It can be rubber gloves, a respirator or a cotton-gauze bandage. The fact is that not all chemicals are safe. Therefore, it is better to protect yourself from possible harmful effects.
The last step in preparation will be a thorough drying of the room. For this you can use heat gun or another heater to dry the bathroom well. Perhaps this will take several hours, and perhaps a day: it all depends on the size of the room.
Choice of funds
Copper sulfate is one of the most affordable powders used to make a surface treatment solution. This material is an excellent fungicide.
Attention! Copper sulfate is toxic! When working with it, it is important to use protective equipment, as well as carefully follow the instructions.
- Solution: 100 grams of vitriol per 10 liters of water.
- Use a brush or sponge to apply. It is applied carefully in several layers. Where there are small gaps or seams, you can moisten the cotton wool and apply it for a few minutes.
- Then rinse the surface well and dry.
Bleach
You can use the most ordinary chlorine solution. The proportion is 10 ml per 1 liter. It can be applied with a sponge, cloth or sprayer. It is not necessary to wash the surface. You can use baking soda to eliminate the smell.
Special antifungal agents
In most cases, they already come with a sprayer and do not require additional processing. They can be roughly divided into two groups:
- household - used to remove mold at home;
- industrial, for example, products that are used in construction to remove biocorrosion.
Such funds are sold, as a rule, in construction hypermarkets in special departments. Usually they are packed in a liter container. The dispenser is a cap. Proportion 1 to 1: 1 cap per liter of water. The main active ingredient that helps in the fight against mold is quaternary ammonium compounds, as well as guanide derivatives. Substances can be toxic, so safety precautions must be observed when working.
among the people
Everything would be fine with chemical mold removal, but what if the house has allergies? In this case, chemistry is absolutely contraindicated, but life with mold is unacceptable. This is where old grandmother's recipes and remedies come to the rescue. Let's take a look at them in more detail, especially since for a certain group of people this can be a really saving alternative.
soda and vinegar
These are generally two universal means that are not only used in everyday life, but also used in cooking. Soda with vinegar, or more simply - acid and alkali, give a good reaction that can actively act on the mold, destroying it. The recipe is simple: apply baking soda to the stain. In order for it to be applied better, the surface can be slightly moistened. After that, vinegar is applied to the affected surface. A chemical reaction takes place, foam is released. After that, it is enough to wash everything off with ordinary detergent then dry.
It is good to use oil to clean tiles or tile joints. tea tree diluted in 400 ml of water. You need 2 tablespoons of oil.
The composition is applied with a sprayer or sponge, it does not need to be washed off. For greater comfort, you can carry out the procedure at night so that the remedy has time to act.
A hydrogen peroxide solution will quickly remove the mold. This requires: 2 shares of peroxide, 1 share of boric acid, 4 shares of water and 2 shares of vinegar. This composition works well on the surface. If it is necessary to remove blackening between the bathroom and the wall in hard-to-reach seams, you can moisten cotton wool, a bandage or a piece of cotton rag with a solution and leave for a while.
How to remove the smell
Everything is quite simple. If the walls, between the tiles, the ceiling or the floor are free from mold, there will be no smell at all. However, there are a few recommendations that will not be superfluous and will allow you to forget about mold forever.
- constant ventilation or installation of powerful ventilation is a guarantee of the absence of a “greenhouse effect” favorable for mold;
- good waterproofing of the water supply system - lack of dampness, an ideal environment for fungus;
- floor heating, wall heating, heated towel rail, etc. - if the room is dried, there will be no place for mold in it;
- sealing cracks in the wall;
- periodically wiping the seams with a solution of baking soda.
If you follow the recommendations, as well as monitor the cleanliness of the bath, mold is unlikely to appear again. However, do not worry if the blackness is repeated, as already indicated, it is far from always possible to recognize and remove the mycelium, sometimes this requires overhaul. Therefore, if mold reappears, you should immediately get down to business.
The fact that the black and gray plaque on the walls and ceiling in the bathroom is unaesthetic, not the most a big problem. It does the most harm to health. The consequences of getting toxic spores into the lungs or bronchi can be the most unpredictable. Treatment after this will require a long and serious.
