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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

Have I ruined the biome in my bathroom???

9 replies

Oricolt · 22/02/2026 05:10

I feel like the rate at which my shower cubicle needs deep cleaning is excessive.

I want to get away with giving it a clean once a week, and a deep clean every month or so. Surely that's reasonable?

I'm the only person using the shower, and I'm not especially grubby. Why does it re-grow mould so quickly? There have been times in the past when I have not bothered to clean a shower as often as once a week, and I don't remember showering in filth and mould.

I was wondering, could it be that I have used bleach in the shower and completely destroyed the biome? (Not entirely sure what a biome is). And now there is only BAD bacteria, and no balance?

OP posts:
NigellaAwesome · 22/02/2026 05:14

Have you got sufficient ventilation and heating? That’s the most likely cause. Are there any sources of penetrating damp that could be causing increased humidity? What about the bathroom fan? Is it working and clean?

Oricolt · 22/02/2026 05:18

Probably not. It's a partially underground, damp bathroom. I do have a towel heater on all the time in there. Not much ventilation though.

OP posts:
estrogone · 22/02/2026 05:31

Mould grows in damp dark places. You need more light and ventilation. Bleaching it is akin to a band-aid on a snotty nose.

Big capacity extractor fan + UVC germicidal lamp.

Redflagsabounded · 22/02/2026 05:40

Bacteria don't cause or feed mould.

Damp causes mould. Use an old cloth/towel/squeegee to dry the walls and screen as much as possible after your shower. Lack of ventilation is probably your problem here. If it's underground is there damp coming in through the walls?

Januaryclouds · 22/02/2026 06:11

It’s totally the lack of ventilation. Use an actual mould killing spray as bleach doesn’t really help much.
if there’s any paint (rather than tiles) then clean with mould spray and then pant with mould proof paint.
the only really solution is to improve ventilation

MyThreeWords · 22/02/2026 06:43

Perhaps you should feed your shower some probiotics to increase its healthy bacteria?

I have similar worries to yours, but about my driveway rather than my shower. A couple of years ago I had it professionally powerwashed and since then the algae has grown back at a supercharged rate. It made me think that what I had before was a kind of flowerbed of diverse green miniflora, and this has been destroyed and replaced with the most aggressive species, like nettles on an unloved allotment.

YeahNahWhal · 22/02/2026 06:46

Sounds like a good case for a dehumidifier. Run it after you shower to help dry out the room.

MyNextDoorNeighbourVotesReform · 22/02/2026 06:46

Get an extractor fan and/or a dehumidifier. Don't leave the dehumidifier in the bathroom all the time, get one with wheels

Barrellturn · 22/02/2026 06:50

Put some white vinegar in a spray bottle as a post-shower spray.

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