Bleach will whiten the grout and also kill any mildew spores it contacts to minimize future mildew growth. Open some windows so you have adequate ventilation. Put on rubber gloves and saturate some more paper towels with chlorine bleach. A few bathroom cleaners to consider are Lysol Mist Away Daily Shower Cleaner, Comet Cleanser with Bleach, Tilex by Clorox, and Arm & Hammer Clean Shower.Īfter you have used the cleaners, dry off the tile. This may remove most of the mildew if it is not too bad. To remove mildew, wash down the tile and scrub it with a standard bathroom cleaner. Avoid abrasive cleaners because the tiny abrasive particles may scratch and dull the glossy tiles. The surface of ceramic tile is very hard, so the plastic bristles, even though they may feel stout, should not scratch the tile surface. The best type of scrub brush to use has stiff plastic bristles. It may take a while, but once softened, these stains can be washed away with a scrub brush and water. They should cling naturally and stay in place. Place the wet towels against the tiles and press them down so that they contact the entire surface. To remove the calcium deposits and stains, saturate some paper towels with vinegar. These hard water deposits, usually calcium, can be dissolved with white vinegar. These are a bit more difficult to clean off than the mildew, but they are easy to keep from returning. Some of the stains you see may be caused by hard water deposits, and they may also be spread over the tiles themselves. Dry off the shower walls and leave the shower curtain/door open. The microscopic spores which the mildew sends out can stay dormant for a long time, so you must be conscientious about keeping everything drier. It will be difficult to ever eliminate all the organic particles in a bathroom, but you can control the moisture level. Mildew is actually a living organism that survives on minute organic particles, such as flakes of skin, soap and oils as well as moisture. Without proper care, it will quickly return. It helps to understand the source of the mildewed grout so you can avoid it in the future after you get it cleaned. Luckily, it does not damage the structural integrity of the grout, so when you finally get it cleaned, it will be as good as new. Even though the rest of the bathroom is clean, the discolored grout makes the entire bathroom seem unclean. Dear Ryan: Dark mildewed grout is common in most bathrooms and anywhere else where there is tile and constant moisture.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |