Did you know that mold is a type of fungus and that some species can actually be harmful to your health? Unfortunately, it is very easy for mold, especially grout mold, to grow throughout your home. All mold needs is a place with a bit of moisture and warmth in order to start growing.
However, there are a few ways you can prevent mold growth in your home. Keep reading more below and learn more about how to keep bathroom mold out of your home for good.
Make Sure Your Bathroom Has Good Airflow
Most people are used to taking a shower or a bath and then closing the bathroom door behind them when they’re finished. However, if you do this, you are trapping all the steam and moisture in the bathroom where it can seep into your walls, ceilings, and floors. Mold loves to grow in warm and wet environments, and by keeping your bathroom stuffed with moisture, you are creating the perfect breeding ground for mold.
Even if you turn on a fan in the bathroom after your shower, it still might not be enough. The best thing you can do is leave the door to the bathroom open once you’re done in the shower. If you live alone, it might be beneficial to leave the door open while you’re taking a shower so the steam can dissipate rather than remaining stuck in the bathroom.
This is especially true if you take very long baths or showers. If your bathroom has a window, you should always keep it open during or after your shower. This will make sure that steam doesn’t build up too much in your bathroom in the first place.
It will also allow for cooler, dryer air to enter your bathroom to counteract the steam. To prevent mold growth after your shower, you should try to keep the windows and doors open for as long as you can, even if your bathroom doesn’t seem to be steamy anymore. Moisture can stick around for longer than you might realize and it’s always best to make sure that your bathroom is completely dry before you close the doors and windows again.
15 minutes is a good amount of time to leave your windows and doors open after your shower. This will prevent any condensation or buildup of moisture.
Clean the Bathroom When You Can
Even if you are very careful about ventilating your bathroom, you might still end up having to deal with black mold exposure in your bathroom. Even if you take quick, cold showers, there is still a chance that grout mold can form because all it needs is a little bit of moisture. Fortunately, having a regular bathroom cleaning routine can prevent mold from growing in the first place.
Mold tends to first start to grow in corners and in tile grout. That’s because such places are more protected compared to other surfaces that may be harder for mold to attach to. For that reason, you should go out of your way to clean off your bathroom’s tile grout and corners, especially in the shower and the area surrounding the shower.
You can clean your bathroom before or after your shower. However, cleaning after your shower may be better because you can wipe away any excess moisture and fungal spores that may be trying to condensate on your walls and floors. You can use a towel or a sponge for this task since both tools will be able to remove any debris that might allow for the growth of mold.
However, a sponge is best for softer surfaces while a sturdy washcloth is often better for scrubbing grout. A sponge might not be strong enough to remove any debris from the tile grout and you might wear out your sponge as a result. On the other hand, a washcloth is made of a stronger material that will be able to remove debris from the grout without any problems.
There are some cases in which you might not be able to remove grout mold. Clean off as much as you can, then buy fast drying grout seal to cover the grout completely.
Don’t Keep Moist Objects in the Bathroom
Besides resealing your grout (which can reduce moisture penetration into the grout) keeping moist objects out of the bathroom will also help to reduce the growth of mold. For example, some people might leave their towels bundled up on the floor after their shower.
This is a bad idea because wet towels can keep contributing moisture to the bathroom even if most of the moisture in the room already dissipated. For that reason, you should always hang your towel out to dry so it will dry out along with the rest of the bathroom. You could also toss your towel into the laundry if it is especially soaked.
Shower curtains are also big moisture-magnets. For that reason, you should invest in a shower curtain that absorbs as little moisture as possible. Cloth shower curtains are the worst because they take a very long time to dry and in that span of time they take to dry, mold has plenty of opportunities to start growing.
Plastic shower curtains are better because they repel moisture and don’t hold onto water for long.
Everything You Need to Know About Preventing Grout Mold
Grout mold can be hard to deal with once you have it, but there are plenty of ways to prevent it from growing in the first place. By keeping your bathroom dry and by cleaning your grout on a regular basis, you shouldn’t have to worry about grout mold in the future.
To learn more, explore the cleaning section on our website.