my bathroom acrylic caulk (tub, floor, shower) is gray and black. how do i remove the moldy caulk and recaulk?

Question

my bathroom acrylic caulk (tub, floor, shower) is gray and black. how do i remove the moldy caulk and recaulk? how do i keep the mold away?
how do i keep the caulk from getting moldy again? i'm a small woman with not alot of strength or tools...thanks!

Answer 1

Lime-Away works wonders on mold. To remove the old caulk, just peel/scrape it off. You should also clean the area with alcohol before applying the new caulk.

Answer 2

a screwdriver will work to remove the old caulking.just dig it out.after removing the old caulking cleanwell with a bleach and water mix.let dry completely before recaulking. you then need to purchase a quality caulk such as phenoseal.look for a product that has a mold inhibitor added.most bathroom caulking will.cut the tip off to have a 1/8 of an inch hole.to wide of a hole will just make a mess.using a caulking gun.apply steady pressure and fill the crack with the new product.keep the gun moving while applying pressure.when you stop pussh lever on back to release,so caulking dont continue to run out.i just wet my finger and run it right on top of the caulking bead that you just applied.this smoothes it down and removes any extra.by keeping your finger moist it wont stick to it.you could also use a wet rag, this works well also.remove any extra caulking with a moist rag.it is a lot simplier than it may sound and doesn't take any muscle.im sure you will do fine.good luck

Answer 3

Use a utility knife (box cutter) and a putty knife to remove the old caulk. If your old caulk is not siliconized acrylic (if it is hard as a rock) Home Cheapo sells a product called "caulk softener" that will make it a lot easier to remove.
Keeping caulk from getting moldy is a tough one. Mold and mildew thrive on warm and wet, which is what every shower area has. Lysol kills mold on contact, so do some of these "Tilex" and "Scrub Free" type cleaners. Don't spray those things on your faucets. My method for getting rid of the mold is caulking the tub every couple of years.

Answer 4

I've had to redo mine around the tub and they sell scraper tools that will help get the old off. It's important to get the old off. Then make sure you get caulk that's for the bathroom and get some tilex, it has a bleaching effect and kills mold/mildew.

Answer 5

Usually it just peels right off, if not try scraping with a screwdriver. They have caulking that is mold resistant, check Wal-Mart. Good luck.

Plus cleaning with bleach at least once a week helps also.

Answer 6

I always try to make things simple. Before I'd peel the old caulk, I'd try to just clean it up. Lime Away is good, as are some other cleaners that are specially made for mildew. Just spray them on and let them soak. And don't forget to try good old Clorox -- use rubber gloves and don't dilute much.

Answer 7

I use a non-toxic product called MoldZyme to remove greenish/light black mold and mildew spots in my shower once a month to keep mold from spreading. It has worked wonders for me without having to worry about the smell coming from bleach (it is irritating for me) and other cleaning agents that have an unpleasant smell to it.

You might want to check out MoldZyme on their website - I've ordered from them and they seem to have their products carried at retail stores around the country.

You can check out their site, http://www.zymoco.com/Products/MoldZyme/tabid/189/Default.aspx for more information on the capabilities of the product.