Ceramic tile in your bathroom shower stall, surrounding your bathtub, or on your counter tops has a surface that is impervious to stains, making it an excellent choice that is easy to keep clean. However, the grout that holds it in place has none of the resistant qualities of tile. Staying damp for hours a day, it provides a perfect environment for mold to grow. Aside from having an ugly appearance, it can also pose health hazards to your family. Cleaning the surface with chemicals from your local home improvement store makes it look better for a while, but it does not kill the mold spores beneath the surface.
Finding a Mold Problem
Mold that has a greenish white appearance is often found in shower stalls and some mold forms are potentially dangerous. Finding out what kind of mold you have is a little bit like identifying wild mushrooms. Some are harmless while others contain toxins, and you need an expert in both cases. With knowledge and skill, a professional has seen all kinds of mold and knows how to identify and eradicate them. Professional grout cleaning to remove mold involves these steps:
- Finding the Source: Mold thrives on moisture and its tiny spores can grow when they land on a damp surface. Usually harmless when it grows outdoors, airborne spores can easily enter your home and start growing. Most shower stalls have an underlayment of concrete, a highly absorbent material that holds water. When tile allows water to seep underneath, wallboard or sheetrock absorbs it like a wick so that mold can travel up the walls. Stopping the moisture by replacing the grout is one option, and a less complicated method is to thoroughly clean and seal it. Mold does not live in a dry environment, but the humidity level in your bathroom is probably higher than in any other area of your home.
- Treating the Problem: Preventing the spread of microscopic spores is an essential part of eradicating mold. Using chemicals and sprays that are less harmful and more effective than those that you find in a home improvement store, professionals remove mold with brushes and high tech equipment with HEPA filters or other methods that control the spores.
- Preventing Mold from Growing Again: Inexperience in mold removal often creates conditions that are worse than the original one. You may have seen it come back after you treated it with ordinary chemicals, and it is likely to continue doing so until you get it professionally treated. A thorough cleaning that reaches the source of the problem is the best way to ensure that it does not return.
Enjoying a Healthy Shower
The pleasure of taking a shower is ruined when you have to look at mold that is growing on the walls or floor of your shower stall. More than ugly, it presents a health hazard when you inhale spores that circulate in the air. The danger of black mold is well known, but other forms can produce unpleasant effects as well.
The Environmental Protection Agency reports that allergies to mold are common, resulting in respiratory symptoms like sneezing and a runny nose, red eyes and skin rash. Exposing the skin, eyes, nose, and throat to mold and inhaling the spores creates irritations that can cause health problems for anyone. Using a professional service to rid your tile surfaces of mold is an effective way to protect the health of your family.
Gulf Coast Tile & Grout Renewal
1923 NW 28th Place
Cape Coral, FL 33993
239-283-1079