Tips on how to remove fungus from the bathroom. Why does it appear and how it affects health. In the warmest and wettest place of your home - in the bathroom, fungus can appear. This mold will not only start to spoil the appearance of the room, but will also cause many diseases associated with a decrease in the activity of the human immune system.
The first signs that your body is infected with bacteria will be feeling unwell, fatigue, increased rheumatic pain and headaches, skin rashes, coughing and nausea. So that the consequences do not bring a sad outcome, the owners of the house need to get rid of the fungus. If you carry out a whole range of measures, then disease-causing spores will disappear from your bathroom once and for all.
Why does the fungus "settle" in the bathroom?
Of all the rooms in the entire large house, the most vulnerable is the damp and warm bathroom. The climate that forms in this room creates very comfortable conditions for mold. If in a new apartment there are no "dark" marks either on the ceiling, or on the wall, or on the floor, then this is a matter of time. As soon as the humidity rises, and the ventilation slows down due to blockages, the fungus will immediately make itself felt. And it can be a completely different surface: plastic or painted concrete.
The best "home" for mold spores is a washing machine. All its moist dark "corners" are a real breeding ground for fungus. In fact, disputes live in the house, but they will only bloom in a supportive environment. And this, when there is:
- humidity exceeding 90%;
- above 20 degrees Celsius;
- ventilation does not work well;
- there is practically no waterproofing.
As these conditions appear, the thinnest filaments of mold mycelium begin to entangle all surfaces containing moisture and multiply rather quickly. Many are probably familiar with the gray-black pattern of spots, dots, streaks and lines. In addition to this pattern, a musty smell appears over time. If you do not deal with the destruction of the first manifestations, then in the future, peeling of paint, plaster, and other finishing layers will occur, and cracks in concrete will appear. Later, mold and the consequences can be removed only by making repairs.
How to get rid of fungus in the bathroom
Some measure of influence on the growth of mold will not always bring the desired result. In order for the result to be solid and durable, it is better to carry out a set of measures. And this means that it is not enough to remove the manifestations of fungal lesions in some place in the bathroom, it is necessary not only to destroy them, but also to exclude their appearance in the future. There are several ways to destroy unpleasant gray spots, it is necessary to apply them in stages, their careful implementation will mean a high-quality result.
- It is necessary to ventilate the room. With poorly functioning ventilation, many owners open the door to the bathroom. It helps the case, but it is not enough. Ventilation needs to be improved. To do this, you need to either install a forced fan, or clean the existing shaft from the blockage.
- Get rid of old furniture. All furniture that is exposed to high humidity has fungal spores, and they penetrate deep inside. Therefore, it is better to just throw out old furniture.
- Fight dampness. The pipes that are visible in the bathroom condense moisture and damp. This can come from a lack of isolation. Leaking pipes, faucets, shower or toilet can also contribute to dampness. Therefore, it is very important to keep all plumbing and communications in good order. If the washing machine is connected to the drain in the bathroom, then it is imperative to monitor the formation of moisture inside it, otherwise dampness will spoil the climate in the entire room. This is mainly water remaining after washing. You can fight dampness with underfloor heating and a modern heated towel rail.
- Restore waterproofing. For finishing "wet" rooms, special waterproof paints are sold. Use them, and process not only the walls, but also the front door. The paint may not be enough against moisture penetration, then the plaster layer is treated with a waterproof compound.
- Elimination of mold. The last and most time consuming step of all. Its essence is that it is necessary to dry all surfaces (walls, ceiling), on which there were traces of this misfortune. A working electric heater can help in this. Further processing of the surfaces of the room will depend on the degree of fungal infection: these can be common folk remedies or specially designed chemicals that are sold by a retail network.
How to stop spore breeding?
It is necessary to get rid of not visible traces, but from the source of trouble. The visible part is a nasty spotted blackness, the center is the mycelium. It also needs to be removed. You need to look not on the surface, often the "root of evil" is hiding much deeper, in a warmer and more humid place - under a layer of plaster in the voids. And we must look for them.
The mycelium layer is removed with an ordinary scraper, scraping off the entire affected surface. The affected seams between the tiles must also be smoothed out, removing all grout. Ceramic tiles, which are about to fall, also hide the nursery - we remove them, and the surface underneath is processed.
All of the following steps must be taken in a dry environment. To do this, equip yourself with a construction hairdryer. They will warm up the cleaned places. In the absence of this device, try using a household heater. When everything has become dry, antiseptics come into the fight against the fungus. They need to process all walls, floor and ceiling. However, in order not to harm with the chemical, it is required to observe all precautions and dispense the agent relying on the instructions. The last step is to warm up the room again.
Removing fungus from bathroom surfaces if it has not yet spread
The first thing that should alert the owners of the clean room is the presence of high humidity and a few dark spots. We immediately take on the restoration of ventilation and process the walls. It is impossible to start the spread of mold: the ingrained mycelium cannot be removed with a dry cloth, but will require a number of measures, or even repair. It will be very good if, just in case, there is a remedy for the destruction of the fungus in stock. After using the product, use vinegar essence, hydrogen peroxide or chlorine bleach. They are helpful and easy to buy. Concentrated bleach or copper sulfate are even more effective in combating spores.
The chemical industry does not stand still and sometimes you can find new items on sale, for example, an antifungal spray. They handle the air in the bathroom, this tool will help professionally and will be able to prevent the occurrence of a disaster in the future.
It is not necessary to forget that disputes are filling around us and waiting in the wings with an attack from a shower stall, leaking plumbing fixtures or a mixer. So get ready to take comprehensive measures. First preventive measure. This is to wipe all unexpected places in the bathroom with vinegar solution. For example, a shower head, if it has not been used for a while, it must have undergone a colonial attack by mold. Wipe down all the plumbing, there are especially many and often whole clusters of bacteria and fungus on it.
About carrying out preventive treatment, it should be remembered that it is carried out with the use of protective equipment for the hands, nose and mouth. For this, it is not at all necessary to buy special devices; rubber gloves and a gauze bandage in several layers will come off. What housewife doesn't have this in the medicine cabinet? Try to remove the fungus without harming your health.
Watch a video about the effects of fungus in the bathroom and the method of removing it:
