Pink stuff build-up on shower floor

On my shower floor, I seem to get a strange pink build-up over time that I have to constantly scrub away. There are certain areas on the shower floor where water sits after a shower, and those areas seem to have the most pink build-up, so I'm assuming it's something in the water that's left over when the water evaporates.

Has anyone heard of something like this? What is this pink stuff? There are a few spots where I cannot get the pink stuff off no matter how hard I scrub...

(The shower floor/walls are not made of tile, but... eh, some kind of hard plastic? That's my best guess.)

Thanks! Chuck

Reply to
NoSPAM!
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Could be soap, shampoo, or conditioner. Give the after-shower spray a try--I found most any brand works. Start with a clean shower, then use the spray everyday. You will have to clean your shower less often and it will be easy.

Reply to
Phisherman

On Fri, 22 Aug 2003 08:07:48 GMT, NoSPAM! scribbled in red crayon: >

Do you use a self-tanning cream? I have found that certain self-tanners leave a strange almost rose colored residue when showered off.

Reply to
Karen

it is a form of mold just use bleach.

Reply to
charlie karnes

It's the fluoride in the water. Can't do much more than you are doing except maybe use a squeegee and dry it off.

Dave in Columbus

Reply to
noone

There is no fluoride in the water where I live - not yet at least.

The pink stuff appears to be some form of mold. I get it where water has collected in the bathroom around the tub area or sink where it's dripped...in the bath that doesn't get lots of use, it is sometimes around the water's edge in the commode.

Bleach takes care of it.

Dorothy

Reply to
Dorot29701

I get this in my shower too, mostly in the summer. Definitely a form of mold. Bleach works, or use a mildewcide.

Reply to
Tom Miller

On Mon, 25 Aug 2003 01:31:25 -0400, Lloyd Randall scribbled in red crayon:

Interesting. Thanks for the information.

Reply to
Piper

Hi, I have had a similar problem and thus a visit from our water company. Our problem has been caused by dirty water coming out of the taps, but the guy did say that had it been the pink mould the best treatment for stains was Miltons sterilising fluid. (used for baby bottles etc). Especialy around sink taps where you may be drawing off drinking water and don't want to use bleach.

SB

Reply to
sandra bonathan

Milton Sterilising Fluid used to be water with 16% salt and 1% hypochlorite (chlorine bleach). Now it has 2% hypochlorite. That's like 1 part salt, 2 parts household bleach, 3 parts water.

They recommend soaking hands for 20 minutes, so I guess it's easier on the skin than plain bleach. The pH of salt water is about 7, so I would expect it to make the bleach work faster while being less caustic. I'll see if I prefer it to the mixture of baking soda and bleach that the fruit-packing industry has found so effective.

Reply to
Lloyd Randall

Are you going to make up a mix of your own or buy in some Milton Fluid? Cost wise Milton is quite pricey compared to household bleach

Reply to
Dawn

I just tried it to soak my feet. A quart of water, a teaspoon of salt,

2 teaspoons of bleach.
Reply to
Lloyd Randall

In hot water? You could soak some whites at the same time but.... "if your feet fall off, don't run crying to me" :-) My bleach bottle states " not to be used for sterilising baby equipment "

Reply to
Dawn

Hi Lloyd,

I have this problem, too, and I was also informed that it was caused by bacteria. It comes right off when I scrub with a little shampoo on a scrunchy, but reappears quickly. Tends to appear in the jets of my whirpool tub, and along the edge of the shower curtain.

Questions for you: is this bacteria harmful to my family members? None of us are suffering from UTIs or pneumonia. Could it cause other health problems, such as skin infections?

And why does remodeling projects tend to bring this on? My house was recently remodeled. My previous house never had this problem. Am I to assume it's something in the air here at our new house, and not something one of us is carrying on our body?

You have me curious... more info, please, if you have it...

jen

Reply to
shinypenny

What's in the bleach? If it's just hypochlorite and water, I can think of three explanations. First, chlorine bleach harms some plastics; it might be due to the high pH. Second, without something to lower the pH, chlorine bleach may be a very slow disinfectant.

Third, it seems to me that bleach with water is hard to rinse away. (It seems to rinse off better if it contains baking soda.) Maybe they're afraid that enough would remain to form carcinogens when the milk was added.

Reply to
Lloyd Randall

Water with equal amounts of bleach and baking soda may kill the spores to keep it from coming right back. For a vertical surface, you can also make a paste of bleach and baking soda.

I once had a recurring problem with black mildew along the bottom of the bottom channel for my shower door, on the outside. Then I cleaned it with borax. Light-brown traces of the mildew remained, but it never grew back. If a surface isn't going to be exposed to lots of water, minute borax residue may stop microbes pretty well.

It used to be considered completely harmless because most people have no trouble with it. Some strains are probably worse than others, but this kind of bacterium is all around us.

Remodeling raises dust that may have been in the walls for example. It may have blown in through a door or window. Somebody may have brought it in. High-school experiments with petri dishes show that people normally carry lots of germs around.

Would you believe people who know me well are constantly commenting on how little I know? If I argue with them I just get into more trouble.

Reply to
Lloyd Randall

sodium hydroxide, sodium hypochlorite, surfactants

Reply to
Dawn

Thick bleach? I don't know why they add bleach. The lye would hold the pH high, which is good for shelf life but not for bleaching.

Reply to
Lloyd Randall

I prefer thick bleach. It's so CLINGY !

Reply to
Dawn

Many experts agree that the bacteria that causes these pink stains is most likely Serratia marcescens, a bacteria which is found naturally in soil, food, and in animals. Serratia, which produce a characteristic red pigment, thrive on moisture, dust, and phosphates and need almost nothing to survive.

The pinkish film often appears during or after construction or remodeling, when dust and dirt containing Serratia bacteria are stirred up. Once the bacteria is airborne, it will seek a moist location in which it can grow. Some people have reported that the pink residue only appears during certain times of the year, when their windows are left open for most of the day. This bacteria is present in a number of environments and wind can carry the airborne bacteria or stir up dust in which the bacteria is present.

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...Looks like they've got it figured out. I've grown Serratia marcescens for college level microbiology experiments, I can confirm that if it's well fed it produces an extremely brilliant red pigment.

Reply to
gyiddip

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