Bathroom mould?

[ArnoJambonsBike]

We've recently moved into a new flat and there's been an intermittent smell from the shower. Neither of us are DIY inclined so don't know the terminology - basically, the underneath edge of the plughole is black. I've been trying to clean it by pushing a cotton bud under the rim and after two packs of them, it's still coming off black. We've bleached it and nothing is changing, the people who lived here were pigs as we've found blood specks on the walls and mould on the blinds so I can easily imagine this hasn't been cleaned in years.

Pic attached so an expert can see what I'm blathering on about, but any help on how to clean it would be massively appreciated.

Said access denied when trying to attach the photo, so here goes again.

You need Me Muscle sink and plug hole unblocked. Shake it, squirt it down, it is like a foam and sticks to plug hole. Then after 30 minutes pour boiling water down to wash away. Is there a fan in bathroom? You need one when in shower otherwise the mould will occur. Open a window and also make sure heating is on.

Mt Muscle

Mr Muscle. Third time lucky.

That cup thing should lift out

Also if you can install a fan in the bathroom that will help a great deal with damp and mould.

I'm with dementedpixie.
The central cup bit should lift out and you'll be able to clean it easier once that's done but it will probably be very grim if it's not been cleaned for a while.

Tried Mr Muscle and it cleared the smell for a few days.

Yes, there's a fan. Wasn't working when we moved in,but it's sorted. Unfortunately no window. We've just got a moisture capture device so we'll see how that goes

The cup thing won't shift at all. Will have a go with a knife to see if I can lift it

Thanks for the help anyway, I appreciate it.

The wee inner cup should come out and then you get access to the underneath and the pipe that leads away. Wonder if it's stuck to the grime underneath

I think there is a part missing. There should be a sort of mushroom or grille over the top, and a dip tube. A shower or plumbing specialist might recognise the one you have from the photo and sell you a new one including all the bits. It is usually very awkward to get under a shower tray to change it.

Everything in the bathroom has a trap to prevent drain smells coming back into the room. The trap is like the U-Bend you see on the toilet - it should always contain a small amount of water.

If you run water in the shower, to refill the trap, the smell should go. Your returning smell suggest the trap is either not present, or leaking - you should be able to spot the latter because there'd be issues with the ceiling below.

As PJ said, it's a right pain to get under a shower tray - you've either got to lift the floorboards adjacent to it, or cut through the ceiling underneath.

@caringcarer interesting about the heating on bit. We have a towel rail type radiator in the bathroom but never use it. Keep the window open most if the day but still get mould. Should we have the radiator on when having a shower then or most if the day?

Yes. Avoiding mould is aixture of heating and ventilation. Plus LL should get you a fan. I

If you can afford it, get a plumber to replace that pipe and the fitting, and start with clean.