Bathroom with no windows...

teddidan

DH and I have dealt with this issue in our house since we moved in, in August of 09. We have a fan in our bathroom, but it's not strong enough and there is mold growing on the celiing. It's not that bad right now, but I want to get rid of it before it spreads. It's embarrasing when people come over and use the bathroom I always think, "please don't look up, please don't look up!"

How do I remove it (safely) and keep it from growing again?

TIA!

srs5624

Bleach will kill it and remove most of the stain from the ceiling.

Re-paint your ceilings with a semi-gloss paint. I'll never understand why people paint bathroom ceilings with flat paint. Flat paint absorbs moisture... which means breeding ground for mold in a nice, warm, steamy room. Semi-gloss paint will not absorb the moisture from the shower steam.

There was flat paint on our bathroom ceilings when we moved in to our house. The mold spots would grow within a week of scrubbing the ceiling. I treated the entire ceiling with bleach and re-painted with white semi-gloss paint a year and a half ago... not a speck of mold since.

We lived in our last apartment for 4 years. There was semi-gloss on those ceilings. We never had mold on the ceiling and there was no exhaust fan at all.

teddidan

srs5624:

Bleach will kill it and remove most of the stain from the ceiling.

Re-paint your ceilings with a semi-gloss paint. I'll never understand why people paint bathroom ceilings with flat paint. Flat paint absorbs moisture... which means breeding ground for mold in a nice, warm, steamy room. Semi-gloss paint will not absorb the moisture from the shower steam.

There was flat paint on our bathroom ceilings when we moved in to our house. The mold spots would grow within a week of scrubbing the ceiling. I treated the entire ceiling with bleach and re-painted with white semi-gloss paint a year and a half ago... not a speck of mold since.

We lived in our last apartment for 4 years. There was semi-gloss on those ceilings. We never had mold on the ceiling and there was no exhaust fan at all.

Sounds easy enough, I'll have to make a weekend project out of it. Thanks so much!!

WickedCoolSM

There is also mildew resistant paint out there.  I would always have to wash my bathroom walls and wished I had this paint on it.  I know Glidden and Valspar have a line of it-or paint stores would know.

Do you have a bath ventilation fan? I would think you'd have to since you have no window.  Maybe it's not strong enough with the CFM's?

GL!

teddidan

WickedCoolSM:

There is also mildew resistant paint out there.  I would always have to wash my bathroom walls and wished I had this paint on it.  I know Glidden and Valspar have a line of it-or paint stores would know.

Do you have a bath ventilation fan? I would think you'd have to since you have no window.  Maybe it's not strong enough with the CFM's?

GL!

Thanks! I'll have to look into this. There is a fan, but we hardly let it run because we always forget to turn it off, and its quiet so there is no reminder of it. still being on. Which also makes me think that it's not strong enough. Thanks again, I'll have to make a trip with DH to home depot soon.

teddidan

Actually if it's Valspar, that's Lowes. Lol, thanks!

candreco

Once you've got the current mold cleaned and have repainted the ceiling (Killz is good for this, if you go that route), I would actually let the fan run, especially if it's quiet.  Some manufacturers recommend that they be run constantly to prevent mildew.  Alternatively, get a more powerful fan and replace the current one- they're pretty easy to install.

Missy*K*04

1.  Tilex mold and mildew spray, best stuff ever.  Smells terrible and will bleach fabrics, so be careful!

2. Our apt complex upgraded our exhaust fan to a sensor model vs a switch on/off model and it's really nice to not have to worry about it.  It sounds quiet but does work pretty well for venting.

T&A08

We use kilz and it has worked good for us.

JUSTBEYOURSELF

use kilz before painting.

also you might want to think of putting a small window in for the future.

Knitty

We have a timer on our bathroom fan, so it turns off automatically. And all paint brands have bathroom paints with anti-mould additives.

MrsJetSet

I read recently that you should leave your exhaust fan on for at least twice as long as your shower/bath.  If it is that quiet I wouldn't worry too much if you leave it running.

SibDec18

Before I moved to the desert and stopped needing it, I used to have a problem with excess moisture in my bathrooms.  I used Damp Rid, which is a product that absorbs moisture from the air. I used it in addition to keeping my fan running for about an hour after our showers. I just recommended it to my brother, who has a damp bathroom. I think it is about $6-$7 and I used to get it at Target or BB&B.