Therefore, if black mold is found in the bathroom, how to get rid of it must be addressed immediately. Otherwise, it will quickly penetrate deep under the tile, and it will not be easy to remove it from there. Our article is just devoted to ways to deal with the fungus - in this material, we examined in detail the best purchased and folk remedies for removing mold at home.
Mold intervention is inevitable if the room:
- poorly ventilated;
- it lacks natural light;
- condensation forms on pipes and wall decoration;
- pipes leak at the junctions;
- it doesn't heat well.
Even one of these factors creates favorable conditions for its replication. While she did not have time to crawl into other rooms, urgent measures must be taken. We read more about the danger of a person's neighborhood with black mold.
And mold spores can get inside through the window, picked up by a draft, they penetrate through front door. They can be brought on shoes and outerwear and she has other ways. Well, the bathroom for the fungus is the most fertile zone.
If you do not immediately remove the water from the bath after bathing tiles, an environment comfortable for mold will appear. In just 24 hours, his colony can increase 9 times
Where to look for fungus?
Even if visually it is not immediately possible to detect traces of the presence of mold, you should look for it in places hidden from view.
It can be:
- corners of walls in contact with the bathroom;
- gaps between tiles;
- places where plumbing fixtures adjoin walls;
- under the baseboards in the area of the sink and bath;
- on the ceiling;
- under the rug on the floor;
- in wooden sheathing;
- in cups for hygiene items.
Having penetrated into other rooms, spores, if they do not germinate, retain their ability to reproduce for a long time and only wait for favorable conditions.
It is impossible to get rid of them completely, but it is quite possible to create unsuitable conditions for their development.
The best store-bought mold repellents
In the old days, this problem was solved radical method- just left the house infected with mold fungus. Now there are many other ways. Let's consider each of them in detail.
Remedy #2 - Tea Tree Oil
This non-standard method gives a good result, because. mold microorganisms are sensitive to the components that make up this aromatic oil.
The usage pattern is as follows:
- Buy a vial of tea tree oil.
- Hands need to be protected, so rubber gloves are also needed.
- Take a spray bottle and pour water into it.
To 500 ml of water add 2 large spoons of aroma oil. Stir the mixture, pour into a bottle, shake. After that, the tool can be used for processing.
After application, the mixture does not need to be washed off, it should act. Since the product is natural, it is safe for people and pets.
It is sprayed on the affected surface, then the fungus is collected with a cloth. To enhance the result, it is advisable to repeat the procedure and leave the treated area to dry naturally.
If the walls in the bathroom are badly damaged, a more concentrated solution is needed - 20 ml of oil per 1000 ml of water. Processing is best done with a brush with a long handle.
Since the product has a specific smell, it does not disappear quickly. To protect the walls from possible black mold damage in the future, you can add a little oil to the paint. This will stop the development of the colony in the event of a thorough penetration of mold into the thickness of the wall.
Remedy #3 - Hydrogen Peroxide
This tool is available and inexpensive. You don't need to do any manipulations with it. It is simply poured into a container with a spray bottle and sprayed undiluted. After a 15-minute exposure, the treated areas are wiped.
Not every surface can be treated with a preparation such as 3% hydrogen peroxide, since it tends to bleach some materials. For reinsurance, you need to check its effect on a small area
With the same success, perhydrol can be replaced with furatsilin or copper sulfate.
Remedy #4 - Boric Acid
Borax, borax or boric acid is the name of one drug. Half a glass of the substance is diluted in a liter of water. Tile joints and other places where mold is found are cleaned with a stiff brush dipped in a solution. After some time, the treated areas are wiped with a dry cloth.
There is one unpleasant moment in this process - the substance is not entirely safe, because. it irritates the respiratory tract. Therefore, gloves and a mask must be mandatory when processing borax.
It is also advisable to work in the absence of children and pets.
Remedy #5 - Aqueous Ammonia
Non-porous surfaces in the bathroom are well cleaned and disinfected with ammonia. The ammonia is simply applied to the plane using a sponge or cloth. Increases the effect of adding glycerin in a small amount.
Minus - toxicity. Because of this, it can cause irritation of the mucous membrane and even poisoning.
The mixture is left on the surface for one hour, then washed off with water. When using ammonia, you need to know that it evaporates by 50% of the initial volume and does not always have time to react.
Like boric acid, ammonia gives off an odor that is very strong and pungent. This can cause irritation.
