How to Get Rid of Mold on Walls in Your Bathroom

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Have you ever just wanted to take a relaxing bath, when you suddenly noticed discolored patches on your bathroom walls? You likely have a case of mold, airborne spores that settle and grow in damp places.

Some types of mold can be dangerous to your health, potentially causing respiratory issues, especially for people with asthma and mold allergies.

Regardless of the kind of mold you have, it should be dealt with as soon as possible. It can be quite a chore, but your home and loved ones will thank you. Here are some tips on how to get rid of mold on walls in your bathroom.

How Can I Identify if I Have Mold in My Home?

According to Healthline, aside from seeing the mold, you may also notice a musty smell whenever you enter the affected room. If your asthma or allergies get triggered, it may also be a sign of mold.

Lastly, if you have water leaks or damage and areas in the house that don’t get enough ventilation, you can probably expect a mold problem.

Why Did Mold Grow on My Walls?

Mold spores may be already floating around in your home, but they’re invisible to the naked eye. Once they find a place that’s constantly damp and often dark, they will begin to settle and develop further.

Bathrooms are a common target for mold. Regular showers and baths provide the humidity they need to survive.

If you suspect you have black mold, you can have a professional inspect it. You might need them to get rid of it for you. However, according to the CDC, black mold requires constant moisture to grow. It’s usually caused by water leaks or flooding.

You will likely have common household molds in your bathroom if there are no other water issues. You may clean it yourself using the following methods.

What Materials Do You Need to Clean Mold?

There are several household items that you can use to clean mold as soon as you notice it. Sometimes normal soap and water are enough to get rid of small patches of mold, but if you require more help, here are some useful items:

Borax

Borax is a natural way to fight off mold. It comes in a white powder, so mix it with warm water. Pour a cup of borax per one gallon of water.

Mix it until all the powder is dissolved, then pour it into a spray bottle. You can then use this spray directly on the areas infected with mold.

Bleach

You can use bleach to get rid of mold stains effectively. Because bleach is toxic, only work in a well-ventilated area.

To make the solution, pour one part of bleach for every ten parts of water. Mix it well, then pour it into a spray bottle.

Please don’t mix the bleach with ammonia, even though it can also be used to clean mold. The mixture creates toxic fumes. Please don’t use them in the same area right after each other.

Vinegar

Vinegar is a great non-toxic option for cleaning up mold. You won’t need to dilute it with water; fill the spray bottle with distilled white vinegar.

If vinegar smells too unpleasant for you, you can also mix it with lemon juice or essential oils. But don’t worry, the vinegar smell won’t last long and will be gone once it dries out.

How to Get Rid of Mold on Tiled Walls

Mold can grow on and in between the tiles on your walls, right in the grout. You may use bleach to clean this quickly, but if you have colored grout, it may cause the color to fade.

• Step 1: Ensure the room is well-ventilated by opening windows or turning a fan on.
• Step 2: Wear protective gear such as gloves, goggles, and a mask if you’re using bleach.
• Step 3: Spray the cleaning solution (bleach or vinegar) directly onto the moldy patches.
• Step 4: Leave the solution on the wall for 30 minutes.
• Step 5: Scrub the affected area with a cleaning brush.
• Step 6: Rinse off the solution and mold with warm water.
• Step 7: Keep repeating the process until all mold is gone.

Using Baking Soda

You can also use a mixture of baking soda and water for stubborn mold problems. Make a paste by adding a couple of teaspoons of water to half a cup of baking soda.

You can then apply this paste directly to the affected areas and leave it for 10 minutes. Use a brush to scrub the paste into the grout, then rinse with water.

Using a Steam Cleaner

If you can access a steam cleaner, you may also use this to eliminate mold on your bathroom walls. First, scrub away as much mold as possible using a cleaning brush.

Then use the steam cleaner on the affected areas. You may also use a brush attachment to scrub as you steam.

The extreme heat effectively kills off the mold and can reach between the tiles, removing mold that may be stuck in the grout. Wipe the entire area with a cloth after the heat loosens the mold.

How to Get Rid of Mold on Painted Walls

You can use your borax solution or undiluted vinegar to clean painted walls. Spraying vinegar directly on the wall may also eliminate mold grown beneath the surface.

• Step 1: Spray your cleaning solution directly on the painted wall.
• Step 2: Use a cleaning brush to scrub off the mold.
• Step 3: Wipe the wall clean.
• Step 4: Respray the wall and leave until it dries, or wait at least 10 minutes before wiping it.

How to Get Rid of Mold on Ceiling

If you see that the mold has reached your ceiling, you should check if it might be due to a leak from a room above your bathroom or the pipes if you have them in the ceiling.

If it’s a leak, you’ll need to solve the problem first because the mold will return no matter how often you clean it.

If the usual humidity in your bathroom causes mold, you can go straight to cleaning it.

• Step 1: Turn on your exhaust fan to lessen the humidity in the bathroom. You may also run an additional dehumidifier.
• Step 2: Turn off the fan before you start cleaning.
• Step 3: Wear gloves, goggles, and a mask to avoid ingesting any mold that might fall on you.
• Step 4: If the coating on your ceiling doesn’t allow for scrubbing, you’ll need to scrape it off first and replace it later.
• Step 5: Make a cleaning solution with a quarter cup of distilled white vinegar, two tablespoons of borax, and two cups of hot water. Mix it until all the borax powder has dissolved.
• Step 6: You may spray the solution directly on your ceiling and wipe it with a cloth, or use a sponge to soak up the key and scrub the affected areas.
• Step 7: Rinse the ceiling occasionally with a damp cloth.
• Step 8: Repeat the process until you have removed all the mold.
• Step 9: Afterward, you can spray the ceiling with your cleaning solution again to kill any unseen mold.
• Step 10: Allow the solution to dry on its own.

How to Get Rid of Mold Safely

Household mold can be pretty common, especially in humid climates. However, you still need to take precautions if the patch of mold you’re trying to clean is more than a few square feet. Here are some tips to help keep you safe while cleaning up mold:

• Wear old clothes you don’t mind removing after cleaning the mold.
• Wear face masks like an N95 or P100, rubber gloves, and goggles to prevent contact with mold.
• Keep the room affected by mold contained. Close the door and turn off the air conditioner and furnace.
• Use an old or cheap fan to blow airborne spores out the window and to give you more ventilation. You can place cardboard around the fan to cover the rest of the window, preventing the spores from entering the room again.

How to Prevent Mold From Growing Back

To keep mold from growing back, you’ll need to keep your bathroom as dry as possible after using it. Wipe up the floor, shower area, and walls immediately.

You can keep the exhaust fan on for about 30 minutes or leave the door open after showering. Hang damp towels or dry them outside to lessen the humidity in your bathroom.

Regularly clean your bathroom every week to avoid mold buildup.

Final Thoughts

Now that you’ve learned all these ways to combat mold in your bathroom, you can start to get rid of it.

Remember to protect yourself while cleaning mold and to keep your bathroom dry to prevent mold from settling back in the walls.