House Cleaning Tips: Bathroom Mold Prevention

Removing the mold in your home has become an important topic in recent years. I remember hearing on a talk show about cleaning with a mixture of bleach and water will kill mold. However, prevention is always better especially since mold will stain the walls. Otherwise, you'll find yourself needing to paint. Mold is serious, and if you have asthma, mold will aggravate your condition.

A bathroom shouldn't be carpeted

The bathroom is the worst area for carpet because of all the moisture. Mold almost always grows under the carpet in bathrooms. When someone told me that they were going to put carpet in their bathroom, I pleaded with them not to do it because I knew what a huge mistake it'd be. Considering their daughter had asthma, it was an even bigger mistake. However, they didn't believe me and did it anyway. But it didn't matter since they didn't live there long. A better alternative to carpet in the bathroom is to have a rug on the floor. Just be sure that you're willing to wash it and occasionally replace it, or you're better off having nothing on the floor but a towel.

Opening the bathroom window

I've seen homes designed without a window in the bathroom. And those homes have mold in the bathroom. I do not feel this is a coincidence. I would never buy a home that didn't have a window in the bathroom. Opening the window helps to prevent mold. Whether or not you have a window in the bathroom, you should also run the bathroom fan until the steam is gone. Wiping everything down in the bathroom with a mixture of bleach and water, including the walls, will also help to prevent and kill the mold that is already there. When looking for mold in the bathroom, look behind the toilet. That dark area back there is a perfect place for mold to hide.

Hang up wet towels

Placing wet towels in the hamper may make the bathroom look clean, but it's only on the surface. Wet towels and washcloths in a dark hamper make a nice breeding ground for mold. Towels should be hung up until dry and then placed in the hamper.

Replace the shower curtain periodically

If the bathroom is used by a lot of people, the shower curtain should be replaced a few times a year. In between replacing it, the shower curtain can be washed in the washing machine. It can be a lot of trouble to take it down and then put it back up though. But it's well worth it to remove any mold that is already growing on the shower curtain. Bathroom cups, nasty soap dishes, etc. should also be cleaned. And if you use those bath sponges or puffs, those should be replaced every so often as well. If you don't, imagine what's probably growing in them after so many uses.