Get Rid Of Grout Mold!

Mold is an issue that plagues many households, causing headaches for property owners and occupants alike. Mold can cause respiratory problems, allergies, asthma, and even cancer. There are different types of mold that grow in different situations, some just need to be dried out while others might need to be scrubbed off with bleach. Finding the right mold inspection experts can help you identify the best course of action for your home situation.

I appreciated your advice to use equal parts vinegar and water with 10 drops of tea tree oil to mist over your grout to prevent mold from growing. My sister lives in a very old condo and is wanting to clean it deeply to make her environment nicer now that she works from home. Since her grout is very dirty, it seems like she might benefit from hiring a grout cleaning service to do it for her.

Great post Melissa. Very helpful.

I have to agree that prevention of built up scum on grout lines is a must. The more you keep up with it, the less scrubbing you have to do when you clean your tiles.

I think Baking Soda is a great great great remedy to eliminate tile and grout. It is readily available at stores, is cost efficient and always works.
This should always be on every homeowner’s DIY list.

I think Baking Soda is a great great great remedy to eliminate tile and grout. It is readily available at stores, is cost efficient and always works.
This should always be on every homeowner’s DIY list.

Hello Melissa,
Can you tell us how much water to take while making a paste with baking soda?

Just FYI, mold is a fungus and is not related to bacteria. Will try the baking soda technique — it looks promising.

Melissa, how much water do you add with tea tree oil/ how big of a bottle? Thanks!

IVE TRIED THIS BAKING SODA AND VINEGAR SOLUTION, BUT IT DIDNT WORK VERY WELL. MAYBE I WILL JUST HAVE TO REPLACE THE TILES OR PAINT IT? THE FIRST THING IVE NOTICED WHEN I SEE THE PHOTO/VIDEO OF MELISSA WERE HER BOOBS!

How can you do this on the grout in a shower wall? Will it run down?

I sure appreciated your article on restoring grout. Here’s my experiences- feel free to edit or post if it helps people. To see these grout pictures, email me at Bill@ElegantCrystals.com
Bill Kaunitz

MOLD STAIN REMOVAL
We just moved into a rental house that is 50 years old. The master bathroom shower was very clean, but the grout was really stained with grey and black lines and patches. None of the cleaners I tried worked at all. I just about gave up on removing the nasty stains, but it grossed me out so much that I kept doing research on the internet.

grout black spots.jpg

One great blog suggested the following, which worked like a miracle! Here’s the clean picture, after the work was done. I wish I had a complete “nasty” picture of it all from before the cleaning, but I neglected to take one. The difference is remarkable.
grout- clean and finished.jpg

Step 1: Buy a gallon of concentrated Hydrogen Peroxide, 27%, at a swimming pool or hot tub supply store. Just go to any place that sells hot tubs. Blackthorne Spas in Salinas, California, sells a two-gallon package of hydrogen peroxide for $34. That’s a LOT of peroxide. More than enough to do your whole house.

Step 2: Clean the shower or backsplash to remove as much dirt and mold as possible. Don’t worry about anything you missed, as the stain removal process will finish the cleaning job for you. You can leave the surfaces damp, or wet- it doesn’t matter.

Step 3: Dilute half a gallon of the peroxide to 5% strength in a plastic bucket or small WATERPROOF trash can. You don’t want to spill this stuff. To get a 5% strength, add 4 or 5 times the volume of water to the strong peroxide.
NOTE- 27% hydrogen peroxide is a very strong chemical, which can burn skin instantly! Wear sturdy neoprene gloves for this whole process. If any peroxide gets on your hands, wash it off immediately with lots of water.

Step 4: Using a good spray bottle, wet down the shower and grout lines with a thorough spray of peroxide. While it is wet, use long rows of paper towels to cover the walls from top to bottom. The towels will stick to the damp tiles, but you can use the sprayer to add moisture for better sticking power. Once the towels go onto the walls, keep them very wet as a dried out paper towel will fall right off. If you miss a spot, just dampen and add more towels in layers. This is kind of like making paper- mache.
Smooth down the paper towels as best you can. The flat contact with the wall is very important. Please take the time to gently smooth each towel to remove air bubbles for good contact. Over the next day or so, the towels will hold the cleaning chemical in contact with the stains. This extended “wet time” is the key to thorough cleaning.

Step 5: Every hour or so, for the next day, thoroughly spray the paper towels to the point where you can see a little water running down. Wear your gloves while spraying as the 5% solution can stain your skin and cause pain as well.

Step 6: Switch to the full strength 27% solution after the first couple of hours. Spray this strong cleaner as before, just be extra careful not to get any on your skin. It will burn like crazy! Don’t let the 27% peroxide run down your gloves onto your skin. For any skin contact, immediately flush with lots of clean water. Use the 27% peroxide spray for a full day. I allowed 48 hours for the full treatment of bad black stains.

