Do you know that it's not only people who get sick, but also animals?and plants? Unfortunately, the house we live in can also get sick. The most common ailment of our home is mold. And the most vulnerable place for it in the house is the bathroom. This is, in general, not surprising. The bathroom is the most humid room, and excess moisture and poor ventilation are the best for the comfortable existence of mold. Fungus in the bathroom can poison our existence not only figuratively, but also literally, because it is harmful not only to the walls, but also to those who live in these walls. Mold (like all fungi) releases spores into the surrounding space, which a person inhales along with the air. Once in the human body, spores can provoke coughing, runny nose, nausea, headaches and rheumatic pain, allergic skin diseases and even asthma. Therefore, if you find fungus in your bathroom, then immediately take measures to eliminate it.
Causes and Symptoms
Mold (mildew) grows on poroussurfaces of concrete, paint, stone and plastic. Canned mold spores are constantly present in the air in huge quantities. When they get on a damp surface, they germinate inside with the finest threads and begin to actively multiply. Ideal conditions for mold to appear are temperatures above 20 degrees and air humidity above 90%. Mold especially often affects walls in bathrooms with poor waterproofing and insufficient ventilation. External manifestations of mold are black (gray, brown) spots and dots on the walls, ceiling, in the seams between tiles. Mold is not only an untidy appearance of the room and a musty smell. The fungus destroys building and finishing materials (almost to the ground), causes cracks in concrete walls, peeling of plaster and paint and inevitably leads to the need for repairs.
Methods of treatment
To get rid of mold in the bathroom, it is necessary to destroy the fungus itself and create conditions that are impossible for its existence. Therefore, the fight against fungus should take place in several stages.
Healing procedures
First of all, determine the source of the fungus. Yes, yes.The fungus itself (mycelium) can be in a certain hidden place - under the bathtub, on the walls behind the tiles, in the seams and joints, under the plaster. And what we see on the walls is the body, the visible part of the fungus. Remove the source in a simple mechanical way - scraping and cleaning. If the source of the mold is difficult to find, then you just need to clean all the affected areas of the bathroom. By tapping on the walls, you need to identify all the voids, open them and clean them to the base. The grout affected by mold between the tiles should also be completely removed, and if the tiles are coming off the wall, then remove the tiles themselves. After this, all the cleaned areas need to be "heated" with building hair dryers or powerful heaters. Boiling water will not help here! The heat must be dry! Treat the walls with an antiseptic and waterproofing agents. And once again, warm up the entire bathroom well.
Medicines for their use
The first signs of mold and mildewSmall lesions can be treated with affordable products that every housewife has at her disposal. These are hydrogen peroxide, vinegar essence, and chlorine bleach. Treat all affected areas with them, having previously removed the mold stains. In addition to these “medicines,” you can also use other well-known and proven products – copper sulfate, industrial alcohol, a strong bleach solution. But you must admit that special preparations are more affordable today and, for sure, more effective. There are more than enough of such products in any hardware store (by the way, they are made from copper sulfate, bleach, and alcohol). Consult with specialists and purchase such a product to destroy fungus. When buying, pay attention to the composition: effective products should contain antifungal and antibacterial components. In addition, it would be useful to find out how these products interact with finishing materials: tiles, varnish, paint, primer, enamel. When starting the treatment, be sure to protect your hands and respiratory tract by wearing rubber gloves and a respirator. This will protect you not only from the harmful effects of chemicals, but also from the spores of the fungus itself. However, all of the above can only give a temporary effect if you do not take preventive measures against the appearance of fungus.
Prevention of disease
To prevent this disease in your bathroom, you need to:
- Maintain humidity not higher than 60%. To do this, eliminate all leaks and periodically dry (warm up) the room.
- Take care of good ventilation. To do this, follow the draft in the vent or put a fan (air conditioner), and also often ventilate the bathroom, leaving the door (window) open.
- During repair, use waterproofing coatings and waterproof (water repellent) materials.
- At the first signs of the appearance of the fungus, immediately take emergency measures: clean, dry, treat!
Following these rules will help to avoid suchmisfortunes, such as the appearance of mold. And basic knowledge of prevention and control methods will help find the answer to the question of how to get rid of fungus in the bathroom. And yet, let the mushrooms in your home be only in the form of mushroom dishes and marinades, and mold appear in it exclusively with expensive varieties of "blue cheese". And no other way!
