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Morning all
The sealant in our shower is starting to look a bit manky and needs replacing.
Any top tips on which sealant to use to prevent the reappearance of the dreaded black mould.
Ta in advance.
Can you improve ventilation? That, in my experience, is the thing most likely to have a signficant impact on mould growth.
I've never found a sealant that properly resists it, whatever the claims, although using better technique to apply it can help (ie don't use your thumb to smooth it!).
Aye, don't use spit and your thumb, use a fugi applicator kit, and reular use of mould and mildew spray keeps it away.
I tried lots of products that did SFA in getting rid of the mold in my shower sealant. Thought id give this a punt and it worked amazingly. Some stubborn buts needed a second/third doing
get some gel bleach for cleaning toilets, uncolored/scented preferable. Squirt a bead of it round the silicon covering the mold, then get some loo roll and roll it into cigar shape and place on the bleach to help hold it in place. Leave overnight then rinse off in the morning, good as new
I'll second good ventilation. not had any issues since we updated the extractor fans etc.
2nd or 3rd good ventilation, also after installing a spendy new shower enclosure. I've been encouraging users aka the wife to wipe down after use. Takes 5 mins to do.
In answer to your question https://www.screwfix.com/p/dow-785-bacteria-resistant-sanitary-silicone-white-310ml/58308
and dont finger finish it 🤭
Another vote for the Dow 785+ and using a Fugi. I had to reseal my shower as it was starting to go black after about three years, looks much nicer than whatever the fitters used.
I also used the 45° chamfer profile on the tool rather than a fillet/round. Water appears to run off it better.
I’ve never found a sealant that properly resists it
A sealant that resists it long term would be hazardous to health (according to my mum, who studied microbiology but not sure if that's why she said it). The fungicides in it that prevent mould growth would be hazardous in higher concentrations
Cheers all, top tips as ever. STW never fails to deliver.
Great thread, mines needing redoing again..
I used the Dow sealant last time and then clean it every so often with the cillit bang black mould remover. Spray it on and 15 mins later the sealant looks brand new again, well worth the couple of quid for the sray to avoid faffing around redoing the sealant
HG Mould Spray.
Seriously impressive at getting rid of mould.
Use it occasionally to stop reappearance.
Regular bleaching of silicone seems to help, works better than proprietary mould cleaners IMO. watch out, though, if you have a "silvered plastic" drain (damn those cheapskate plumbers), the bleach will take off the silvering if you let it sit on there.
If you do replace the silicone, I'd try CT1 as Paton recommended. Its claimed to work well in that application.
The silicone experts say clean off with alcohol first as it aids adhesion.
Don't use a wet finger to smooth it off as it adds bacteria, the FUGI tool is good (not tried it with CT1 though.
http://tinyurl.com/yxmhxu29
There's a solvent made by the same folk, C-Tec CT 1 MULTI-SOLVE Multi-solve Adhesive and Sealant Remover, which is good for getting the old silicone off and for smoothing the CT1 too.
http://tinyurl.com/yxmhxu29
theres a good video about removing silicone and generally using this stuff.
neil
Cillit bang black mold spray worked for me but needed several applications and leaving on for a while. Sink and bath were getting a bit nasty but back to like new... For now. I intend to Keep on top by regular squirts as needed.
Shower is always wiped down and well ventilated so it doesn't come back instantly anyway, but a quick squirt before wiping the shower down at
After use should keep it from coming back
Does anyone use those cleaning products around Travertine without damaging the tiles? Mine needs doing again after the Dow stuff laster less than a year
We always wipe the walls down after showering with a window blade, grout and silicone still looks mint.
We always wipe the walls down after showering with a window blade, grout and silicone still looks mint.
How old is grout / silicone?
They are all bleach at the end of the day drive, so... Is your travertine sealed!?
HG Mould Spray.
Seriously impressive at getting rid of mould.
Use it occasionally to stop reappearance.
Astonish mould and mildew blaster, 99p in savers/B&M type places, as opposed to 6 quid for HG, it's every bit as good. 👍🏻