Black Mold In The Bathroom – What is the reason and how to get rid of it?

Most often on the walls of damp rooms, including our bathrooms, black aspergillus (Aspergillus niger) appears the spores of which are extremely dangerous to human health. If you want to get rid of black mold in the bathroom, read this article attentively.

Danger to humans is toxic compounds contained in microscopic mold spores. The spores are deposited in the lungs, absorbed through the skin, and ingested. If after brushing your teeth you experience an unpleasant aftertaste of mold in your mouth, then your toothbrush is affected by fungus and should be replaced immediately.

The most common habitats for black mold in the bathroom (are tile seams, shower stalls, ceilings, sealant, contaminated surfaces), basement walls, new buildings with broken ventilation systems, and room walls with damp wallpaper.

Surprisingly, 1 m 2 of mold produces hundreds of millions of microscopic spores per hour, providing a high degree of survival and permanent suppression of the immune system of the person inhaling them.

Due to constantly elevated levels of humidity, bathrooms are the first to be at risk for black mold infestation. With prolonged exposure to the human body, black mold can cause a number of diseases:

• Respiratory diseases: asthma, pneumonia, sinusitis, dry cough
• Skin rashes
• Stomach upset
• Headaches
• Nosebleeds
• Internal bleeding
• Kidney and liver damage
• Emphysema Mycosis (mold poisoning)

Thus, appearing on residential premises, black mold in the bathroom is not in vain and causes concern for its owners. But, in fairness, it is worth noting that various types of black fungi can grow in apartments, and not all of them are equally dangerous to humans, and some of them are completely harmless.

The type of mold and the degree of pathogenicity of its spores also depends on the material on which it grows. But, unfortunately, only an experienced biologist or disinfector can determine the type of mold growing in your bathroom, and often only with the help of expensive tests.

And since it is extremely likely that the fungus that has settled in your apartment is dangerous to your health, you should immediately address the causes that led to its appearance, and the areas directly affected by it. Reasons for the germination of black mold in the bathroom spores

Increased indoor humidity:

• Improve bathroom ventilation.
• Do not cover the ventilation hole with PVC panels, drywall, or tiles.
• Provide fresh air access to the bathroom from outside. This purpose is served by special holes made in the door. If there are no holes, keep the door ajar at all times.
• An exhaust fan can be mounted in the vent, but it should cover no more than half of the duct outlet.

It is worth mentioning that the fan can only remove humid air when the bathroom door is open, and if it is tightly closed, the fan is useless. Without access to fresh air from outside, the fan cannot create the vacuum needed to remove the moist air. Fresh air enters other rooms from open windows.

Even if the bathroom door is open and the windows are closed, the missing air will come from the neighbors below through the kitchen ventilation duct. It is absolutely unacceptable when the fan in the bathroom turns on and off at the same time as the light. After taking a shower, the fan should work for another 2-3 hours with the door open and periodically work the rest of the time.

Remedy of dirt deposits on the seams and joints of the shower or bath:

Remove dirt with special cleaners and detergents. With regular care, there is a chance to avoid the appearance of mold. You should also remove favorable media for spore germination: wood, paper, potting soil, exposed concrete, etc.

Remedy of the presence of mold spores in the air:

Virtually irremovable. Mold spores can be transported by airborne droplets and enter the apartment on people, animals, food, and things. The only way to fight is not to allow the humidity level in the room to rise above 60%, and then the mold spores simply cannot germinate.

New construction methods and materials, due to which new buildings lack the necessary level of air circulation and moisture is retained in the premises, artificially increasing the level of humidity.

Elimination:

The only way is to constantly ventilate the premises, upgrade the existing ventilation system, and regularly eliminate leaks of any kind. Even with the presence of mold spores in the air and on various surfaces, in the absence of the required level of humidity, spore germination will not occur.

Self-removal of mold from affected areas:

It makes sense to fight mold on your own only if the affected area does not exceed 0.5 m 2 . If the affected area exceeded 0.5 m 2, then the hyphae (“roots”) of the mold have penetrated too deeply, and only a specialist can eliminate them.

Any surface removal of the mold will then cause more spores to spread and re-sprout from the remaining hyphae. Remember, the later you start fighting mold, the less chance you have of success. Any removal operations should be carried out with gloves and a respirator.

To remove black mold in the bathroom, even with the highest quality tool, one treatment is not enough!

It is also necessary to create a protective layer on the treated surface. For self-control of mold, Tikkurila HOMEENPOISTO has proven itself well. You just need to moisten the affected area with it, rinse it with water after half an hour, and wipe the cleaned area with a damp sponge. Repeat the procedure several times at the intervals indicated in the instructions.

For a more effective fight, it is better to use materials for finishing repairs containing antiseptics and fungicides in combination with anti-mold products. For example, if mold has settled in joints filled with silicone sealant, it should be carefully removed and replaced with a new one containing antifungal agents (fungicides).

Remember that it is useless to fight the fungus until the causes of its appearance are identified and eliminated.

When called, disinfectors perform a set of works to remove mold in the following order:

Identification of the causes of mold and the source of its occurrence. If possible, during the initial examination using diagnostic equipment, otherwise (in case of damage to large areas), a mycological examination is carried out. In most cases, the causes are determined during the examination, if large areas are affected, then mycological examination is usually indispensable.

Eliminate the causes of black mold in the bathroom. Fighting a fungus does not make sense without identifying and eliminating the causes of its occurrence.

Radical destruction of mold and its spores. Surface cleaning (paint, wallpaper, and plaster are removed). Concrete and wood are milled. Direct removal of mold by treatment with special chemical compounds (at least 2 at each facility). Heat treatment and professional equipment for the destruction of spores are also used.

Applying a protective coating to prevent recurrence (long-lasting). Finishing work. To eliminate the possibility of recurrence, fungicides are added to building materials to prevent the recurrence of the mold.

Usually, the work takes no more than 2 days, since each of the compositions is applied separately. The turnaround time varies and depends on the specific situation.