To panic about what happened when cleaning my shower

[Jaxmaxx]

I have been cleaning my bathroom today. I had some orange/pink type mould which was on the shower hose and some on the tiles. I had gloves on and had been cleaning it with a bleach spray. I took my gloves off when finished and some of the mould got on my hands from the glove and I have a cut on my finger. I’ve researched what it is and thinks it’s S. Mercescens. I washed my hands straight away but when I read about the mould it says it’s very dangerous and can cause serious infections and even death. I’m really worried now that it will have got into my blood stream. Does any one know about this type of mould. I’m really worried.

You should probably see your doctor because honestly your anxiety around this is not healthy, you should get help with it.

Every shower I have ever known has developed that pink mould. I know no one who has died from cleaning their shower, nor have I ever read about it. I don't even use gloves when cleaning mine.

You do sound incredibly anxious, are you ok?

I'm assuming you cleaned out the cut when you realised?
I think you will be okay. All mould has the potential to harm you in certain cases. I would just keep the area clean and keep an eye on it x

Thank you for your replies. I do have health anxiety and I’ve worried myself more by reading up on it as it says it can enter the bloodstream and can cause infections that are resistant to antibiotics and even kill you. I did wash it straight away

Info. Seems very unlikely to be harmful.

What treatment and support have you had for your health anxiety OP? If none, please speak to your GP. If you've had support before, reach out to them again. All the best.

The bleach spray will have killed the mould so you will be fine.

I get health anxiety so I do get that the worry as I spin off about things. I don’t think you need to panic about your health anxiety either. A quick chat with the GP will alleviate and reassure, but generally it’s about noticing the reaction, allowing yourself to worry without judgement (don’t try and repress it) and noticing how it slowly fades away.

When I get health anxiety I do a lot of housework and chores I don’t like. Because I might as well as I feel rubbish. So when the health anxiety fades, your can feel relieved, but also virtuous and have done loads of stuff!

Serratia is a bacterium not a mould. By "researching" you mean "googling", don't you?
If you washed your hands you're fine.
This is health anxiety.

Sending a hug I have health anxiety as well and it’s awful. You will be fine xx

You went into a spiral- I get it. Honestly I think you're fine on the mold and the anxiety. If you had the grasp on reality to ask for outside opinions you knew you were being overly anxious, you just needed reassurance. Next time, don't google. Just don't!! I'm saying this as a fellow worrier 💜

@Jaxmaxx talk about overreacting. It's not mold, it's just harmless fat deposits from humans having showers, not lethal pacigens!!! Calm the hell down!!!

I get that you have health anxiety, it's not nice.
Put it in to perspective. Most people get that mold in their shower cubicles. I clean mine when I'm in the shower, I don't wear gloves. I bet most people don't. People often have small wounds. If this mold is really a big danger, that causes deaths. Don't you think we'd have heard more/had some warnings about it? Plus you would have had cleaning stuff mixed in with it. Try to forget it.

OP you will be completely fine.

Firstly, the mould will have been nuked by the bleach.

Secondly, millions and millions of showers have that stuff on - people cut themselves all the time as well. It’s a completely run of the mill thing to happen and you can definitely forget about it and not worry anymore.

I hope you feel a bit better. Don’t worry.

Please be kinder. You clearly have had the fortune of not knowing what anxiety is like. It’s not rational.

Hope you’re okay OP, and that the helpful comments have eased your mind. Stick an audiobook on and do some deep breaths, try to get some sleep and you’ll feel reset in the morning ❤️

I've lived with black mould in my bedroom for 8 years ongoing. I tackle as much of it as I can but it amps up at this time of year every year. Eight years of breathing in black fucking mould every night (I'm asthmatic), I've replaced blinds several times and use a window vacuum to get the running water off the inside of the windows. Landlady won't do a thing about it. It's destroyed several leather items of clothing and several pairs of shoes, I have to wash things frequently to keep the musty smell off them. I keep the windows open as much as I can but it's taken hold from the sheer amount of damp running through the walls.
Put too much pressure on the curtain rail in the living room and the whole thing comes down with a chunk of wall too. Sick of doing polyfilla, waiting a good week for it to dry and drilling again just so we can have curtains hung in the living room! They fell down again the other day and this is the sixth time I'm using polyfilla.
As things stand though, my landlady has not increased my rent in 8 years of us being here (probably because she's aware of the issue). I cant afford to move. Parts of the house like window sills and paint that have been infiltrated by mould would probably but deducted from my deposit if I tried to leave. But there's no house for this rent price any where near me. They're a good £300 plus.

*be

Wash your hands once under warm water with soap. Forget about it. All will be well.

I have this in the shower head I rarely use! Every time I turn it on there’s pink water flying out for 15 seconds or so. How do you get rid of this? No other tap or water in the room is affected. Just that one head.

And I haven’t died yet, my hands are always covered in some degree of wound

Thank you for the kind comments. It’s hard to reason with myself when I feel anxious but these comments have helped.

@Freshstart78 I have just cleaned it with a bleach bathroom spray and then wiped it down which has got rid of it for now but I think it does come back so just regularly cleaning with the bleach spray and also drying the tiles/shower after showering and keeping the room well ventilated

This has been going on nearly a year now. How am I supposed to clean inside a hose head without putting bleach in the water system? I might have to call a plumber to disconnect the whole thing and soak it. No idea how or why it started.

Your anxiety is a far more serious problem.

You'll be fine! I picked up seriously out of date (2 weeks!) chicken today that had fallen down the back of our overflow fridge, stinking and slimy ... I'm not worried - we have a highly effective immune system as humans - you'll be fine

Just replace the hose head? You don't need a plumber just screw it off and screw a new one on.

Zip lock bag full of white vinegar, strong rubber band.