Eliminating moisture from the bathroom
1 of 1Bath 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).
