I’d never had to sign a mold and mildew awareness disclosure before. It was the first time I’d ever even heard of such a thing, yet upon signing the lease for an apartment with my new husband, this disclosure was presented to us to sign. We signed the disclosure, along with what seemed like a million other documents, assuming it was just some new legality required for leasing in this city, or this state, or something of that sort. Then we moved into our new home and we put all thoughts of mold and mildew behind us. Until about 6 months later…
I suppose I should have noticed it sooner. In hindsight, I am positive that the little black spots must have appeared little by little, but somehow I didn’t notice until the splotches of disgusting black mildew spreading the walls of my bathroom were becoming overwhelming. I knew I needed to do something, but it seemed like such a massive task I didn’t even know where to start. Friends suggested painting over it, family suggested hiring professionals, but my husband and I decided we would start with simply trying to clean it.
Armed with facemasks, goggles, and scrub brushes we headed into the bathroom one Saturday morning determined to clean until it hurt. If all else failed, we were prepared to paint. To our surprise, a very heavily concentrated bleach cleaner seemed to do the trick. We sprayed the bleach cleaner all over the walls and scrubbed like crazy. With just a little old-fashioned elbow grease, the mildew began to disappear. It took us most of the morning, but to our delight we were able to get rid of every last spot of mildew on our bathroom walls.
Over the next few months we learned that mildew does not have to become so overwhelming. Since that one long morning scrubbing mildew, we have made it our goal to prevent the very formation of mildew in the first place. I would like to share with you some of what our experience has taught us.
First of all, mildew is a result of poor ventilation. The first step in preventing mildew is creating ventilation. If you have a window in your bathroom, consider leaving it open while taking a shower or afterwards to let all the steam out. If your bathroom, like mine, does not have a window, there are still ways of ventilating.
Most bathrooms have a built in fan of some sort. By all means, if you have a fan, leave it on as long as possible after taking a shower. Also, leave that door open! While it may be tempting to close the door for appearance sake, or even just out of habit, it will be to your benefit to leave that door open. If the steam from your shower is left trapped in the bathroom with nowhere to go, it will settle on the walls and eventually reappear in the from of mildew. Even without a built in fan, leaving the door open and possibly bringing in a small fan to place on the counter will assist in providing necessary ventilation to prevent mildew.
While ventilation is the key to preventing mildew before it even starts, mildew may still occur. If you catch it early, however, you can prevent it from becoming an overwhelming problem. Keep an eye out for the little dark spots that indicate mildew is beginning to form. They may be any shade of brown or black, and any size or shape, but at the first sign, it is time to take action. When you see visible spots on the outside of the walls, it means that there is probably unseen mildew forming just beneath the surface. The best step to take at this point is to clean and clean well. I recommend liquid bleach based cleaners, such as Clorox Clean-up. While powdered bleach may work, it is not nearly as easy to use as liquid cleaners, which usually come in a convenient spray bottle. Bleach is a strong substance, so be sure to wear gloves to protect your skin. As you will most likely need to spray the upper edges of your walls and the ceiling, it is also a good idea to wear protective eyewear. Simply spray the walls and the ceiling with cleaner and go over any problem areas with a scrub brush before removing excess cleaner with paper towels. This may seem like a difficult task, but if done often enough, should take only a few minutes.
Mildew may seem like a formidable foe, but if kept under control, is really not quite as intimidating as it may seem. Simply take the proper steps to prevent mildew, and it will not be necessary to spend hours scrubbing or painting, or your hard earned dollars on expensive professional services.
