Bathroom black mildew stains?

Question

Hi...I just had my roomate move out and I went to go clean his bathroom ( he never did ) and there are back stains in the grout that wont come out! I scrubbed them with bleach, comet, Bathroom scrub free stuff and nothing worked... any suggestions? am I going to have to re- grout?

oops, Forgot to say...This is in a shower =)

Answer 1

It has to be mold, and the only way to get rid of it is with bleach, since you already used bleach once, you will need to keep the bleach on the spot overnight so it can penetrate deeper. If it is the wall, use a rag soaked in bleach and somehow hang it so it stays in contact with the spot. Do not use a green scratchy pad when you are cleaning grout with bleach. The bleach can pull the green color out of the pad and permanently stain the grout green. If you grout over mold, it will continue to grow and eventually come to the surface of the new grout.
If this doesnt work, go to your local janitorial supply place and get a hydrochloric acid cleanser, the higher the percentage the better. You have to be careful with this, it is strong and can deglaze the tile if it sits on the tile for very long. Work in a well ventilated area, wear gloves and safety glasses. BE CAREFUL while working with it, but it will work.

Answer 2

Try using a bleach pen in the grout lines before you re-grout.

If all else fails you can use a little diluted toilet bowl cleaner just make sure there are no traces of other chemicals left in the shower, you wear gloves and you don't inhale the fumes. Wet the tile first and rinse quickly. The acid isn't good for the grout but neither are the black mildew stains.

Answer 3

If bleach didn't touch it, it is not mold, it is dirt. Is this grout between tiles? Or is it caulking/sealer around the edges? If it is grout try some Zud. It is a powder like Comet but better in my opinion. Wet the area, sprinkle on the Zud, make it into a thick paste over the stained areas and let it sit there a while. Come back later and rinse. If the stain is still there but lighter try scrubbing some Zud into the grout.
If it is caulking/sealer your best bet would be removing the caulk and recaulking or re-edging. You can get edging kits or sealer at most home improvement stores.
Hope this helps!

Answer 4

scrub with backing soda and or tsp, the mildew is bacteria living on dead flesh, sweat and other human scum (gross eh?)Hey I just read the steam suggestion that is a damn good idea. please don't use any of those heavy duty chemicals that lazy people suggest. the planet is running out of safe drinking water due to those twits

Answer 5

Kaboom tile cleaner(http://www.kaboomkaboom.com/index.m) - it is really strong and will make you cough so use a mask and wear gloves - but it will kill the mold. Then get one of those Dow shower cleaners to keep it that ways after every use - they really just kill mold and you still have to clean but it will keep the mold from coming back.

Answer 6

There is a product called CLR (calcium, lime & rust) stain remover. I've had good results with this product on a number of stains. Wouldn't hurt to try it.

Answer 7

YOU CAN USE ONE OF THOSE SPONGES W/ THE GREEN SCRUBBER ON THE BACK SIDE WITH TILEX MILDEW SPRAY BUT YOU HAVE TO SCRUB ALOT EVENTUALLY ITLL GO AWAY

Answer 8

The Works.

Answer 9

Try one of those Stanley Steamers that are advertised on TV. I have only heard good things.

Answer 10

sorry to tell you your going to need to re-floor .