I have mold growing by my bathtub, please HELP!?

Question

I live in an old apartment, where they did a bad job doing the caulking and positioning of the tub. So the tub has cracks where the wall meets the tub, and water has gotten into these cracks and black mold has started growing. One, how to get rid of mold? Two, how to re-caulk bathtub?

Answer 1

Tilex is one commercial product. There are plenty more. After mold is removed, scrape as much old caulk away as possible. Re-caulk.

Answer 2

Tilex or a similar product by Chlorox will get rid of the mold. Spray it on and wait about 10 minutes. The mold should just disappear. If there's still some there, spray it on again. After the mold is gone, wipe the area with a wet cloth and let it dry (or dry with a towel).

Caulking is easy, if you are patient and have a steady hand. For a small job, get a squeeze tube of silicone caulk (clear or colored, whatever your preference is). For a larger job, get a caulk gun and the big tubes of caulk.

Cut the tip of the nozzle of the caulk tube at about a 45-degree angle such that you get about a 1/8-inch hole in the tip. If you are using a caulk gun, you have to puncture the foil seal inside the nozzle (use a 3-inch nail or screw).

While holding the tip of the tube to the corner to be caulked, squeeze the tube or caulk gun handle until the caulk starts coming out. Your goal is to apply a straight 1/8 to 1/4-inch bead in the joint you are caulking. This is where the steady hand comes in. If you make a mistake and drip some of the caulk, you can either try to wipe it up right away (clean dry cloth or paper towel) or leave it to dry and scrape it off with a razor blade later.

Note - If you use a caulk gun and stop squeezing the trigger, there is still pressure on the tube and it will continue to ooze out. Hit the release lever right after applying the caulk and set the tube down with the tip over newspaper or something like that or you *will* make a mess.

Once you have the bead applied to the joint, starting in one corner of the tub, lay your index finger down onto the bead of caulk and, applying light pressure, run your finger along the bead of caulk to smooth it into the joint. It should end up about 1/2 inch wide and have a slight depression from your finger. Make sure to contact all surfaces of both sides of the joint (no gaps). This may take practice to do it right. If you smear too much around, again wipe it up with a clean cloth or paper towel.

When you're done, wipe as much of the caulk off your fingers as you can with a clean cloth or paper towel. You'll be picking the stuff off of your hands for days after it dries. But, it comes off eventually.

Answer 3

The easiest way is some diluted bleach in a spray bottle.
Let sit awhile and wipe off.
BUT the liquid will run down
behind the tub, so the best way is to use a sponge and wipe it on and as soon as it turns white, wipe it off.
The caulking is a big job.
There also, the easiest way is
to go to a good hdwe store and tell the man your problem
and get some plastic caulking
that will dry hard.
One note of warning: You probably already have dampness behind the tub and it you stop the airflow this will
rot the floor and wall (it may have already). So you may
have to remove enough of the
old caulk to use a hair dryer
and get it as dry as possible.
If it smells damp, or moldy, or
musty, you can't cover it up or
it will cause a worse problem.
Actually, this should be your
landlord's problem. How nice
is he? If you make the problem worse, he can charge
you for the repair, so best to
show it to him and ask him
to repair it.

Answer 4

I just stopped at a hardware store for the same problem. You need to scrape out all of the yucky stuff! Wash the area thoroughly with clorax to kill the mold. Then push TILE GROUT , It comes ready mix into the cracks where the tub meets the wall. After it cures in a couple of days , apply siliconized acrylic adhesive caulk to the area. Ask the salesperson to explain the tecnique. Should only cost about $8.00 for both. GOOD LUCK

Answer 5

Bleach...I use the cheap Wal Mart Bleach cleaner after every shower. Spray the entire tub and it keeps it clean.

Clean off all the old caulking go to the hardware store and buy a couple of tubes of white caulking. They have the type you can buy where you clip off the end of the tube and apply it from the tube. Make sure the area is clean and dry before applying the caulk so it will adhere. Dampen your finger and smooth out any irregularities.

Answer 6

Good old vinegar, otherwise known as acetic acid, is the way to go. You can't go wrong with this stuff. Sure it smells kind of strong when you use it, but that smell goes away in no time, leaving a bacteria-free, mold-free, mildew-free, water stain-free surface behind. It's perfectly natural, biodegradable, and is comparable to dirty in terms of cost.
Bleach is a terrible substance. It's bad for your skin, bad for your lungs, bad for your pets, and bad for the environment. Not only that, but it can react with acids we use on a daily basis, releasing noxious gases.

Answer 7

you will need to clean the cracks with bleach.. this will kill damn near anything, while making it white again.. use a tooth brush, or other small brush.. spray the calking with bleach, and brush it, rinse...

next, go to the local hardware store and simply ask someone works there that u need some silicon or bath tub calk..
re-calk the area..