Black mould in a bathroom - any ideas?

[RedRosie]

Hello all. An elderly relative has finally agreed to let me help them clean their house (very proud, poor mobility and eyesight) after which I'm planning to pay for a regular cleaner to help keep on top of it as I live far away.

It's a bit of a state to say the least. The bathroom, especially the shower cubicle, is very bad and has been like a long time. Lots of black mould around the seals and the grouting. Does anyone have any tips or can anyone recommend good products? I wish I could afford to have it all ripped out and replaced but I can't - so any tips most welcome. Not afraid of hard work but can only spend limited time on it. What can I do in a day?

Advice much appreciated.

Cilit Bang black mould spray should do the trick!

I use the cilet bang as well. It has to be used weekly. If not, it might be worth regrouting and sealing. It wouldn't take long and would make it look fresh/new.

Thank you for such a speedy response. I did have a go with neat bleach, which doesn't seem to have made any real difference. So I'll put that on my list. All other ideas welcome! If I can just improve things as much as possible, I'm hoping a regular cleaner for a couple of hours a week can make a difference.

It's so sad to see. And my relative used to be such a ship-shape sort of chap.

My dad uses HG Mould spray (Diy shops, Lakeland, hardware stores) which must be easy as he ain't much of a cleaner.

I use bleach and bicarb with a toothbrush.

It may be worth removing and replacing silicon sealant once you have cleaned it (or in the near future) as the mould gets under it and it comes away at the edges.

The best way of keeping it at bay is to have something like a microfiber towel to wipe down after each use.

I have just treated my shower with a paste made up of bicarbonate of soda and bleach. I painted a thick layer on the sealant and grout using a toothbrush and left it for 4 hours. It literally looks like new, I've been telling everyone I know about it

Thanks Cherylene - I might get some of that as well. Yes, we wipe down showers after use at home, but my FIL won't be able to do this as his mobility is terrible. I think if I can find a really good local cleaner, pay them well and maybe get them to visit twice a week, we can get on top of the day-to-day stuff after this initial clean.

I'm making a list if anyone has further advice!

Thanks Maz! That's ordinary bicarb I'd use for baking?
(Adds to list)

I second HG Mould Spray.. Honestly it is miracle stuff. You don';t even have to scrub - the stains just disappear. Stinks mind.

Yes, ordinary bicarbonate of soda.

My dad thinks its marvellous, Margot. I might get some myself as the only problem with using bleach is I get marks from it on my clothes sometimes.

I use Dettol Mould & Mildew spray and swear by it. I've heard HG is quite good too.

The Cilit Bamg black mould remover really works

Thanks all! List is growing. I'll try anything.

I have tried several products with black mould and none work. What has worked is regrouting - very easy to do even for a DIY novice like me!

Buy a tool from Homebase to remove the grout, a tube of shower grout and a flat tool to smooth the grout on. Took me about 20 mins to regrout the bottom of my shower, and looks fab. Only cost about £12 as well.

Thanks Cocktail - I was dreading someone saying that!

Sorry, Rosie!!! I was dreading doing it but it was actually v easy and satisfying. That black mould never comes off - no matter what the Cillit Bang type products say.

Bicarb and bleach or HG spray - both fantastic.

Dettol mould and mildew. Wipe surface over so its a bit wet, spray on and walk away and leave for 10 minutes. When you come back it should clean up easily.
It smells very strongly of bleach so beware.

The plan may be:

1. try Cillit Bang
2. try the HG thing
3. try the Dettol thing
4. try bleach and bicarb

(Not all at once or I'll get gassed)

Fail miserably to shift the black mould

1. get the degrouting tool

I know it makes more sense to go straight to 5 but I'll have to go through the whole thing JUST IN CASE one of the products works magically.

I use the Astonish Black Mould Spray, it's cheaper and better than the Cillit bang one I think. You don't even have to clean properly just douse the shower in the evil smelling spray and leave it overnight and the Mould had gone. It doesn't work on the actual sealent but works on the grout.

I used the HG one on a horrible big patch of black mould on tile grouting and wallpaper recently. Was expecting to have to wipe off residue, scrub, etc, but the mould spots literally disappeared before my eyes. Brilliant stuff. But yes, it smells pretty awful, so ventilate well afterwards.

A tip I saw on MN which was put neat bleach on toilet paper and cover the mould with it. Leave it to dry (keeping window open for ventilation) and then remove the toilet paper. The mould will all have gone. It's amazing. I couldn't believe how effective it was. Much better than any of the commercially produced mould removers.

Adding the Astonish and loo-roll/bleach trick to the list ...

Number 5 becomes number 7.

But it's probably still inevitable.

Try HG stuff first-it's FABULOUS!

Ime, the HG Mould spray has been the most effective.

To stop it just running down vertical surfaces I use a single sheet of kitchen roll stuck onto the area after I've sprayed. Then spray again onto the kitchen roll. The moisture will make the paper adhere to the vertical surface.