7 Bathroom Mold Prevention Ideas to Keep Your Home Safe

Your bathroom should be your sanctuary in your home, where you can go to relax and find a calming moment for yourself. It may also be a place where silly family memories are made when giving your children their evening bath. The last thing you want to deal with is mold in your bathroom that takes these precious moments away. If you find yourself constantly heading to Google and searching “how to prevent shower mold” or “can soap grow mold,” look no further. We understand the frustrations of black mold in your shower or bathroom, so the team at Kitchen Cabinet Kings has put together a quick guide outlining a few ways to help prevent mold growth in your home.

Use the Bathroom Fan

This suggestion shouldn’t come as a surprise, but you would be surprised to find out how many people don’t turn it on before showering! There is a fan in your bathroom for a reason and a good one. By running the fan while you shower, you’re helping to reduce the humidity in the room. When there is excess humidity in a space, you increase the chances of mold growth. Remember you shouldn’t simply run the fan for the duration of your shower but for at least 30 minutes after your shower as well! This will help to remove any excess moisture in the room that could get into cracks and crevices and result in mold growth. And most importantly, if your bathroom doesn’t have a fan, you should consider installing one during your bathroom remodel! If, for whatever reason, you are unable to install a fan, you can leave the bathroom window open to increase the airflow.

Properly Store Wet Items

Understandably, the bathroom is likely the wettest room in your home! It is important that any wet items, such as body towels, hand towels, washcloths, and loofahs, are stored in a way that allows them to air dry thoroughly. If you don’t allow these items to get enough airflow and dry properly, they’re at risk of growing mold or mildew. At the first sign of your towels producing mildew smells, remove them from the bathroom and wash them. Consider a new way to hang your towels, whether that involves installing a new towel rack or towel hook.

Monitor Cracks in the Grout & Tiles

If you have a beautifully tiled shower, you are no stranger to grout buildup. While grout buildup may only seem unsightly if you have cracks in your grout, it can cause mildew or mold to grow deep within these crevices ? making it much harder to get rid of than when it grows on the surface! When performing a monthly deep clean on your bathroom, check your grout (and tiles) for any cracks that need to be repaired and fix them promptly to reduce the risk of mold growth.

Use a Dehumidifier

Bathrooms are probably most of the most humid rooms in a home, and yet, they’re often the most overlooked when it comes to using a freestanding dehumidifier. If you’re still experiencing poor ventilation in your bathroom, even after making a few adjustments, you may want to consider using a freestanding dehumidifier to help mitigate the excess humidity. A high-quality dehumidifier will allow you to keep excess moisture and humidity at a minimum in your small space.

Clean Your Shower Regularly

Your shower sees a lot of use from each member of your family. The more showers, the more moisture buildup your bathroom will experience. A great way to prevent black mold from growing on the shower grout is to have every person in your home spray the shower at the end with a shower cleaner. This is the easiest way to prevent mold from growing, especially if your bathroom doesn’t have great airflow to begin with. While deep cleans every once in a while are effective, regular cleanings will be the best option for those more susceptible to mold growth.

Allow Room for Items to Dry

It’s common practice to place shower items like body wash, shampoo, conditioner, and other items on the ledges of your shower or bathtub. Although this makes it easy for you to access these items as you need them throughout your shower, it can also cause a buildup of water behind and underneath them. While this may not seem like a big deal at the moment, as this continues happening shower after shower, you may find yourself with grime and mold buildup that is unsightly (and unhealthy for your family!). Instead, try to elevate these items on a rack or hang them on a shower caddy from the showerhead, which will promote airflow around these items ? preventing grime and mold from building up.

Consider a New Bath Mat

If you visit your favorite store and head to the bathroom items section looking for bath mats, you’ll likely find an assortment of soft bath mats in various colors that are fluffy under your feet. However, the material of your bath mat is a crucial factor to consider if you have a bathroom with poor ventilation. Anything made of fabric is going to absorb the excess water when you step out of the shower, and with poor air flow, it’s going to take a long time to dry! As a result, you may find that it constantly smells like mildew. While you can wash the bath mat regularly to try to combat this, another option is to replace your fabric bath mat with one made of diatomaceous stone or wood that is better for poorly ventilated bathrooms.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is bathroom mold dangerous?

Yes, if left untreated, mold in your bathroom can be hazardous to the health of you and your family. If the mold spores become airborne, it can aggravate existing health conditions such as asthma or allergies. When mold is detected in a bathroom, it’s important that it is addressed as soon as possible before it becomes a larger issue that is even more difficult to tackle.

How can I identify mold in my bathroom?

You may wonder if the grime in the corner of your shower is dirt, hard water buildup, or mold. Most often, most will appear on the shower’s grout lines, corners, or ceiling and will be a shade of black, brown, or green. You may also notice a musty or mildew smell. At the first sign of mold, we recommend cleaning it and keeping an eye to see if it continues coming back in the same impacted areas.

How often should I clean my bathroom?

Because bathrooms are constantly exposed to dirt and grime, it is recommended that a bathroom be cleaned at least once a week. However, if your bathroom has poor ventilation, you may want to clean it more often ? spraying down your shower after every shower can help mitigate mold growth. Your bathrooms with commonly used showers or bathtubs should receive a deep clean at least once a month to remove any mold.

Are there eco-friendly cleaning solutions to remove mold?

If you have a household with children, you may prefer to clean with eco-friendly solutions. But are eco-friendly cleaners as effective on mold as traditional cleaning supplies? Luckily, the answer is yes! You can opt for homemade solutions of vinegar and baking soda to effectively tackle any mold growth in your bathroom.