How to Prevent Bathroom Mold

Eliminating moisture from the bathroom

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Bath fan

Check the cfm volume of your fan, usually marked on a label under the grill. Replace it with a larger model if it's too small for the size of your bathroom.

No matter where you live, a high moisture level in your bathroom makes mold almost impossible to get rid of, no matter how much you clean. Eliminating bathroom dampness is the key to keeping mold from growing. To do that, follow these steps:

• First, after a bath or a shower, squeegee water off the shower walls. That eliminates at least three-fourths of the moisture that supports mold and mildew growth.
• Second, run your bath fans during your bath or shower and for a half hour after to flush out moisture. Or add a timer switch to make this step automatic.
• Third, if you have tile, seal the grout lines annually with a standard grout sealer to waterproof them.

To get rid of the current mold, scrub with detergent and water, then let the surface dry completely. Or use a solution of 10 percent bleach and 90 percent water (a stronger bleach solution will not give better results). Spray or brush on the solution, let it sit 10 minutes, then rinse it off and let dry.

If the fans aren't clearing out most of the moisture in your bathrooms after five to 10 minutes, your fans may not be moving enough air. Fans are certified by the volume (cfm, or cubic feet per minute) of air “exhausted” out of the room. To find the recommended fan capacity for your bathroom, simply multiply the bathroom square footage by 1.1 (assuming an 8-ft. ceiling; for a 9-ft. ceiling, multiply by 1.5).