mold in the shower

January 7, 2004 6:45 AM

For you home improvement types - we moved into our first house last July, and since then I've been battling some mold in the shower. It's not bad, but despite my attempts to banish it, the critters keep coming back - right at the seam where the shower wall meets the tub.

Will simply recaulking the seam fix it, or will it eventually come back through the new caulk as well? Any, ahem, natural remedies for ridding our shower of the stuff?
posted by tr33hggr to home & garden (7 comments total)

The source of the mold is probably behind the shower wall and leeching over. The solution usually depends on the type of mold. Caulking may cure some but not all. It is worth a try though.
posted by mischief at 7:24 AM on January 7, 2004

A little agent orange, judiciously applied will do the trick.
Absent that, there are caulks with anti mold agents in them. Be sure to liberally clean the joint with lots of bleach after removing the old caulk and before recaulking.

And then try and apply a lot of the mold fighting caulk in and behind the wall on first application.
posted by Fupped Duck at 7:33 AM on January 7, 2004

Mold fighting caulk eh? Excellent. Thanks for the advice!
posted by tr33hggr at 7:35 AM on January 7, 2004

Or you can wipe the shower down with a towel each and every time you use it which will also eliminate smells.
posted by oh posey at 8:40 AM on January 7, 2004

each and every time you use it

Ideal, but I'm usually in too much of a rush in the morning!

oh posey, you are damn cute!
posted by tr33hggr at 11:31 AM on January 7, 2004

We got a little shower squeegee, which takes about 1 or two minutes to use. If you squeegee your shower, the water runs into the tub, and you don't get such a humid, mold-conducive bathroom ecosystem.
posted by websavvy at 12:08 PM on January 7, 2004

I have to second the squeegee proposal. It has kept our showers practically mold-free. Once you have it as part of your routine, it just takes a minute and the time you save later in mold fighting is well worth it.

I also remember reading a cute Internet tale about a guy who kept a couple snails in his bathroom. They came out of their little snail houses at night and ate away all the mold. He found certain snails liked certain types of mold, and kept different kinds. I did a quick search and can't find that essay, but maybe someone else can.
posted by girlhacker at 3:18 PM on January 7, 2004