Someone recently commented that we sure have had some major house issues lately.
Someone was right.
I’m trying to take deep breaths and be grateful that we have a (leaky) roof over our heads and that we have had the money to deal with the urgent things and hope for the money to deal with the less-urgent things before they become urgent.
FYI, the roof leak has been fixed. We just didn’t know for sure it was fixed until we finally had another hard rain, so there were several months of breath-holding.
The current most-urgent drama in our 37 year old house (I know that’s super-young to some and super-0ld to others) happened when my husband stepped in a puddle in his closet.
We knew it had something to do with the shower that is near his closet, but it wasn’t until two showers later that we figured out the water was coming out under the wall. Under the wall. So weird.
According to Mr. Plumber, our shower is a goner, and must be completely yanked out (it’s one of those drop-in ones), re-plumbed, and then tiled.
Yippee.
And he said . . . “It looks like it has been leaking for a while, looking at that grout.”
I knew the grout looked awful, but I was hoping he wouldn’t notice it. I’d had to deal with the other aspects of bathroom cleaning and master bedroom cleaning just to be able to let him in so he could assess our problem.
He noticed. Obviously.
I was pretty sure that the grout grossness wasn’t from a leak, as it had been there a very long time, just under the bathmat. I’d scrubbed it and sprayed it and such before, but never made much of a difference.
But then I saw this tip come through my feed on Pinterest. It’s genius, but my hopes weren’t high.
Read the instructions here. See my results here:
Basically, you soak cotton balls in straight-up bleach and then put them directly on the grout/caulking overnight. No scrubbing whatsoever.
Seriously, y’all, I giggled with glee when I pulled those cotton balls up the next day. I was so excited! I even used the same ol’ already-soaked cotton balls to deal with a similar-but-not-as-bad problem in my kids’ bathroom. It worked there too!
FYI: From what I understand, bleach doesn’t actually kill mold, but y’all . . . it’s so much less embarrassing now, so I’m happy!! If it happens again, I will soak cotton balls in Concrobium and see what happens, and then let you know! I also did this just before I received Clean Shot bleach tablets to try out, but I’m sure dissolving a tablet in water would have the same effect, though not in a full gallon of water since I used straight-up undiluted bleach.
--Nony
I got the long cotton on a roll from Sally’s so I did not need to deal with a million cotton balls. Works great on caulk too.
Thanks for this tip! I check at Sally’s!
Clorox laundry pen works awesome. It is a gel and you just squeeze it on let it for an hour or so and wipe off. Much better for tile ceiling that is in my husbands shower.
I was wondering how I would get cotton to stick to grout on the shower walls! I will get the grout pen for sure! Thank you for suggesting!
You are truly my twin in so many ways! I laughed when I read the part about you cleaning the bathroom and bedroom and hoping no one would notice what was undone because “I’ve been there, done did that!”
I wish we never had grout and often wondered how I would be cleaning the grout on my hands and knees when I’m in my 80’s! I was blessed with an idea that I have used for the past two years – I pressure wash the grout using an electric pressure washer with a short garden hose hooked up to the sink and it works beautifully!
Another alternative to using bleach is Benefect CD33GL Botanical Decon 30. You can get it on Amazon. It is nontoxic and kills the mold. I’ve used it on my grout in the way you use bleach. The mold scrubs off even with gentle pressure from a mini brush.
Finding your site was a godsend because I found someone who understood my plight as an imperfect housewife and mother and could offer simple-minded solutions to my housekeeping woes. (I started this journey with FlyLady, but my wings couldn’t keep up with her!)
You’re greatly appreciated for all you share!
Wow! I’m gonna have to try that! Cuz orange oil water with vinegar and DAwn DIDn’t work!
Thank you for being a guinea pig for all us other slobs!!
That’s the second time I have seen folks try this recently. I tried it on our nasty shower a few months ago. Did absolutely nothing. I was heart broken. I also used the coil rope from Sally soaked in bleach then left overnight. Maybe I will have to give it a try again…
If the mildew is on a standing wall – How do you get the cotton ball to stay in place? So it doesn’t fall to the floor?
