Making anti-mould bathroom

[Authenticity2020]

We are finally having our bathroom redone in August, the shower was leaking and even without that we had a huge mould problem, despite having an extractor fan ducted to the outside.

Does anyone have any tips? Was thinking anti-mould paint for ceiling and maybe find out if underfloor heating is expensive, it sounds it though. X

@MrsTerryPratchett interesting, lots of people tell me half hour is way too long but I don’t think it is at all. I will try leaving it on longer and maybe starting it for a few mins before we turn shower on. Ours doesn’t do the humidity one. We got this one

www.extractorfanworld.co.uk/turbo-tube-pro-100-4-inch-inline-fan-with-timer-3785-p.asp

Thank you Calmdown

I'm trying mould killer now - think mine's a Ronseal one. And anti-mould paint on the ceiling. The anti-mould sprays just bleach it so you can't see it. So, we'll see how it looks after winter. Bathroom is north north east, so always feels it doesn't get a blast of hot sun.

Ferns work well. Let the plants do the hard work.

My bathroom was refitted in 2006 and hand on heart there isn’t a speck of mould to be seen.
The previous bathroom was a dreadful mould ridden mess and I vowed that once it was redone I’d never let it get to that state again.
It isn’t a big room but it does have a window and an extractor fan and apart from spells of really hot weather the storage heater is never turned off, so the temperature does remain fairly constant Our shower is over the bath and unless you are very quick the room always ends up steamy.
No one ever has a shower without the extractor fan being on and even the littlest knows that the last one in has to wipe down afterwards and open the window.
I am not in the least houseproud and certainly don’t have a regular cleaning schedule for the rest of the house but I am now obsessive about wiping down all the surfaces in the bathroom after a shower including drying the hem of the shower curtain and have a stock of microfibre cloths that would rival Mrs Hinch's for this purpose.
In my experience once mould becomes established there is nothing that will remove it permanently - I did use bleach on the white ceiling and tile grout to some effect but despite trying virtually every mould remover on the market found nothing that really worked on the seals
I can’t deny that it’s a pain having to wipe down the surfaces etc after the shower is used but this coupled with a powerful fan and an open window has certainly worked for me.

Iirc bleach feeds mould that's why vinegar is essential as it kills it off.

Iirc bleach feeds mould that's why vinegar is essential as it kills it off.

True. Detergent good. Bleach bad. It hides it but doesn't kill it.

Fans vary in power and noise. Please post a pic of the one you have. Does it go straight through the wall or is there a duct? How long? The flexible hose type can hold condensation in the corrugations.

Most have a 100mm diameter but larger are available

The ones combined with a shower light are often not very good.

The entire world is filled with mould spores which will grow wherever conditions are warm and damp, so you have to get the damp away.

@tothemoonandbackbuses yes think you are right. Think we should have opted for a bigger size fan.

@A580Hojas Yes I think once it’s got the sealant it’s had it. Also if it grows behind the sealant even if you try to rid it, it returns. I feel your pain. I’m so sad that by having a new bathroom doesn’t spell the end of mould.

@TheOriginalMrsMoss thanks for these suggestions I’ll look into the wedi boards as insulation will make it warmer. Have looked into PIVs in the past wasn’t sure how good they were in practice - and also wasn’t sure how it works if you’re also running Bathroom extractor fan - do you have one?

@SwedishEdith plesse let us know how you get on with the ronseal, hopefully it works. Yes where our shower is it never gets any sun really

@Duckschmuck never heard about ferns! How does this work? I couldn’t find anything on Google about this! I would be willing to try anything at this point.

@millymae husband loves a 20 minutes shower so even if I do quick ones steam is going to build up. I hear you on the cleaning and good on you for keeping that up since 2006! I’m worried I’ll let it slip but I genuinely think I need to clean every 2-3 days to keep mould away: I feel that’s excessive. I mean, I think once a week should be plenty. But might be needed when new bathroom is here.