Remedy #6 - Chlorine Bleach
This simple tool poses a threat not only to home mold, but also to street mold.
The active component of "Whiteness" is an inorganic compound sodium hydrochloride. It has disinfectant and antiseptic properties. In the bleach of the working substance 3 - 6%
The percentage of chlorine in "Belizna" is very high, hence such a good disinfecting effect. Among all the improvised means considered, bleach is the leader. It also works well on (various wood surfaces).
The downside is toxicity. Because of this, it can cause irritation of the mucous membrane and even poisoning.
Remedy #7 - copper sulfate
This drug kills mold from tiles, primer, plastic. It must be diluted with water. The proportion is 100 g of the substance per 10 liters of liquid. The solution is applied to the surface with a brush, it is better to do this in several layers. For prevention, a remedy is also applied around the area with mold.
In this state, everything is left for a while. Next, you should wash the treated areas and ventilate the room. The product is toxic, so you will need a respirator and gloves to work with it.
When planning to use this or that remedy for black mold, it is necessary to take into account a number of features. First, it is impossible to remove this scourge by washing off with warm soapy water and manganese. Even if it is possible to eliminate black plaque, disputes will remain. Having received a new nutrient medium in the form of warm moisture and the components that make up the soap, their colonies will multiply even faster.
Two years is enough for black mold to destroy building structures. In favorable conditions, she will not stop at the bathroom, but will capture new territories.
Secondly, it is impossible to avoid the re-invasion of mold after removing it mechanically. At the same time, spores will remain and continue their reproduction.
Thirdly, high positive temperatures, like very low ones, are not able to destroy mold spores. Their presence will only stop growth. As soon as favorable conditions return, the mold will continue to grow.
Fourth, the smallest cracks in the bathroom wall need to be repaired, and walls that are in contact with the street are better. The floor mats in this room should be dry, and it is even better to make a warm floor here.
Fifth, it is advisable not to dry wet laundry in the bathroom. It will become an additional source of moisture. When zonal surface treatment does not help, you will have to make repairs throughout the room. For this purpose, buy products intended for use during repairs. Add them to putty, paint or whitewash.
The process of renovating a bathroom is labor-intensive, it requires both time and finances. But it is almost impossible to deal with old mold in another way.
Pay attention to the primers, which are based on acids, other components that are detrimental to mold.
How to prevent mold?
This uninvited guest feels comfortable in a room where there is no ventilation and drafts in conditions of high humidity - from 80% and a temperature of 20⁰. Based on this, it is necessary, first of all, to create an environment in which mold cannot develop in principle.
To maintain constant humidity levels in the bathroom, you do not need to close the door tightly. If this measure is not enough, you will have to. You can put a door with special holes for ventilation or drill them yourself, then arrange them with decorative rings.
The door model with holes evens out the temperature inside the bathroom. Ventilation holes are in the form of circles or rectangles. They are performed in several zones or one and masked with a decorative lattice
More effective way- in the air duct. The hole is closed with a ventilation grill. Switching on and off can be done with the light switch.
The best option is to install a hygrometer and connect it to the fan through a sensor. Once the humidity reaches the upper limit, it will turn on the fan. When the value of the humidity indicator falls, the device turns on again.
You can buy a ventilation grill and mount it yourself, but then the integrity of the door leaf is violated.
Conclusions and useful video on the topic
Getting rid of harmful fungi in the bathroom:
Fungus on the tile and its destruction:
As you can see, it is easier to prevent a fungal infection in the bathroom than to deal with it or make repairs. Be sure after successfully overcoming the problem, do not forget about preventive measures and the fungus will no longer appear. The main thing is normal air circulation, ventilation.
Mold in the bathroom is a common problem that almost everyone has experienced. Usually, it occurs due to high humidity and dampness. The appearance of mold spoils the appearance in the bathroom and poses a threat to health, as the causative agent is a fungus, which, if ingested, can cause serious illness.
At the first manifestations of mold on the seams of the tiles, measures must be taken. To do this, there are a number of methods and means designed to completely destroy this problem. Let's consider the issue in more detail.
Reasons for the appearance
Fungus in the bathroom can start even if the room is regularly cleaned and cleaned. There may be several reasons for this:
- constant high humidity;
- low level of ventilation;
- it is possible that the tile is laid poorly in violation of the norms;
- frequent water procedures;
- regular washing and drying clothes;
- elevated air temperature.
