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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

Original poster

mouldy bath sealant

26 replies

peanutbutter · 07/06/2006 11:37

our bath sealant is black with mould. we've stripped it and reapplied it over the past few years (hateful job) but it just goes black again.
Now, i read in the Guardian that bath sealant goes mouldy coz it's not cleaned often enough, so there's lots of tasty bits of our bodies for the spores or whatever they are, to live on. That's not the answer i was looking for because, although i do clean my bathroom, i obviously don't do it often enough or thorougly enough and that just isn't going to change i'm afraid. So - does anyone else have this? Does anyone know of something you can use instead of sealant that's resistant to this mould?

OP posts:
Ellaroo · 07/06/2006 11:39

Have you tried Dettol Mould & Mildew remover in a green spray bottle? - this is absolutely amazing and seems to shift most of it - mind your clothes though as I think it does have a bit of bleach in.

Original poster
peanutbutter · 07/06/2006 11:41

yes i've tried those remover type products. this is hardcore mould we're talking about unfortunately Blush so they don't make a bit of difference.

OP posts:
Ellaroo · 07/06/2006 11:44

Move house??? However, think Guardian article is not necessarily correct - during slight OCD phase Wink in my last pregnancy my bathroom was cleaned every morning for six months and new mould still appeared...how???!!!

Tinker · 07/06/2006 11:46

White nail varnish? Tippex? Random stupid desperate thoughts here since have same problem

BROWNY · 07/06/2006 11:48

I've seen a special Mould Resistant Sealant, especially for bathrooms in B & Q, might be worth a try. HTH

Original poster
peanutbutter · 07/06/2006 13:42

just got back in - thanks for the replies all. well we'll have to try something, i try to put people off from staying over because it looks so yuck. i'll try the new resistant stuff. or a gallon of white nail varnish Smile

OP posts:
southeastastra · 07/06/2006 13:58

i ve had this problem, only way to do it is reapply it ! and dont fall for those L shaped sealant tapes, they let in water. Ive found the 'gun' sealants work better than the tubes.

sandyballs · 07/06/2006 14:03

Lakland do a spray which gets rid of most of it - I tried everything and was very dubious about spending any more money on the bloody thing, but this did work. It's called HG mould cleaner

www.lakelandlimited.co.uk/product.aspx/solutions/clean!20284

Sorry, still can't do links Blush

hub2dee · 07/06/2006 14:10

I think it comes back because despite removing the offending (offensive Smile) mastic, the wall behind the bath is infected with the spores IYSWIM...

Bagpuss30 · 07/06/2006 14:17

I get my dh to do it Grin.

Seriously, what he did last time was to use cotton wool soaked in neat bleach, and then applied it to the sealant and left it overnight. Came up like new. We have also got sealant that is supposed to be resistant to mould etc but it doesn't seem to work.

MrsBigD · 07/06/2006 14:45

Just the thread I was looking for. Landlord had bathroom redone in November, all brand spanking new (but of course done on the cheap). Ceiling started moulding after 2 weeks again! And the seals nicely black speckled despite cleaning with all sorts of stuff on a VERY regular basis. I know it's clean but it looks so icky

Original poster
peanutbutter · 07/06/2006 14:54

really bagpuss30 - like new? i just can't see bleach working for us. the strip is about 2foot long and is almost totally black (i did say i was talking hardcore Blush ).

thanks for the link sandyballs, i'll bear that in mind but i'm going to do a mega trawl of google and see if there's a product that's non-silicone based and therefore truly mould resistant. i shall return [tosses cape]

OP posts:
Original poster
peanutbutter · 07/06/2006 15:02

well. what do you know? that took me about 4 minutes flat and i think i've found it by jove. \link{http://www.teleseal.co.uk\what do you think of this?}

OP posts:
MrsBigD · 07/06/2006 15:11

hmmm mould free for just under £40? even my landlord might go for that LOL

SaintGeorge · 07/06/2006 15:16

The main thing is to keep it dry, so even if you can't be arsed to clean straight after a bath/shower just make sure you wipe dry along the line of sealant.

I keep an old raggy towel in the bathroom just for that job and it has kept it mould free since I replaced the sealant 3 years ago.

plummymummy · 07/06/2006 22:11

Yes, I agree with St George - dry seal and open your bathroom window as much as possible to clear moisture from the air. We were advised to leave the light on after a shower as well - apparently the light repels steam/moisture???!! Another tip we were given (when we got bathroom redone)was to paint ceiling in white gloss to repel mould. That has definitely worked.

