I have mold under my caulk in my bathroom. I just removed the caulk. Are there any recommendations on something to clean it up with that will stop it from coming back? Also, are there any anti-bacterial caulks that work well?
Jim
Yes, there is mold resistant caulk.
When caulking be sure to fill the voids behind where the final bead is applied. That will reduce ugliness later.
Yeah. Thanks. That was what I used last time. I think it was Dap acrylic bathroom caulk with Micro Ban. The mold grew back immediately. We've been spraying tilex on the outside But I'm positive the mold is coming from behind the caulk.
Just curious if any pros out there have a special line of products to suggest. I know this is a boring topic and there probably won't be many suggestions I haven't already thought of but if there is something that works it sure would be nice not to have to do this job over and over.
Jim
Pure silicone resists mold buildup.
Pure silicone resists mold buildup.
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I was thinking of going silicone because the acrylic was sort of a disaster. Thanks.
Jim
Are you also resealing the grout when you recaulk, to keep the BACK of the caulk dry? They time interval for my caulk looking yucky got a LOT longer when I added the step of painting all the grout lines with the clear sealer stuff. The caulk also takes a lot longer to fail and detach from the joint.
Need to do it again, but it is several hours labor, and a 3-4 day downtime to let the wall dry completely after caulk removal and bleaching/scrubbing, and after caulk application for curing. I don't like my backup shower very well.
Didn't think of it. Thanks.
Jim
Have you seen the sealer applicators that are basically a squeeze bottle with a brush attached. Sealing grout with one of these is a snap. I've done a 6" tile, tub-surround, in a lot less than an hour. The floor in less than fifteen minutes.
No one has specifically mentioned using full-strength Clorox style bleach to kill all the existing mold, If the caulk is gone, use a pump sprayer to apply the bleach, working it into the spaces, etc. Then allow 2 or 3 days to thoroughly dry before applying silicone sealer and caulking. Use a fan to help dry out the bleach. Are you sure no water is geting behind the surface from a leak higher up on the wall?
No one has specifically mentioned using full-strength Clorox style bleach to kill all the existing mold, If the caulk is gone, use a pump sprayer to apply the bleach, working it into the spaces, etc. Then allow 2 or 3 days to thoroughly dry before applying silicone sealer and caulking. Use a fan to help dry out the bleach. Are you sure no water is geting behind the surface from a leak higher up on the wall?
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I hope not. The wall looks pretty solid but I'll check again. While I'm sealing the grout under the caulk I'll re-seal the grout between the tiles too.
Jim
"JimT" wrote in news:7-6dndy7Gt2Hw3HRnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@posted.toastnet:
Remove the old caulk from the gap. Spray the gap with a 5% solution of bleach in water. Any residual black mold should disappear. If it does not, keep laying down the solution until it does. Might take the better part of a day. Keep the gap wet with solution. A scrub with an old toothbrush can help with difficult areas.
Let dry overnight, wipe away any powder, then apply silicone caulk in the gap. It does not matter if the silicone is anti-fungal or not.
To keep the new caulk from blackening, spray with the bleach-solution once a week, or whenever you start seeing black mold again.
This approach will last over a decade, if not longer.
makes sense thnxs
I think that is just about exactly what I'm going to do. Thnxs
Jim
That is exactly what I use, but if I have recaulked (even in spots) I gotta wait several days for it to cure, or it pulls out of the joint in a week. The sealing step is trivial, once the grout is scrubbed, bleached, and dried.
Nuflex.
302Nothing beats it for seams on a wet location.
Hopefully someone in your area carries it.
I'll look.
Jim
Advice I received from a pro was to clean the surface completely of soap film, etc. (already done) and do a final wipe with full strength bleach. Let it dry, caulk. I also used denatured alc. to clean first.
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