Getting rid of mildew - bathroom tiles

[kevin_]

Anyone know of an effective way to clean mildew from the bathroom tiles? Haven't really found anything to be really effective...

Thanks.

[tommyamaral]

If you mean the grout you better off scraping the old grout off and put new grout on.I always find that epoxy grout lasts much longer, and I see alot of people not using it.

[spider]

Oh so easy ...brush on pure bleach "Javex brand" put the fan on wash off with water after about 1 hour or so. I have not had this damage or discolor any grout that i have done this on. My buddy paid someone to come and cleam his grout...sucked. ended up doing what i do and now it looks like new.


Now to keep them clean just dilute 20% Javex with water and spray on grout . (smelly)

[kevin_]

Oh so easy ...brush on pure bleach "Javex brand" put the fan on wash off with water after about 1 hour or so. I have not had this damage or discolor any grout that i have done this on. My buddy paid someone to come and cleam his grout...sucked. ended up doing what i do and now it looks like new.


Now to keep them clean just dilute 20% Javex with water and spray on grout . (smelly)

gonna give this a try right now... ha ha...

[Diamondog]

Nothing works better than this stuff:

http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CatalogSearchResultView?D=949056&Ntt=949056&catalogId=10051&langId=-15&storeId=10051&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntx=mode+matchall&recN=0&N=0&Ntk=P_PartNumber

No smell, environmentally friendly!

[kevin_]

Nothing works better than this stuff:

http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CatalogSearchResultView?D=949056&Ntt=949056&catalogId=10051&langId=-15&storeId=10051&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntx=mode+matchall&recN=0&N=0&Ntk=P_PartNumber

No smell, environmentally friendly!

javex didn't work, so trying this stuff now... *Crosses fingers*

[skysong]

I use cotton balls to hold the solution against the grout for the desirable amount of time. I usually fluff the cotton balls a little bit and then dip them in diluted bleach and stick them to my bathroom wall. This tends to work best on small out breaks of mold and mildew.

[sunnybono]

javex didn't work, so trying this stuff now... *Crosses fingers*

Please let us know of the outcome!!!!!

sk

[frugalman]

i tried the bleach way, and it didn't work that good for me
i also tried with oxy powder, it turned white, but i think it was from the residue
the stains come back, this is for the floors

should we just paint them white?? (sarcastic)

[CSK'sMom]

I buy the Zep mildew and mold remover from Home Depot. Since using it I only have to use it maybe 3 times a year. Again, it really smells. The smell is like spraying chlorine from a jug of pool chlorine but it works. I find ours really only grows mold when the kids get lazy about using the bathroom fan and shower with the door closed fully.

[jm1]

+1 for the Zep.

I've heard nothing but good reviews about Concrobium, as mentioned in a previous post. I couldn't find it at Home Depot until recently, so I was using Zep Mould/Mildew cleaner. It was very cheap, probably less than $3-4, and is mostly diluted bleach in a spray bottle (as far as my nose can tell). However, when I tried normal household bleach, it didn't work, but the Zep stuff somehow worked great. 10 minutes after spraying it, all the grout was white again.

I bought some Concrobium and will use it next time, as the bleach smell of the Zep is noticible and I always have to run the bathroom fan for a while to air it out before going back in. Concrobium is supposed to be left to dry overnight, so if you don't want to wait or want a cheaper solution, the Zep might be better in your case (if you can stand the smell of bleach), since you just blast it, wait a few minutes, then rinse the tiles.

[frugalman]

how is zep on floor tiles? just as good?

[ephemera]

I use grout whitener myself. Its just like liquid paper and you dab it onto the grout and it looks all nice and white. i also find that I don't get much milder in the grout after i had put it on for a few months.

[jm1]

how is zep on floor tiles? just as good?

You mean the grout between bathroom floor tiles? It should be the same as other bathroom grout. If you mean flooring elsewhere in the house, it's more likely dirt than mould/mildew, so get out your dirt cleaning stuff.

If you have stuff on your bathroom floor tiles themselves, that's likely not mould/mildew, because if it was, it would be easy to clean. It's the grout and caulking that's tough and the subject of this thread.

[frugalman]

You mean the grout between bathroom floor tiles? It should be the same as other bathroom grout. If you mean flooring elsewhere in the house, it's more likely dirt than mould/mildew, so get out your dirt cleaning stuff.

If you have stuff on your bathroom floor tiles themselves, that's likely not mould/mildew, because if it was, it would be easy to clean. It's the grout and caulking that's tough and the subject of this thread.

yes, i meant the grout on the floor tiles, those tend to get dirty quickly. the wall grout are pretty much always clean. i'm concerned about keepking floor tile grout looking white.

[Grassgreen]

I recommend mixing Tide powder detergent with some water....scrub well.

That takes care of it for me

[kevin_]

Please let us know of the outcome!!!!!

sk

Concrobium didn't work either... *sigh* ... even tried a second time leaving it on overnight...

moving on to... ZEP...

and it just so happens that the toilet is leaking down to the ceiling on the first floor...

contemplating getting someone to completely redo the bathroom... but $$$

[kevin_]

Update: Zep works wonders. Mildew actually started to disappear within 30-60 seconds no scrubbing at all!