Masona, anyone - mould / Forever White.

[Traveller]

Hi All/Masona,

Mould appears around our shower tray and wash basin a bit too soon after the sealant has been newly applied; just a few weeks!

I have a few questions.

1) Masona, I have searched the forum and have come across your posts in which you say that there was not any mould after seven months of heavy shower use, with Forever White, even though you don't bother to wipe it. Unfortunatey, I have also read the post where Thermo states that mould has appeared within five months. I have also read that cheap sealant that has been well applied may work better in terms of mould than expensive sealant that is badly applied. So, I am thinking that since you don't wipe the sealant and yours has lasted seven months, it could be in the way you have applied the sealant, and was wondering if you could advise on exactly how you applied it.

2) For anyone who has had success in keeping mould away using a cheap sealant, I would love to know how often you clean the sealant, which product you use to clean it and by which method (e.g. scrub, spray, wipe and rinse off, etc).

3) What is the best way to deal with mouldy tile grout? Do I simply scrape away the mouldy bits with a screwdriver and then put some more grout on top?

Thanks alot everyone.

 

[JohnD]

mould in the bathroom...

tell us more about how it is ventilated.

 

[amyboo]

I never get mould anywhere on either grout or sealant in my bath/shower.... Is the room ventilated? We always open the window when we use the shower, and leave it open for a while afterwards to air the room - even in winter. I keep tiles and grout clean with Cilit Bang, as we don't get mould but do get a lot of limescale from ridiculously hard Belgian water.

 

[Traveller]

Hi JohnD.

The bathroom has a grill in the wall which is a flimsy plastic bendy thing, but it has a slider button that opens/closes the grill. We always leave it open and after any shower, open the window immediately. Unfortunately it is not possible to leave the window open WHILST bathing as it is too chilly.

Hi amyboo, yes the room is ventillated. We asked someone about having an extractor fan fitted but they said that it wouldn't make any difference.

Note - there is no mould at all on the ceiling/paintwork; only on the sealant/grout.

Thanks.

 

[JohnD]

We asked someone about having an extractor fan fitted but they said that it wouldn't make any difference.

That is incorrect. Best solution is to fit an extractor fan that comes on automatically as soon as the light is switched on, and continues to run on a timer after it is turned off.

By running during your shower it will prevent the moisture load from getting too great

by running afterwards it will remove some of what's left and some of what comes off the damp towels etc.

by running while people are washing their hands or using the WC it will keep the humidity lower and the air fresher.

by having it come on automatically you will defeat those people who have a psychological aversion to ventilation and will not turn on fans or open window until there is water streaming down the mirror.

the fan will suck (reasonably) warm air from the rest of the house, through the gap under the door, so it will not make the bathroom particularly cold.

A centrifugal fan is usually quieter and more powerful than an axial fan. One of the advantages of a quiet fan is that it prevents people grumbling about it being used. Fans typically use about 20W of power so will run for 50 hours on 13p of electricity.

 

[Traveller]

Thanks for taking the time for a very helpful and detailed response! Will certainly try to follow that advice asap.