Hmmm. Not sure!
toilet paper will stick
I thoroughly soaked the cotton balls in bleach, and they stuck to the grout. It cleaned some areas, but not others – not sure why – but will try again.
@Ann
I used this type of scrubbbing bubbles ( http://www.walmart.com/ip/Scrubbing-Bubbles-Mega-Shower-Foamer-with-Ultra-Cling-Cleaner-32-fl-oz/35219425 ) for the mildew on the walls of my shower. I just sprayed it on, turned the bathroom vent on and let it sit for several minutes, after I got a cheap dish scrubbing brushed and did a quick scrub (nothing difficult or back breaking) then rinsed it down and anything that was on my tiles or bathroom tub was nice and sparkly again. If you are talking about mildew on the walls of your bathroom like on the paint, I would try a foaming cleaner so it doesnt run off and ruin anything and do the same let it sit and then scrub it off and after wipe it down with a damp towel or even wet paper towels to completely remove the cleaner. My great grandmother however would recommend White vinegar and a good scrub lol she uses it to clean literally everything.
I tried this with a dual sided bleach pen. Put on bleach, scrubbed into grout line with scubby side, left for five minutes. Came back wiped up with paper towel. It looked great!
I have the same issue in our shower but I’m concerned the bleach fumes they make me feel ill for some reason
Have you ever tried the bleach pens that some other commenters have recommended? It has been a long time since I used one so I don’t remember if the fumes are bad for those too.
You might try peroxide. I’ve read that it not only removes the stain but also kills the mold.
Turn on your bathroom vent, and open a window, fill a spray bottle with undiluted bleach and spray the black stuff on the grout and it bleaches it clean.
Make sure to use an old towel to step onto for a couple of showers so there are not bleached out footprints on the bathmat.
Folks, unless you have white grout you need to know that bleach can permanently discolor your grout. Sold flooring for 35 years and have ruined my own grout using bleach. Be forewarned.
I clicked on this pin thinking it would be easier than my method, but i’ll share my method as it worked really well and there’s no bleach. Use the powder cleanser Bar Keepers Friend, put powder in a bowl and mix with water to make a paste. using a grout brush, brush it into grout, let it sit for a few minutes (while you move on to the next section of tiles) then wipe off with a clean wet rag. To keep it clean, be sure to seal it after it dries.
Seal it with what?
I think they mean grout sealer.
Yes
This worked amazing! I used the cotton coil from sallys. It did not work with store brand bleach. But when I used clorox….a miracle occurred!!! And it has stayed mold free for at least a month. I can’t thank you enough! Genius!
I do the same thing for the walls and ceiling using a spray bottle with nalf bleach and half water. I also spray the grout and anything else that has a tendancy to get mold. Ours happens mostly in the winter when the moisture can’t dry fast enough.
I think hydrogen peroxide actually kills the mold and removes the discoloration. I’m not sure if it might damage non-white grout, though. All I know is that I thought I was going to have to recalk my shower, but after I cleaned it with hydrogen peroxide (gentle scrubbing with an old toothbrush) it looked almost perfect.
We cleaned our grout by spraying hydrogen peroxide directly on the grout, letting it sit there for a while, and then scrubbing it with a hard-bristled brush. It looked fantastic afterwards & made it so much easier for us to sell our house. The first thing the realtor noticed was how clean our grout was!
Clorox toilet clinging gel works wonders. Let it sit for as long as possible.
This also worked on the well water ring, that was in the toilet . Been fighting that for years. Thick coated the bowl from under the rim to the waterline . Let it soak overnight. Took 2 days but it is gone.
We cleaned our grout by spraying hydrogen peroxide directly on the grout, letting it sit there for a while, and then scrubbing it with a hard-bristled brush. It looked fantastic afterwards & made it so much easier for us to sell our house. The first thing the realtor noticed was how clean our grout was!