Stopping Mold Growth in the Bathroom

If you live in an older home, the probability that mold exists somewhere in your bathroom is pretty high, especially if the floor or walls are damaged in any way. Most people do not realize how hazardous mold can be to their health and do not go looking for mold in their homes when they really should. It can exist in several different areas, but the bathroom tends to be one of the best places to find it in large quantities since this room is naturally moist and large amounts of water travel in and out of it every single day.

There are a number of things that you can do to help prevent mold growth in your bathroom and most of them do not require much effort or money to be effective. One of the first things that you need to do is make sure that the entire floor of your bathroom is waterproofed. Whether you have tile, linoleum, marble, or anything else on the floor, it should be completely water tight to stop water from getting to the floor joists underneath. Water damage affects many bathroom floors across the country and the last time you want to happen while you are in the bathroom is the floor collapsing out from under you. The areas directly around the bathtub and toilet are particularly at risk, since both of these items can and commonly do overflow.

Something else you should worry about is the condition of the drywall on the ceiling. The steam created by hot water in the tub or shower is absorbed by this drywall on a regular basis if it remains trapped in the bathroom and is not allowed to escape to the outside of the house. Not only can this cause mold growth on the upper walls and ceiling, but it can also cause the drywall to buckle and collapse on you. The best way to let it out is either through a window or by installing an exhaust vent, which most building codes require be in the bathroom. You should have at least one of these two things in the bathroom, if not both. Leaving the window open for steam to escape may not always be practical due to bad weather outside.

The last thing that you need to do is keep a check on the plumbing around the toilet and under the sink. The toilet should not clog up and overflow often; if it does, you should have the lines checked by a professional.