Black mold growth in silicone caulk

[C & E]

Seven years ago I stripped out the old caulk around the base of the tub surround. The last caulking was at installation seven years prior but this last seven it has grown faster and further. So, is there an anti-fungal caulk? I looked in the box stores and asked the help but no go in both. Any ideas? Chuck PS Yes, we have a fan and use it.

[ransley]

You need a really clean surface for caulk to seal and to have no mold. After all caulk is removed I would kill any mold with laundry bleach, treat the area with some sort of acid, maybe Lime Away or Muriatic acid [ which will cause problems you have to be carefull of] to remove all residue that will keep new caulk from bonding to the ceramic rather than to lime and soap scum. then scrub the area real clean with a regular soap. I bet water leaks behind and caulk didnt bond to contaminents. Try laundry bleach now to see if it clears anything up, and your bath area is to humid, it isnt the caulk, its the wall.

[norminn]

It is amazing how much soap scum can cling to tile and not be obvious. Cut/scrape out the old caulk. Use razor scraper to scrape crud from tile. Use CLR and non-abrasive plastic scrubber to clean tile. Wipe area to be caulked with full-strength bleach, let dry. Shape the new caulk like a cove molding...little round "ropes" of caulk trap water and crud that grows mold.

I keep the shower curtain "stacked" in the middle of the rod so's air circulates to both sides of shower...seems to help. Still get a little mildew down in back corners, but not much. Have timer on the exhaust fan and generally run it about 1/2 hr. after shower.

[Jeff The Drunk]

DAP Silicone Ultra All-Purpose 100% Silicone Sealant w/Microban.

Or other brands with anti-microbial properties. However the best defense is keeping it clean and applying it so it doesn't retain water. A shot with something like Clorox Cleanup a couple times a week doesn't take long and insures that mold or other microbes won't get a foothold in the first place.

[C & E]

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OK, gotta stack the curtain. We spread it to prevent mild on the curtain but those liners are only a sacraficial $1. All else is spot on. Thanks, Chuck

[C & E]

Thanks. This is new since the last time I caulked, I believe. I can't get the rest of the family to wipe down the walls after shower and spray the after-bath cleaning/ anti-fungal products.

[norminn]

I have a clear, heavy vinyl shower curtain....it gets nasty, but I take it down and put it in the washer with a couple of towels. Gets a little stuck-together but not to an irritating extent :o) When they are shot, I wash them and save for drop cloths. Present curtain has been washed at least 4 or 5 times.

[Fake ID]

For several years now I've used a 2nd (spring-loaded) curtain rod to hold the curtain out in the middle of the tub (when not in use). The curtain gets to be spread out, not make contact with anything but the

2nd rod, and allows for ventilation under and around the curtain. The curtain doesn't build up a crust of bacteria nearly as fast but still needs to be washed every year or so. The tiny bathrrom also gets a couple extra square feet of usable floorsapce since once can stand next to the tub without rubbing against the shower curtain. m

[vjp2.at]

There is an antifungal paint additve from Linsser.

But I don't think Silicone gets mold the way latex does.

Pour liquid bleach on the mold then cover with a damp cloth to make the fumes go deep.

- = - Vasos Panagiotopoulos, Columbia'81+, Reagan, Mozart, Pindus, BioStrategist

---{Nothing herein constitutes advice. Everything fully disclaimed.}--- [Homeland Security means private firearms not lazy obstructive guards] [Urb sprawl confounds terror] [Phooey on GUI: Windows for subprime Bimbos]

[Rudy]

If its TRUE silicone, the paint won't adhere to it