Mould around the edge of your bath or shower is both unsightly and unhygienic. Once it develops in the silicone, it is impossible to clean.
If the offending sealant is not replaced, the mould will spread and the silicone will weaken. Potentially leading to expensive leaks!
So it’s important to prevent mould growth as much as you possibly can. However, you can’t prevent something if you don’t know why it's happening.
In this article i’ll discuss the reason bathroom sealant goes mouldy, and what you can do to prevent it.
How does bathroom mould develop?
3 ingredients are required to create the perfect environment for mould to develop. These are:
Moisture
Bacteria
Humidity
Let’s look at these in more detail.
Moisture
By their very nature, baths and showers are designed to be wet areas. However, if they remain wet in between uses, you have the first vital ingredient for mould growth.
Your bath or shower may stay wet for the following reasons:
If you have small breaks in the silicone, water will get into those gaps and become trapped.
The bath tub or tray may not be level. This means the water won’t run off the edge into the basin and down the drain as intended. Instead it’ll just sit on the edge.
Many people tend to leave things like wet shower gel bottles, soggy flannels and mitts etc just sitting on the edge of the shower tray or bath tub.
Bacteria
When you take a shower, bacteria, dirt and dead skin cells get washed off the body and end up in the shower tray.
If this dirty water stays on the silicone and has nowhere to go, the bacteria can multiply pretty rapidly.
Humidity
If a bathroom has poor ventilation, the moisture in the air cannot escape. Hot showers, baths, and warm radiators can increase the temperature of the room. Combine that with the damp air, and you have created the ideal environment for mould to flourish.
How to prevent mould growth in the silicone sealant
Now you understand why mould forms, we can start to figure out how to prevent it.
The following tips will increase the life of your silicone, keeping it fresh and mould free for years to come.
Tip # 1: Wipe down the shower area after every use
This will remove most of the dirt and bacteria that’s fallen from your body onto the bath or shower tray. If there’s no bacteria left on the silicone, it can’t multiply and spread.
Tip # 2: Keep the silicone dry in between uses
Just an add on really from the last tip. Once you’ve wiped the area, make sure its bone dry. Otherwise all you are doing is spreading the dirty water around.
Tip # 3: Keep the room well ventilated when taking a shower
That means leaving a window open or making sure the extractor fan is on. This will help the steam escape the room, preventing it from settling onto your bathroom surfaces.
Tip # 4: Keep the room well ventilated when not in use
Keep windows open as much as possible to promote fresh air flow around the bathroom.
Also if you have a shower enclosure, leave the door wide open when you’re not using it. This will help the shower dry quicker.
Tip # 5: If you see breaks or splits in the silicone, replace it.
Breaks in the silicone provide the perfect hiding place for dirty water. If they are left, not only will mould start to grow, but the shower will leak.
This is a sign that the silicone will need to be removed and replaced.
By attacking the problem early, you eliminate the chance of water damage and mould growth.