@WeAreTheHeroes there also seems to be a great divide in whether windows need to be open or not. We do tend to keep them closed but feel like after the shower is done and so steam is gone, it’s fresher to then open them. Will stick to keeping them closed when new bathroom is here so it stays warm. Even though then quite humid…

Windows definitely need to be opened.

@PigletJohn we have the Turbo Pro 100 extractor fan with an alleged extraction rate of 245m3/hr — the 4 inch vent is the middle of our shower, on the ceiling to the loft above and there is a meter or so ducting to the extractor fan unit itself in the loft and then another two or three meters ducting it to the outside.

Photos of the unit and the online spec. The ducting is flexible aluminium ducting because the route to the outside isn’t in a straight line. Also, wasn’t really aware of other options that were better. Wondering whether to pay bigger bucks and have the vent placed on the outside wall from the shower, but because our conservatory is in the way apparently scaffolding would be needed and would be a big job. So we were advised accordingly.

Lots of water droplets end up on the white vent bit you can see on the ceiling. It is working as holding toilet paper up to it still gets sucked up.

Just it’s caused the ceiling to get so much more mould than it used to. Now a speckled mess and don’t want that for new one.

Hi, I've copy and pasted some info below, but it definitely helps.

However, plants can also help remove mould from rooms by releasing phytochemicals that suppress mould spores and bacteria. In fact, rooms with plants have 40 to 60 percent fewer mould spores and bacteria. Bathrooms, kitchens and rooms that suffer with humidity, damp, mildew or mould could benefit from houseplants.

@MrsPelligrinoPetrichor we prefer to open them as well but even sellers of the unit says windows must be closed and a gap under the bathroom door - which we do have a large gap. There isn’t much gap between the shower door unit and ceiling so since we had the extractor fan fortunately less mould grows outside the area of the shower itself. But the ceiling is a mess and all the water droplets sticks to the ceiling and the fan vent itself when we shower!

@Duckschmuck thanks! That’s very welcome information as I love to keep plants and they would look nice in the bathroom as we have a decent ledge / much prefer to than those small unsightly portable units that have those blue gels that are meant to absorb water to prevent mould, but never seem to work?! We will definitely add some ferns, if you know other types that are good please let me know. Thanks!

Have you tried setting your fan to a 15 minute overrun and having your window permanently slightly open on the latch. That might tell you if it's a ventilation issue. Air has to get in as well as out.

@NotMeNoNo no I haven’t ever left the window permanently open on the latch. I have always been worried that if there’s a burglary that my insurance company would come down on me like a ton of bricks. Not that we have much to steal honestly. But I try to keep the window open when we are at home, but I guess not so much in the winter

the fan is quite a powerful one. it is worth inspecting the duct to verify that the steam is being blown outside the building. sometimes the duct falls off or has a dip where condensation accumulates

I don't know that brand but if it is reasonably quiet, leave it on for longer, or even permanently.

the best throughflow of air comes when the door and window are shut but there is enough gap under the door for fresh air to enter. warm air, and water vapour, are lighter and will rise towards the ceiling, and the dry air will stratify below them.

hold a piece of tissue or a smoking joss stick at the bottom of the door to see if air is flowing in. If not you can leave it open a crack.

see if the ceiling is well insulated. If not, it will be cold and prone to condensation.

the same goes for walls but they are harder to insulate unless you are retiling

What I found was that repeated spraying of mould remover had softened the paint a lot and I could scrape quite a lot off so, I'm hoping, that will have removed more. I found this YouTube video and tried to follow - although didn't use Zinsser (presume that's who he's sponsored by).

@PigletJohn yes will try to keep fan on longer and see. I think maybe if it’s on for a period even before the shower goes on it might help ventilation. Will check it’s blowing to the outside, and actually the door is usually a little ajar.

will look into insulating the ceiling and tiles and maybe even the floor. We’re refitting whole bathroom including tiles.