How to get rid of mold

[DrRod]

I have a rental condo and after the tenants moved out I noticed a bit of mold in the grout by the tub. Also, there appears to be some on the ceiling of a closet that once had water damage. I'd like your advice of the fastest/best way to take care of this.

Thanks

 

[teg]

If it's in the drywall, I would cut it out and replace. I had some luck with Clorox cleaning the drywall and cover with a stain blocker... like Kilz. Wonder what others will say about grout...

 

[EddieWalker]

I use swimming pool Shock in the liquid form. Never buy the crystal form and try to make it liquid. It is a much higher percentage of bleach then used for laundry. It will turn your clothes white instantly and burn right through them. It's powerful stuff!!! I put it in a spray bottle and soak the mold. This will kill everything and anything. It even cleans up the wood some.

For the stained sheetrock, use an oil based primer. Zinnsser is my favorite primer by far, but Sherwin Williams is also very good. Get the spray can, you'll be amazed at how good it is.

 

[PaulieD]

Poor ventilation and long hot showers led to some significant mold on the ceiling and upper wall area in around my shower stall. February of 2015 I treated the mold area with a 20% solution of clorox. I did use a sponge mop to apply it to the ceiling and walls. After two treatments of clorox I did some light sanding with 600 grit sandpaper and then sprayed the entire area with a product called Moldex. Then I primed the entire room with Zinsser primer with mold blocker, and added a mold blocker additive to my Behr paint paint job (satin finish, 2 coats). Fifteen months later and I'm still mold free, with no reduction in shower time or temperature, and no improvement to my ventilation. I have no suggestion for treating the grout.

 

[s219]

I normally always agree with Eddie, but in this case I have to caution that bleach/shock is extremely corrosive to building materials, including fasteners, wiring, electrical components, HVAC components, etc. Even the fumes are highly corrosive. So be very careful where you spray it. A safer alternative for mold cleanup and control on homes and old/new construction is Concrobium, which you can get at Home Depot and Lowes.

 

[EddieWalker]

I also use exterior paint in bathrooms. The only two brands that are any good after the latest EPA rule changes in how they are made are Valspar and Sherwin Williams.

 

[CreekyB]

Bleach, it does not have to be special or strong. 10% to 20% clorox and water is effective as all get out against mold and mildew. Spray lightly and agitate, let dry rinse and repeat. Once done seal and paint. I stopped wasted money on Kilz a long time ago. Zinnsser is really hard to beat. It just works. Paints, Sherwin Williams are hard to beat, but Benjamin Moore has some decent paints as well, IMO not worth the price above Sherwin Williams and do not perform quite as well as Sherwin Williams. Just my opinions as a former builder/remodeler. Might check out Eddie's other suggestion below. I personally do not use Valspar paint products, just never have but Eddie gives some sound advice.

I also use exterior paint in bathrooms. The only two brands that are any good after the latest EPA rule changes in how they are made are Valspar and Sherwin Williams.

 

[EddieWalker]

In my area Benjamin Moore is Valspar mixed to a the Benjamin Moore color pallet. If you look up their locations, they are either Lowes or Ace Hardware. Both sell Valspar paint. You just tell them at the paint counter that you want Benjamin Moore color and they mix it up for you

 

[CreekyB]

In my area Benjamin Moore is Valspar mixed to a the Benjamin Moore color pallet. If you look up their locations, they are either Lowes or Ace Hardware. Both sell Valspar paint. You just tell them at the paint counter that you want Benjamin Moore color and they mix it up for you

You can get any manufacturer's paint colors at Home Depot, Lowe's, Ace, just by giving them the code or color name. In my area Benjamin Moore paints come from the Benjamin Moore store. There is an Ace that is a Benjamin Moore seller but he sells actual Benjamin Moore paints. The only reason I started using them was a set of design studios were specifying them, and checking that you were using them Seemed to me to have a higher solids count and better coverage than the similar quality lines from Sherwin Williams, did not seem to hold up as well as Sherwin Williams. Did not spray as well as Sherwin Williams paints do and is more expensive. At the time I was only using an average of 80-90 gallons a month on jobs. My preference was Sherwin, my discount with them was and is 30%, discount for Benjamin Moore was 10%

The buildings I manage now we use Pittsburg/ICI (Glidden) paints. I get a deep discount from the paint supplier and the buildings were painted with the products when built. Colors match perfectly. Exterior paints for the buildings are high quality elastomeric and will be there till someone changes their mind. Interior paint quality does not matter as long as it is low VOC, due to the amount of traffic in the commercial buildings they need touch up and repaint at least every two years.

 

[Streetcar]

Mold removal at work, they did not use bleach. The reason is that bleach can make some molds release protective coating, that will allow it to reappear quickly