What's the best way to remove the black mildew stains from the grout & caulking of a tile shower area? Tried bleach, helped but not entirely. Stores only seem to carry products for soap scum & hard water (lime away, CLR, etc).
TIA
Rick
If the bleach did not do it, then I suggest you may need to use some of that soap and hard water build product(s) to eliminate any deposits first. Then use the bleach. The bleach does work, but it may call for more than one treatment and does call for some scrubbing after to remove what remains. I also suggest that you may want to seal the grout after you get it clean.
You need more than just the bleach. Mix it with liquid laundry detergent in a spray bottle. Fill 50% with bleach, 25% with detergent and 25% warm water. Then spray away, and keep going over it until it's clean. Be aware that the fumes are noxious, though probably not toxic. If it's too cold to open the window, then you should probably hold out for a warm day. If your tile continues overhead, then protect yourself (unless you favor spotted blond hair).
This is a cheap concoction, so use all you have to. It will all come off in the rinse.
Keith
Thanks for the suggestions & the recipe, I'll give that a try!
Rick
I use one of two Tilex products, available in grocery and large drug stores. One is a foaming deep cleaning type, and the other is a liquid mold/mildew spray. They are both based on bleach, and they have nozzles and parts that dont seize up easily. I spray it on and leave it a few hours, then rinse it off. If the stuff is really bad, you can use an old toothbrush to brush in the liquid, then let it sit awhile. I mostly use the clear spray. I know it is much more expensive than bleach, but it is so handy. I find that once the work is done, the mildew is very slow to return if I sponge off the walls, tub edge, and tub floor and leave the curtain open after taking a shower. Got to get that air circulating to fight mold.
Try a Clorox Bleach Pen. Seems to stay in place longer and perform better than liquid bleach. You can get them in supermarkets and probably Bed, Bath and Beyond or Linen's and Things.
Sam
snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote: ...
Have you looked into a mold blocking sealer from Hardware store?
yeah, that mold is some nasty mess bleach doesn't remove the mold, it turns it light
seems like there should be a mold killler/blocker/sealer
I always lay a paper towel on the caulk, wet it with bleach and than lay some plastic wrap on it to retard evaporation. Let sit overnite. My guess is your going to have to remove the caulk because it always comes back after a week or two.
I've never had the 50% laundry bleach + 50% water fail unless someone had put a sealer on after the mold had already begun to form. Spray it on at let it soak into the grout and leave it alone for several days. If you don't get all of it the first time, apply again. Bleach will kill the mold and it won't come back for quite a while. The same concoction even kills and decolorizes mold on caulks for me, even silicone caulk. If the grout has been sealed and the mold is under the sealer, the sealer will have to be removed so that the bleach can get to the mold underneath.
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