Mold spores are in the air everywhere. They find ideal living conditions in the warm, humid climate of bathrooms. Tile joints affected by mold often look scruffy, but there is usually no health risk. Only allergy sufferers and people with a weakened immune system should stay away as a precaution and leave the cleaning to others. But: Which means help best against the black surface? Market compares home remedies and special cleaners (prices per 100 milliliters):
- Denatured alcohol for 0.20 dollars
- Rubbing alcohol (isopropyl alcohol) for 2.95 dollars
- Hydrogen peroxide for 2.31 dollars
- Mold remover with sodium hypochlorite for 0.38 dollars
- Mold remover with benzalkonium chloride for 2.00 dollars
- In principle, all products should only be used with protective gloves.
Conventional cleaners don’t stand a chance against nasty fungal growth on joints. As they do not have enough ingredients in them to clean such things like molds. So, there is only the modern cleaners can be workable here, like denatured alcohols, rubbing alcohol on the molds, using Hydrogen Peroxide, chlorine etc. But it better if your hire professional services from the professional mold cleaners in your local area. In case if you are living in Manhattan beach, California. You can hire services from a professional mold abatement Manhattan beach here.
Denatured alcohol: mold dead, stains remain
Methylated spirit is an inexpensive but undrinkable variant of drinking alcohol (ethanol). It is suitable for all surfaces. To reliably kill mold, denatured alcohol should be worked in with a cloth or brush. However, the spots often do not disappear or fade only a little. The reason: Alcohol has no bleaching effect.
Rubbing alcohol: Good for the environment and health
Isopropyl alcohol is available at pharmacies. It gives off the typical hospital smell. There it is often used as the main component of disinfectants. Similar to spirit, rubbing alcohol should be thoroughly worked into the joints, for example with a cloth or brush. The Federal Environment Agency even recommends alcohol to remove mold because it is considered harmless to health and the environment. It just evaporates.
Hydrogen Peroxide: Three percent solution helps
Many people are familiar with the home remedy hydrogen peroxide from hairdressers: in higher concentrations, it makes hair blond. A three percent solution is sufficient to kill fungal spores on plaster and grout. To ensure that the liquid solution adheres better to the wall, it is best to place a suitable strip of kitchen paper on the joint and apply the hydrogen peroxide to it with a brush. Brush well after half an hour.
Mold cleaner with chlorine: smell like in a swimming pool
Sodium hypochlorite mold removers contain chlorine. They therefore usually spread an intense smell like in a swimming pool. Chlorine can irritate the respiratory tract and must not be used together with other cleaning agents. Highly toxic chlorine gas can be produced in connection with acidic cleaning agents. In the practical test, however, the cleaning agent with chlorine was the most convincing: after 15 minutes of exposure, the mold was almost gone.
So, always clean it without scrubbing: The chlorine cleaner keeps this promise in practical tests. And always clean the mold perfectly.
Mildew Cleaner Without Chlorine: Needs a lot of scrubbing
An alternative to chlorine-based mold removers are products with the active ingredient benzalkonium chloride. According to experts, it is less problematic for health and the environment. Cons: Testers had to scrub vigorously to get rid of mold as thoroughly as they could with a mildew remover containing chlorine.
Ventilate well and rinse with water
With or without chlorine: mold cleaners are not suitable for all surfaces. Because they leave residues that can pollute the air in the room. After exposure, rinse thoroughly with clear water. It’s quick and easy to do in the shower. On plaster, however, the residues are often stubborn. Important: Ventilate well when spraying the cleaner.
Case of hardship silicone joint
All cleaners failed in practical tests due to a moldy silicone joint. The reason: the mold eats into the soft material, so that the cleaners don’t stand a chance. A discolored silicone joint is harmless to health. If the black spots bother you, you should have the silicone joint replaced by a specialist company. Sanitary silicone is a good choice to prevent the fungus from coming back so quickly. It contains fungicidal substances (fungicides).