Two conditions are important for the reproduction of the fungus: the presence of moisture and heat. If at the same time the room is rarely ventilated, then for him it is generally a “paradise”.
Anti-mold products in the bathroom
Before you start cleaning, you need to choose the right tool:
- Household chemicals - any anti-mold products in the bathroom that contain chlorine. They clean the seams well and disinfect them, providing a long-term effect ("Whiteness", "Domestos").
- Antifungal agents - they contain a whole range of bactericidal and antifungal components that most effectively destroy mold and disinfect the treated surface (Polymix, SiF).
- Folk remedies are vinegar, baking soda, alcohol, blue vitriol and hydrogen peroxide. All these products have properties to destroy fungi and bacteria, although their effectiveness is noticeably lower than industrial household chemicals.
Required inventory
After choosing a cleaning agent, you need to decide on necessary tools and other ancillary items. It is necessary to prepare:
- ordinary brush for cleaning tiles and tiles;
- rag;
- rubber gloves;
- bucket for cleaning agent;
- hard sponge;
- respirator;
- plastic bottle with a hole in the cork.
Household chemicals
How to get rid of mold in the bathroom? The process of cleansing with standard antifungal drugs or household chemicals:
- We prepare a solution in a bucket.
- Pour the solution into plastic bottle with a hole in the cork.
- Using a bottle, we spray the solution in places where mold accumulates and leave it for the time specified in the instructions for the industrial product. A cloth can be used to evenly distribute the liquid.
- We take a toothbrush or a regular brush and begin to rub along the seams over the mold, cleaning it off.
- When all the mold is removed, the entire bathroom is thoroughly rinsed. warm water 2 times and leave to air with the door open.
Attention! During work, rubber gloves, tight clothing and a respirator should be used. Any anti-fungal agents are toxic, if they enter various parts of the body, mucous membranes or lungs, they can cause poisoning.
Folk methods
Consider a few folk methods removal of mold on the seams between the tiles.
Vinegar
Application rules:
- Using a brush, vinegar is applied to the seams affected by mold.
- We are waiting 10 minutes.
- We rub the seams with the hard side of the sponge until the fungus completely disappears.
- Rinse off the vinegar with warm water and wash the bathroom with a regular tile cleaner.
Baking soda
Step by step:
- Pour baking soda into a container.
- we wet toothbrush in warm water.
- Dip the dampened brush in baking soda.
- We sew the seams.
- We wash the treated areas with water and wipe with a dry cloth.
Ultrasonic rats and mice: which one is better? Look at the overview and characteristics of popular models.
General rules and effective methods fight against spider mite on the indoor plants described page.
blue vitriol
Method of preparation: 100 g of vitriol per 10 liters of water.
Application: same as vinegar (see above).
In some cases, the fungus can penetrate deep into the seams. In this case, before using cleaning products, you need to clean the seams with a screwdriver or a nail to mechanically remove the mold, and only then begin the main work.
Prevention of the appearance of the fungus
Fungal mold is more difficult to fight than to prevent. Preventive measures:
- after water procedures, keep the door open for a while;
- use a towel dryer to dry towels;
- do not dry clothes in the bathroom or do it with the door open;
- all utensils on the washbasin should always be dry (soap dish, glass for toothbrushes);
- monitor the ventilation in the bathroom;
- timely repair pipes and other plumbing equipment;
- regularly remove moisture (condensation) from the ceiling and walls.
Getting rid of mold on the seams between tiles is quite difficult, but doable. For a complete cleansing, you will have to apply a large number of efforts, so it’s worth starting to do this at the first appearance of the fungus. Otherwise, it is able to penetrate deep into the seams and it will be much more difficult to remove it. Cleaning products should be selected based on the severity of mold damage. In the simplest cases, vinegar or baking soda will help, and in more serious cases, industrial antifungal drugs.
The following video looks at five ways to remove fungus (mold) from bathroom tiles:
The bathroom is associated with light, cleanliness and freshness until mold appears in it. Unfortunately, this room is ideal not only for water procedures, but also for the active life of a fungal infection under appropriate conditions.
In order to determine the methods of preventing the fungus, you need to figure out what contributes to the appearance of the room.
- Humidity. In bathroom high humidity is always present. Adoption hot bath or a long stay in the shower, bathing a child, hanging things after washing - all this contributes to the splashing and evaporation of water, as well as its leakage into leaky joints and cracks.
- The temperature in the room is about 20 °C. The bathroom does not have heating. Most often, one of the walls is external or driveway, and, therefore, cold, which is a good reason for its insulation. At this temperature, condensation always forms on cast iron pipes. Therefore, it is necessary to use an electric heated towel rail.
- No window. In many apartments, and even in private houses, the bathroom is a room with a doorway and an exhaust vent. Very rarely there is a small window to the kitchen. It is the lifeline through which humidity is regulated. However, a window is not only a regulator of moisture in the air, it is important for the bathroom to get natural light, because ultraviolet radiation adversely affects the fungus, destroying it. Has anyone seen a fungal infection in a room facing the sunny side?
- Insufficient ventilation. If in new buildings the air ducts are not yet clogged, then in buildings 10-30 years old, air circulation through ventilation leaves much to be desired. This contributes to the fact that moist air stagnates.
- Leakage of water, taps, pipes.
- Lack of antifungal treatment of walls before repair or when fungus appears.
- Closed door.
A frequent phenomenon that creates not only the appearance of order, especially with accumulated washing, but also a favorable environment for the reproduction of mold.
Even the presence of several of the above factors contributes to the fact that the fungus in the bathroom appears and actively spreads.
As a doctor would say, “Prevention is the best cure!”
A combination of several of the above factors already contributes to the development of mold. Therefore, all efforts must be devoted to preventive measures, without waiting for the appearance of black or green plaque. It will be beneficial to create the following conditions.
The presence of mold not only spoils the appearance, but also harms human health. The spores of the fungus and its waste products are not only on surfaces, but also in the air. So, they can settle on the skin and enter the body through the respiratory tract.
The fungus contributes to chronic intoxication, which manifests itself in weakness, causeless headaches, causes allergic diseases, fungal skin lesions, respiratory diseases, in particular pneumonia, asthma.
If there is a fungus in the bathroom, then along with it there is an unpleasant smell, which, even after prolonged ventilation, returns again.
If the bathroom has a closet in which towels are stored, they will also become saturated with this smell and fungus over time, naturally.
You can see unpleasant black spots on ceramic tiles, grouting, silicone sealants, wooden and metal structures, even under tiles on concrete or brick, on walls, on floors, on ceilings.
There are two types of anti-fungal agents:
- folk:
- professional.
Regardless of the agent used, safety precautions must be observed when working to remove the fungus.
Spores of the fungus are quite easily cleaned from surfaces, they are volatile and easily settle on the skin and mucous membranes when air is inhaled. Fungicides and antiseptics can evaporate and be toxic.
In order to protect yourself, you must follow safety precautions and use protective equipment:
- rubber gloves
- respirator
- brush, brush or washcloth for applying the product
- container for preparation of treatment agent
- protective glasses.
Choice of professional chemicals on the market is quite diverse, and is represented by products of both domestic and foreign manufacturers. These are antiseptics and fungicides.
For those who care about the bathroom at the stage of repair work, the antiseptic primer "Anti-mold" is kindly presented.
In most cases, these solutions not only have an unpleasant pungent odor, but are also toxic, which requires strict adherence to protection techniques.
First you need to remove the fungus in the bathroom from all affected layers, up to concrete or brick, if necessary. This is followed by the stage of treatment with a fungicidal agent and an antiseptic. And the final stage is a waterproofing mixture.
For those who are afraid of "chemistry" and extra costs, it is better to try removal using folk methods.
Often, the fungus in the bathroom affects sealants and joint grout so deeply that even repeated treatment with antiseptics does not give a positive result. To remove it, it is necessary to carry out a complete replacement of silicone or grouting.
Get rid of bad smell possible only with the elimination of the fungus. Any ventilation, no matter how thorough, is powerless and temporary.
is a complex process, but quite feasible. The sooner all weapons will be aimed at preventing the occurrence, spread and removal of fungus in the bathroom, the sooner the bathroom will please with its safety and cleanliness.
Mother of two children. I have been running a household for more than 7 years - this is my main job. I like to experiment, I constantly try various means, methods, techniques that can make our life easier, more modern, richer. I love my family.