Orinoco · 26/06/2006 22:38

Message withdrawn

Jacmo · 14/05/2007 20:19

I am looking into this also, as our corners of bath and edges where a bath toy was stuck have gone black and it's minging (and emmbaressing).

My bro in law (almost) works for plumb centre and he says it has to be removed and replaced. We have a fan in our bath room and its made no difference. Also it only appeared when we had our daughter (now 18months). Lived here for 2years before and no sign of the stuff. weird.

Think I don't clean it often enough and as others above have said and my dad also...we have to wipe the edges after use.

Its a real ball ache to remove the silicone apparently so I keep putting it off. I also thought of desperate/lazy methods to hide said scum i.e. tipex white something...but haven't!

Thought I would share that with you all anyway and glad to hear it's quite common.

Why didn't our dodgy builder who fitted it use non mould sealant that's all I say...and does that work anyway?

Jackie

southeastastra · 14/05/2007 20:20

why does sealant not last that long though. i have to replace mine every year, it's a job i detest. it's probably because my dp is getting heavier and making it come away.

Pinkytea · 29/08/2008 12:17

I have a major problem in my bathroom with the sealant.
I have to keep re-doing mine every few months,
a) because it starts peeling or
b) because of the mould, both black and lovely pink mould that won't come off.

Q1
Does anyone know of a sealant that actually works? Perhaps a professional one?
Also is there a way of applying it so it looks even cos it always ends up a mess no matter what tools I try!!

Q2
One further question, is there a certain type of sealant I should use on the kithchen sink where the work surface joins the tiles on my wall behind the sink? Or can I use the same one?

I have the awful mould on mine, both pink and black types. Will try the bleach.

Bensonbluebird · 29/08/2008 12:34

We had to keep replacing the sealant round our bath and it is a job I detest too, so this time I have done it probably and it seems to be working. As you will see, I am slightly obsessed.

I read somewhere that the pink mould is caused by the pH of shampoos and soap, so rinsing the sealant off should help with that. I think the issue with black mould is ventilation.

It took me 2 evenings to scrape absolutely all the old sealant off with a stanley knife blade, then I put on a paste of oxygen bleach for an hour or so, cleaned the whole bathroom and left the room unused for 24 hours with the window open to let everything dry out.

If your bath has no movement when you fill it with water and get into it you can use epoxy grout as a sealant which works really well and doesn't seem to go mouldy.

If your bath does move do this:
First, you put a border of masking tape all around the bath at the width you want the sealant to be. Next, you use expensive silicone sealant (don't even bother with the cheap stuff) in a gun, and put a bead slightly bigger then the gap in the masking tape all the way around. Next (this bit is important to getting a neat finish) you spray the bead with a strong solution of washing up liquid. Next, you use a curved implement to smooth the bead all the way round the bath, wiping off the excess regularly with loads of washing up liquid soaked paper. Finally, peel off the masking tape and smooth down any edges that have been peeled up by the tape coming off.

If you have got any sealant where you don't want it, you can clean it off with very soapy water, if you leave it too late rubbing with talc works.

I hope we move before I have to do this again!

AMumInScotland · 29/08/2008 12:43

You can also buy stuff for removing old silicon sealant, from DIY shops. It makes it "gunky" again and you can smear it off - a bit of a mucky job, but quicker than scraping.

vitomum · 29/08/2008 12:58

sadly for me this thread caught my eye.

just yesterday i did all the tiles and sealant with that new Domestos product - GrotBuster. unbloodybelievable, it totally worked. Much better results than the dettol one. i dread to think what is in and and didn;t let ds in the bath last night cos i was afraid it might not have all rinsed away.

but can i just reitterate - IT WORKS

solo · 30/08/2008 17:08

I have this too, but only in a corner that seems to trap water from our daily showers. I believe the only answer is to replace it and when I do, it'll be with a mildew resistant one!

Lotte69 · 29/08/2014 09:46

Ok, I think this thread is dead as it's very old but, I'm going to resurrect it as I've found a sealant that really works!! It doesn't have silicone in it and that's 'why' it doesn't go mouldy!

It's called CT1 and it's designed for wet areas, can even be applied 'whilst' wet!
Here is a link to a supplier I found on line: www.sealantsonline.co.uk/ProductGrp/CT1_Unique_All_in_One_Sealant_Adhesive

I have no affiliation with this product btw, just love it! Though it's a little pricey (£11 tube) it will actually save you time, effort and money in the long run!

Let me know how it goes after a few months, if you try it! X