The War Against Mold and Mildew

I'll save you the distress of having to look at a picture of mold or mildew. You'll thank me later.

Mold and mildew. Oh how I hate you so. Before I moved in, Carlos' condo was a total mess. Standing water in the tub, a moth infestation, some light levels of hoarding, dust, hair and mold and mildew. And that's just a general overview! There were a lot more problems but those were the major ones. Carlos has asthma so how he lived in those conditions and survived is beyond my level of understanding.

I got rid of the moths by cleaning the kitchen and removing all of their egg deposits. I made sure that nothing dry (flour, rice, etc.) was exposed. Everything was in clean sealed bags or containers. I placed dry bay leaves in various cupboards to scare them away. The moths disappeared and haven't come back.Carlos had someone fix the drain in the bathtub and there was no more standing water. All the rooms were cleaned of hair, dust and clutter. It seemed like everything bad was fixed. But the mold and mildew still plague me to this day.

The problem with the condo is that it has poor air circulation, is in a shady corner of the complex so there isn't enough sunlight coming in and it is at ground level (mostly above ground). Because we are at ground level, it's not feasible to keep the windows open when we are not at home. It would be way too easy for a burglar to find his or her way in and make off with our valuable goods. So for most of the day the windows are closed.

Mold grows the most in the bathroom. Whoever tiled, caulked and painted the bathroom neglected to use anti-mold materials. You can buy anti-mold caulking and paint at any local hardware store. No one informed this person of that valuable fact. The shower is completely tiled and there is a window with a sill that's about a foot deep. The tile, including that flat surface of the sill which collects pools of water, is a magnet for black mold. Oh and how it loves to grow on that. The ceiling paint also has black mold. I have spent countless hours in that bathroom cleaning with hot water, bleach and mold remover. Alas, the mold always comes back with a vengeance sticking to anything it can.

So I developed a full battle plan against the mold (and the pink mildew which grows there too):

1. Open the window after every shower. Even if it's only for an hour or two. This daily practice helps bring in fresh air that will dry the tiles, tub, shower curtain and mat. Mold loves moist environments so the drier I can get the bathroom the better. There are no electrical outlets in our bathroom so a fan (my ideal solution for this problem) is not an option.

2. I invested in a anti-mold/anti-mildew bath mat. I've gone through a couple mats. The first one was a mold magnet and went from clear plastic to almost black. I threw that out. Then I got an anti-mold/anti-mildew bath mat which never collected mold but never dried. EVER! It was always cold, wet and squishy. Finally, I got a white rubber mat which was also anti-mold/anti-mildew. After every shower, we hang it up on the towel rod which is in the shower itself. Bad placement for towels, great for mats. The mat, suspended all day, dries thoroughly.

3. I also invested in an anti-mold/anti-mildew shower curtain liner. Pink mildew was a big problem on the last shower curtain I had. It would grow rampantly and I'd shiver at the thought of the curtain liner touching me. Ick! I switched to the new liner which works for the most part. However, if you scrunch the liner, the space in between the folds won't dry thorough and the pink mildew will grow. So we had to make a regular ritual of spreading open the curtain.

4. Weekly treatment of shower with an Anti-Mold/Mildew spray. Why don't I just do this every day? The spray has a heavy chemical smell and doesn't work on heavy mold growth. With steps 1-3, I keep the mold growth down and the Anti-Mold/Mildew helps remove what's left behind. It's also really good at getting that pink mildew off the curtain. I do this every Sunday and make sure the window is wide open to let some good air in.

Extra tip: I wash all used towels once a week with hot water and detergent and I dry them at the highest heat. After each use, they are spread out to dry on our new towel rack. Folding wet towels and not washing/drying them frequently enough will just be inviting more mold to grow.

I miss the days of having a super clean, always dry, mold-less bathroom. I lived on the 3rd floor of an apartment building and always kept the bathroom window open with no fear of a break in. Glorious! A dry bathroom is a happy one.