by Trikel

Created on: May 13, 2008

I'm going to be blunt. I hate to clean. The two hardest rooms to keep clean are the bathroom and kitchen. Since this article is about mildew and mold, I'm going to concentrate on the bathroom.

Mildew and mold pop up anywhere there is excessive humidity and moisture. The bathroom is a breeding ground for these stains, especially in the shower. I am going to address two separate problems. First, how to get rid of existing mold; and second, how to keep it from coming back.

The worst spots for mold and mildew in the bathroom are in the tile grout and in the caulking work. Mildew looks a pinkish color, while mold is a dark green to black. I combat them both in the same way. Bleach. Bleach can have harsh odors, but you can count on it to take the stains out. I use the Clorox Bleach Pen. It is a two sided pen that runs about $3.00 to buy. One pen will generally give me 2 bathroom cleanings, but that is dependent on the size of your bathroom. There is a thick side and a thin side to the pen. It can be used on any surface you would trust bleach to clean. The pen is full of a bleach gel that does not run. Gently squeeze the tube and draw a line on the parts of your grout and caulking that are stained. Let the gel sit for about three to five minutes, then rinse very well. That's it! The stains should be gone.

Some caulk work may not be easy to get clean. I suggest you re-caulk your bathtub area once per year. It is not a difficult job, and you can easily do it yourself. I suggest you purchase caulk in a squeeze tube. It is much easier than messing around with an awkward caulk gun. I recently purchased a tube for about $4.00. Use a razor blade or utility knife to remove the old caulk, clean and dry the surface, then apply the new caulk. Follow the directions on the tube. It takes about 45 minutes to do one bathtub, and about a day and a half to dry.

Once you have all the mildew and mold stains cleaned, you need to perform some preventative maintenance on your bath and shower area. I have two products that are easy and affordable. The first is Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner. It's a device that you hang on your shower head. After each shower, you press the button, and it sprays down the shower with a special solution designed to reduce and eliminate stains. The unit costs about $22.00, with $4.00 refills. If this is too costly, I also recommend Tilex Fresh Shower. This is a spray that you simply spray on the walls after each shower. It has the same effect, but is a little less expensive at about $3.50 a bottle. Both are quick and easy ways to lengthen the time between cleanings.

I hope this helps on your quest to a clean home!

Learn more about this author, Trikel.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.