Mildew Stains in the Shower

By Stacy (Guest Post)

Actually bleach does kill the spores, it's one of the few disinfectants that does so. I might try the peroxide myself, now that I learned it works for this. Bleach works well but it's not really conducive to spritzing the walls right before I get out of the shower (while I still remember to do it) and it won't bleach my whole bathroom when I'm cleaning with it. I cut and paste a list below from www.toxic-black-mold-info.com/disinfectant.htm. It's long (sorry) but pretty handy-dandy.
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Here's my Q to you guys, Could the recurring black mold in my shower be causing this weird bout of adult on-set allergies I've been experiencing over the last 6-8 months? (I'm 31 and never had allergies before) It never occurred to me until yesterday.
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Here's the list:

1. Alcohols (ethanol, isopropanol):

Bactericidal, Virucidal, Fungicidal. Use a diluted concentration of 60 to 90%.
Advantages - nonstaining and nonirritating
Disadvantages - inactivated by organic matter, highly flammable

2. Quarternary Ammonium Compounds:

Bactericidal and Virucidal with limited effectiveness, Fungicidal. Use a diluted concentration of 0.4 to 1.6%.
Advantages - inexpensive
Disadvantages - inactivated by organic matter, limited efficacy

3. Phenolics:

Bactericidal, Virucidal, Fungicidal. Use a diluted concentration of 0.4 to 0.5%.
Advantages - inexpensive, residual
Disadvantages - toxic, irritating, and corrosive

4. Iodophors:

Bactericidal, Virucidal, Fungicidal, Sporicidal and Tuberculocidal if contact time is for a prolonged period of time. Use a concentration of 75 ppm.
Advantages - stable, residual action
Disadvantages - inactivated by organic matter, expensive

5. Glutaraldehydes:

Bactericidal, Virucidal, Fungicidal, Sporicidal (prolonged contact time required), and Tuberculocidal. Use a diluted concentration of 2%.
Advantages - unaffected by organics, noncorrosive
Disadvantages - irritating/damaging vapors, highly toxic, expensive

6. Hypochlorites (Chlorox Bleach):

Bactericidal, Virucidal, Fungicidal, Sporicidal (prolonged contact time required), and Tuberculocidal. Use a diluted concentartion of 1:10 .
Advantages - inexpensive
Disadvantages - bleaching agent, toxic, corrosive, inactivated by organic matter; removes color from many interior fabrics; dissolves protein fibers (i.e. wool, silk); has not shown to be effective against stachybotrys spores.

7. Hydrogen Peroxide:

Bactericidal, Virucidal, Fungicidal, Sporicidal (prolonged contact time required), and Tuberculocidal. Use a diluted concentration of 3% or greater.
Advantages - Relatively stable
Disadvantages - corrosive, expensive, degrades in heat or UV light

By Mari (Guest Post)

I have read that bleach is not an effective mildew/mold killer, because it doesn't kill the spores - it just bleaches them. Vinegar on the other hand, is a mildew/mold killer. Spray straight vinegar in the shower each day and it will keep mold away. Hey....that rhymes!!

By Ryan (Guest Post)

Try Mr. Clean Magic Erasers, they are great on the shower.

By Linda. (Guest Post)

Clorox Cleanup is great. Or try a bleach solution.

By Marna (Guest Post)

I love Tilex Mold and Mildew remover