Step 7: Allow the paper towels to thoroughly dry out to the point where they start falling off the walls. Peel them off, using your gloves if there is any dampness in the towels. You are done! Try taking some before and after pictures to remind yourself how effective this procedure is. You can use chlorine bleach instead of peroxide, it just smells way worse for a long time. Note- the strong peroxide puts out a lot of oxygen and ozone in the air. Use plenty of ventilation as the ozone can sting your eyes.

Warning: keep the peroxide and wet towels away from painted surfaces. It can migrate under the paint and cause bubbles in the surface where the oxygen attacks hidden mold and dirt.

grout and bubbly paint.jpg

That is really great tip for getting rid of mold. I keep reading those articles which benefits me as a homeowner.

I was busy looking at her breasts throughout the entire video. Melissa is so cute! The video is very good and informative.

I’ve always wanted to say thanks to internet and many thanks to all those who for heartful reasons take their time and share their knowledge to help others with everyday complications – Mellisa, you’re one of those who would save the dayCn

Melissa,
The post is great. However, in order to make your guides more credible, you may wish to doa bit of homework beforehand. Mould is not caused by bacteria; it is fungi (same as mushrooms) and it is a growing organism.
Other than that, the post is great.

Loved your ideas. Worked awesome. You don’t need to show your breasts to be successful. Just something to consider.

Liked the grout cleaning demo can’t wait to start.

how do you get off the grout on the walls under your shower taps?

Will try!

I too have the same issue. What can I (we) do to clean severe cases? Also, as another PP asked, how do you do this for tiled walls, if the paste won’t stay in place?

Good do it yourself advice. Staying for the cleavage!

This is helpful, by learning how to get rid of black mold safely and effectively, you can protect the health of your family and the value of your home, without breaking the bank.

What size spray bottle for the tea tree preventative spray?

How do you get the baking soda paste to stay on when you are cleaning the grout on tiled walls?

Hi – we recently (in the past six months) removed/replaced the silicone coating along the grout line where the tub meets the tile wall, and now I think mould is behind the silicone….I think I know the answer here, but do you think we should remove the silicone, deal with the mould and re-seal, or forget about silicone sealant altogether and just keep the grout accessible to cleaning?

Thanks Melissa,
Very helpful.

How can I watch your videos with your cleavage showing…your awesome!

This was exactly what I needed! Thank you! Unfortunately 80% of my house is tiled so I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me 🙁 hopefully this will make my job go a lot quicker.

HOW MUCH WATER?

Tea tree oil solution

Mix 10 drops of tea tree oil into a clean spray bottle filled with water

Place the spray bottle on the ‘mist’ setting.
It takes about four seconds to spray the tiles and then you walk away.

Hi there, I need help! I have tried lemon juice and baking soda… white vinegar… and it is not removing the mold in my bathtub at all (or maybe it is and just the stain is left?). I left on the paste for 8 hours today and it didn’t lighten the dark spots. Is is possible it got so bad that the grout will need to be removed and then replaced with new grout? Thank you so much for your help!!

Really cool. I’m definitely going to try it. I’ve tried bleach for years and I think the only thing it’s actually done is shorten my life span. Thanks Melissa.

Very nice post, impressive. its quite different from other posts. Thanks Melissa for sharing . You’ve taught me a lot with your guide. I will share this to my friend

The grout cleaning was fantastic. I have spend a lot of money and tried different methods to clean the grout in my kitchen and nothing worked After using this method my floor looks like the day we installed it.
Thanks for the great tip!

yes good job
the all mighty lemon to disenfect and extra all mighty baking soda cleans everything in a healthy excellent fashion thanks Ruth

Love all of your helpful advice, Thank you so much!

Baking soda really do magic when it comes to bleaching. Aside from helping the teeth whiten, it can also be an alternative in cleaning the house especially those molds that grow in humid areas. Thanks for posting this. Great info.

I noticed the grout molding after I cleaned the shower with tilex. Could that have stripped the sealer that was applied. Also after I get it clean should I let it dry and then reseal the tile and grout.

Does baking soda react to anything else, such as bleach? Specifically, is it OK to clean the grout with baking soda, wipe it down, and then mop the floor with bleach water? Or do you need to rinse off all the baking soda very carefully first?

I actually haven’t used baking soda on grout. I’m trying that out. I like the advice on prevention too. I know of 4 factors in mold prevention for your readers:

1. Moisture
2. Humidity
3. Cleanliness
4. Temperature

source: http://removemoldguide.com

I think you tackled at least 3 of the 4 factors in your post. Awesome!

how can i get rid of mold on a leather bags? thanks..

Can you use baking soda on kitchen linoleum that it designed not to be waxed?

Thank you Melissa! I need to clean my grout badly and was wondering what to do!

Hello,

I visited your site and noticed you provide a lot of good tips for cleaning the bathroom, toilet, etc. HOwever, I stumbled upon a toilet bowl cleaner called NEVERSCRUB and thought it would be great for you to share with your readers! It removed all my hardwater and grime stains. I dont work for the company,. I am a housewife that swears by this product and figured you should share this too. I love your blogs!