There are many varieties of mold that grow both inside and outside your home. There are three types of molds that can grow on your ceiling:
Read more on the health effects of mold here - The Warning Signs of Mold Illness.
If the mold infestation is toxic or takes up a large surface area (10 feet or more), you need to call an expert to kill the mold and remove the affected areas. Ask your local health department for a mold testing kit or ask them to refer you to a mold removal service. For more information, refer to the CDC guide to mold here.
Prevention is the best cure! Even if you don’t have mold in your bathroom, follow these tips to control humidity in the bathroom:
1. Make sure that the bathroom is well ventilated at all times, this means using the bathroom fan and keeping windows open.
2. Clean the bathtub, shower, and tiles with a disinfectant regularly.
3. Dry the tiles around the bathtub or the shower with a cloth after every use.
4. Clean and replace shower curtains, bath rugs, and towels regularly.
For more tips on mold prevention, read our article titled Never Worry About Mold Again Thanks to These Tips.
If you catch the mold early and it didn’t have time to spread, you can usually safely remove it yourself. We explain how to do so safely below. First and foremost, make sure to wear protective equipment while removing mold yourself: gloves, protective glasses, and an N-95 face mask. Prepare a ladder if you can’t comfortably reach the affected area.
You will also need a bucket and a sponge. For the cleaning solution, you will need:
- ½ cup chlorine bleach
- 1 tablespoon dish soap
- 1 cup warm water.
1. Combine all the ingredients in the bucket. You can easily double the ingredients if the affected area is larger or you want to treat several walls at once.
2. Put on all the protective equipment and open all windows to improve air circulation in the room.
3. Using a sponge, saturate the area with the disinfectant solution until it’s wet. Let it air-dry completely.
4. If you find that a stain remains after the ceiling has completely dried, repeat the process again until no signs of the mold remain.
Related Article: Household Mold and How to Deal With it
Mold usually grows in the grout in-between the tiles, so removing it will require a bit more elbow grease and a brush with stiff bristles.
1. Mix the same cleaning solution as listed above, put on your protective gear, and apply the disinfectant on the moldy tiles.
2. Scrub away any moldy residue with a brush, then add more cleaning liquid and wait 15 minutes.
3. If any residue remains, scrub and repeat the same process again.
4. Once the mold is gone, rinse tiles in warm water and dry with a rag.
As the last step, discard all of your cleaning equipment and protective gear. Remove the clothes you were wearing and wash them in hot water. This will prevent the spread of mold to other areas in your home and keep you safe from its negative health effects.
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