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How do I Remove Shower Mold?

Rebecca Mecomber
Rebecca Mecomber

The bathroom contains all of the ideal ingredients for a concoction of molds and mildews: it's damp, generally dark and generates vast amounts of bacteria-laden water droplets that mold and mildew love. Shower mildew is generally red or green, depending on the species of the fungi. Black mold is considered to be the most toxic mold, causing health problems such as asthma and other respiratory problems. Although a plethora of special mildew and mold cleaning products glut the supermarket shelves, you can remove shower mold with a few basic household products.

Cleaning shower mold requires a good amount of elbow grease — this means you'll be scrubbing a lot — as well as an acidic disinfectant to kill the mold spores. Household white vinegar consists of acetic acid, a mild nontoxic acid that kills most shower mold and mildew. Chlorine bleach kills mold and mildew but produces harmful fumes and skin reactions for those with sensitive skin. Try using vinegar to remove mold and mildew before moving on to the more caustic materials.

Cleaning shower mold requires strong cleaning solutions that usually contain bleach.
Cleaning shower mold requires strong cleaning solutions that usually contain bleach.

For removal of shower mold and bathtub mold, mix equal amounts of white vinegar — acetic acid — and hot water into a bucket. Wash the walls of the shower unit and the tub, then rinse it off when you're done. In stubborn areas, apply undiluted vinegar. Vinegar also removes hard water deposits and stains. Several applications might be required to completely clean mold and water stains from the shower and tub.

White vinegar will remove most shower mildew and mold.
White vinegar will remove most shower mildew and mold.

For removing shower head mold and mold in tile grout, add just enough baking soda to create a paste. Smooth the paste onto the affected areas. Allow it to sit for a minute or two, then scrub it with a stiff toothbrush or nylon brush and rinse it off with water.

Severe stains can be treated with diluted chlorine bleach, but wear rubber gloves to protect your skin, and open a window to provide sufficient ventilation. Mold cleanup is vigorous work. You might not see instantaneous results for very severe cases. Apply the solutions several times if necessary.

Rubber gloves should be worn during exposure to mold.
Rubber gloves should be worn during exposure to mold.

The old proverb "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" rings true for bathroom mold. To prevent shower mold from forming, run the ventilation fan after every shower. Maintain a clean environment by regularly scrubbing the walls, tub, shower and shower head with a bleach or vinegar solution. In the event of a stubborn case of mold, consult a professional.

Discussion Comments

Sporkasia

Animandel - When you're trying to figure out how to get rid of mold without the heavy odors of cleaners there are ways. If you are concerned about fumes then try the baking soda as mentioned in the article. Using the baking soda paste will require more scrubbing than using a liquid would, but the baking soda is easier on the nose. It's even less obnoxious than the vinegar.

Animandel

I have used the chlorine bleach for shower mold removal and it worked well. However, the smell and the fumes were overwhelming. I thought I was going to succumb before the mold did.

After that experience, I decided to use vinegar and it works well, also. I'm not sure which is better, bleach or vinegar. However, because of my sensitivity to the bleach fumes, I always use vinegar now.

Sporkasia

I worked at hotel one summer in the housekeeping department. One of our major projects at the beginning of the season was removing mold from the tile grout in the bathrooms. This was a seasonal hotel at a resort, so getting the rooms ready at the beginning of each season was a challenge.

Anyway, the manager gave us a spray bottle and bleach to mix with water and then spray on the mold. We were also given toothbrushes to scrub the grout. Removing the mold took a bit of elbow grease and you had to work at removing it all, but it wasn't overly difficult with our mold killer tools.

Still, scrubbing mold covered showers wasn't one of my most enjoyable projects of the summer. Fortunately, the summer improved as it went along.

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    • Cleaning shower mold requires strong cleaning solutions that usually contain bleach.
      By: nys
      Cleaning shower mold requires strong cleaning solutions that usually contain bleach.
    • White vinegar will remove most shower mildew and mold.
      By: indigolotos
      White vinegar will remove most shower mildew and mold.
    • Rubber gloves should be worn during exposure to mold.
      By: aleksandra_1981
      Rubber gloves should be worn during exposure to mold.
    • Altough chlorine bleach kills mold and mildew, it also emits harmful fumes and can cause problems for people with sensitive skin.
      By: Ariwasabi
      Altough chlorine bleach kills mold and mildew, it also emits harmful fumes and can cause problems for people with sensitive skin.