Mildew on caulk in shower

[Donald]

My shower has some horizontal caulk around a seat in a walk in shower. It's got black mildew. My professional cleaner guy said he has scrubbed at it and cannot get it clean. Remove and re-caulk was his suggestion.

So two questions:

1) is there anything I can try. I assume my professional cleaner has already tried several products.

2) if I remove and re-caulk what can I do to prevent it in the future.

I am thinking it being horizontal caulk is part of the problem.

 

[Delta]

This happens with some of the cheaper caulk, or just over time unfortunately. I have to re-caulk my tub every couple years or so. Nothing really clean it, once mold starts eating the caulk it's cut it all out and replace time.

 

[billt460]

As a last ditch effort before doing a cut and recaulk, you could try some concentrated liquid pool chlorine, (commonly known as, "shock"), applied directly on the affected area, and allow it to sit for several hours. If that doesn't do the trick, nothing will.

Just be sure to have the bathroom window(s) open, and the exhaust fan running. That stuff is nasty if inhaled. Also, keep the bathroom door closed to prevent it from permeating the rest of the house.

 

[MrHorspwer]

Amazon.com

Absolute best at getting mold and mildew from under caulk. It is a gel, so it'll hold and stay on vertical caulk lines and horizontal surfaces. Apply and let it sit for a few hours, then rinse.

 

[John105]

the price has really shot up, and I tend to waste with this....but I've used something like this product and I dunno, it may be well over 7 years before any trace of mildew or mold....not so whenever I used the other stuff

https://www.lowes.com/pd/GE-Advance...-Tile-10-1-oz-White-Silicone-Caulk/5013492247

 

[SHOZ]

Hydrogen Peroxide is great at removing and bleaching organic mater.

Homage 360+ Sprayable Cleaning Gel Concentrate 7% Hydrogen Peroxide

Homage 360+ Sprayable Cleaning Gel Concentrate. Homage Essentials Non-Toxic Hydrogen Peroxide Cleaners. Eco Friendly. Kid Safe . Homage Essentials formerly

homageco.com

 

[Pablo]

You can clean it, it will come back.

Remove all old caulk and soap.. Clean really well. Bleach. Rinse. Soak with isopropyl. Dry with fans for days. Clean with hexane to remove silicone residue. Dry some more.

Install the best caulk, see link above.

 

[SHOZ]

use some black caulk..

 

[Reggaemon]

Try gell toilet bowl cleaner.

 

[tnt_motorsports]

I believe once mildew and mold starts it’s a lost cause. I’d take out the existing caulk and reapply.

I recently bought one of these and it works slick for removal and dressing caulk.



Just my $0.02

 

[Lubener]

My shower has some horizontal caulk around a seat in a walk in shower. It's got black mildew. My professional cleaner guy said he has scrubbed at it and cannot get it clean. Remove and re-caulk was his suggestion.

So two questions:

1) is there anything I can try. I assume my professional cleaner has already tried several products.

2) if I remove and re-caulk what can I do to prevent it in the future.

I am thinking it being horizontal caulk is part of the problem.

Nothing will remove the mildew except to remove the stained caulk. Many "bathroom" cauks are mildew resistant for many years.. Providing better ventillation will help in keeping mildew from forming in the future.

 

[Dadillac]

https://a.co/d/6CqYhC7

Absolutely the best thing ever. Apply it to the caulk and walk away for a couple hours. Then rinse it away. Caulk is sparkling white.

Don

 

[Donald]

Amazon.com

Absolute best at getting mold and mildew from under caulk. It is a gel, so it'll hold and stay on vertical caulk lines and horizontal surfaces. Apply and let it sit for a few hours, then rinse.

This stuff was amazing. Squirted the stuff on and waited a few hours and rinsed it off. Mildew was gone, caulk was white.

 

[Thebigm]

My shower has some horizontal caulk around a seat in a walk in shower. It's got black mildew. My professional cleaner guy said he has scrubbed at it and cannot get it clean. Remove and re-caulk was his suggestion.

So two questions:

1) is there anything I can try. I assume my professional cleaner has already tried several products.

2) if I remove and re-caulk what can I do to prevent it in the future.

I am thinking it being horizontal caulk is part of the problem.

Bleach

 

[Speedbird001]

Hydrogen Peroxide solutions have been great for my recent home rejuvenation projects.

50/50 vinegar and water with a razor blade works great for built up soap scum

Your caulk/mildew problem… I had the same and frankly wasted way too much time and effort on it. In the end (and what I should have done from the start; just cut it out with a razor blade and recaulk with a good silicone type)

 

[Snagglefoot]

Treatments for the caulk are fine but there is a chance there is mold in behind the seat. Can you provide a pic of the seat construction?

 

[MrHorspwer]

This stuff was amazing. Squirted the stuff on and waited a few hours and rinsed it off. Mildew was gone, caulk was white.

Glad it worked for you. I first heard about it on Ask This Old House and now always keep a bottle with the rest of my bathroom cleaning supplies now.

 

[Pablo]

This stuff was amazing. Squirted the stuff on and waited a few hours and rinsed it off. Mildew was gone, caulk was white.

Awesome. You caught it in time.

We have miles of grout lines in our master shower. It’s nice and big but more grout lines.

We use soft scrub w/bleach- it’s the only thing that works. Mainly just keep up and makes the job way easier than we first moved in. Previous clowns did nothing. Hard water. 3 or 4 kinds of growth etc. Took razor blades and citric acid etc

 

[dubber09]

Use 10-20% bleach/water, spray, let sit, spray, let sit, wash off. Do this every month. Kills black and red mildew.

 

[Ronsant]

CleanSeal – Sashco

Downloadable Resources Where to Buy No mold. No mildew. No scrubbing needed! Mold is gross. Stop feeding it. CleanSeal kitchen and bath caulk is a specially formulated sealant designed to provide a long-lasting, waterproof seal around kitchen and bathroom fixtures. It's an ideal product for...

www.sashco.com

I used to sell this. Needs 48 hours to cure, but works very well. Better than silicone.