Black Mold In The Shower? Here's How To Remove It!

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Showers are notorious for their gunk and funk. Sure, there are some super sparkly perfect showers in this world but they are few and far between. Life happens and cleaning the shower ends up fairly low on most people’s list.

Enter black mold in the shower. Uggg.

Don’t worry. It happens to pretty much all of us. Even me. Well not so much anymore. Whoever thought that natural stone tiles in the shower was a good idea thought wrong. I have since removed and replaced those.

Trust me when I say that I have tried EVERYTHING in the battle against black mold in the shower. I’m a pretty savvy DIY cleaning guru as well as a certified mold inspector. You’d think I would have this down to a science. Ha. Yeah – nope. Every shower is different which is why there is no one size fits all approach to how to get rid of mold in the shower.

But never fear – I will give you a handful of shower mold removal options that WILL work. You just have to play around and find the one that works in your shower. I will also share my secret to preventing mold from growing in the first place.

Why Do I Have Mold In My Shower?

It’s very common for mold to be found in the shower. There is lots of water and humidity in the bathroom which mold just adores.

Frequently running water in the shower creates wet surfaces and puddles of water. If you don’t dry this moisture out quickly it can easily lead to mold growth.

On top of this, when the water in the bathroom does dry out it evaporates into the air and increases the humidity. Steam from the shower or a hot bath also makes the bathroom more humid. Since bathrooms are often not well ventilated the humidity tends to hang around and wet surfaces take a long time to dry out. Enter mold.

Another reason mold grows in the shower is because grime from body oils and soap scum is washed off and onto the shower or tub. This creates biofilm, a food source for mold to feed on.

Basically, if mold were to have a choice vacation destination it would be the shower. Soooo inviting.

Where Does Mold Grow In My Shower?

• Mold can grow in the grout. That is one of its favorite places.
• It can grow inside the window frame if your window is IN the shower like mine is.
• It can grow around the drain and on the drain plug.
• Mold can grow on the shower caulking.
• It can grow in the door tracks if you have doors.
• Mold can grow under shampoo bottles, bars of soap, shaving cream bottles, etc…
• While not technically a part of the shower, mold can grow on a shower curtain.

Mold can also grow behind shower tiles and on the wall but this is due to a leak behind the shower and not from water in the shower typically. The exception is if your grout is old and cracking. Then water can seep behind the shower tiles allowing mold to grow. The same applies to a poorly installed or failing shower pan. That can allow water to pool under the shower pan, creating a moldy messy of the subfloor and walls.

Is Shower Mold Toxic?

Due to the way bathrooms and showers are constructed today, the black mold you see in your shower is less likely to be the really hazardous type of mold. This is because your shower areas and surfaces don’t have cellulose (found in things like wood, fiberboard, lint, paper, and dust) which is required for most of the really hazardous types of mold to grow.

That is not to say that one of the more toxic molds can’t ever grow in your shower. They can. If you have a bigger issue in your bathroom or home and THOSE spores have infiltrated your shower then your shower can become a breeding ground for some really bad mold. But regular old mold in the shower… usually more allergenic than anything.

Can You Get Sick From Mold In The Shower?

You can get sick from any mold thanks to your genetic makeup, your current health, and many additional factors. Don’t assume that since mold in the shower isn’t usually super toxic that you can’t have health issues from it. Try to prevent shower mold and of course remove it once you see it growing.

Is Shower Mold Always Black Mold?

Nope. There are many colors of mold and shower mold can be pink, green, brown, or even grey.

7 Ways To Prevent Shower Mold

1. Practice good ventilation. Open the bathroom window when showering. Turn on the exhaust fan when showering and leave it on for 30 minutes afterwards. Keep the bathroom door open when showering if possible.
2. Shower drains contain biofilm and cellulose materials such as soap scum, body hairs, and oils and lots of moisture so they can be a breeding ground for black mold. It is important to keep drains open and clear of cellulose materials. Remove any hair after showering and pour a little vinegar down the drain weekly to keep the drain clean and prevent mold spores from developing.
3. After showering wipe down the entire shower including all your shampoo and soap bottle.
4. Once a week spray the shower with Superstratum Everyday Cleaner, Remedy Mold Treatment Spray, or EC3 Mold Solution Spray to kill any new mold spores that may be trying to root.
5. Clean your shower from top to bottom every 14 days at a minimum. Weekly is better but no one has time for that! So shoot for every two weeks.
6. If possible, DO NOT USE one of those suction cup non-slip mats in the shower. Those are a mold magnet.
7. Treat your shower with Superstratum Endurance Coating every 2 months to prevent mold growth. You can read how and why Superstratum works here. This is honestly my best defense against shower mold. I literally NEVER have an issue with it thanks to this protectant!

How To Get Rid Of Mold In The Shower

There are a lot of options when it comes to products designed for cleaning shower mold. I have tested countless products and am only sharing the ones I know work and don’t cost an arm and a leg. It is also important for you to know why I do NOT recommend cleaning mold with bleach. You need to read that post but in short, it causes MORE mold growth and doesn’t actually kill mold. So do NOT use bleach based mold removers in the shower.

How to remove mold from shower caulking

The ideal thing you can do to remove black mold in shower caulking is to remove the caulking altogether and apply new high-quality mold resistant caulking like this one. This is important because a good mold resistant caulk will help prevent water damage and mold from happening behind your tile and shower walls.

This is actually easier than it sounds. Even I can handle doing this. While it doesn’t take long to actually remove and replace the shower caulk, it does require you to let it dry properly before using your shower again.

Don’t want to remove and replace the shower caulk? You can try this mold removal method but it is time consuming and usually doesn’t get more than 50-60% of the mold.

Prep Time 1 minute Active Time 30 minutes Additional Time 2 hours Total Time 2 hours 31 minutes Difficulty Medium Estimated Cost $5.00

Materials

• Distilled white vinegar
• Baking soda

Tools

• A small bowl
• A disposable paint brush
• Plastic wrap

Instructions

1. Put some baking soda in your bowl and slowly add small amounts of vinegar until you have a paste-like substance.
2. Grab the paint brush and use it to apply the paste to the mold.
3. Use the plastic wrap to cover the paste on the mold as best you can. This can be tricky. Feel free to tape it.
4. Leave it to sit for at least 2 hours.
5. Remove the plastic covering and clean off the paste which most likely will have dried out.
6. Repeat this process until you are no longer seeing a reduction in the amount of mold on the shower caulking.
7. Spray the caulk with Superstratum Everyday Cleaner, Remedy mold treatment concentrate, or EC3 mold solution spray and allow to air dry. This helps kill any surface mold spores and mycotoxins on the caulk.

How to remove mold from shower grout

Now, you might be wondering how to clean mold in shower grout naturally. Valid question seeing that everyone recommends bleach. This is where there is no one size fits all grout cleaner so let me share my favorite method.

You will need this electric scrub brush. Trust me. It cuts your cleaning time down by hours. You are welcome to put some elbow grease in there and use a scrub brush like this but be sure you have a lot of free time.

Make sure you are wearing gloves when you clean the shower grout.

Prep Time 2 minutes Active Time 15 minutes Additional Time 5 minutes Total Time 22 minutes Difficulty Easy Estimated Cost $5.00

Materials

• 1/2 cup baking soda
• 12% Hydrogen Peroxide
• Superstratum Everyday Cleaner

Tools

• Electric Scrub Brush

Instructions

1. Stir 1/2 cup of baking soda and several teaspoons of water to make a paste you can spread directly over the mold.
2. Apply the paste to the moldy grout and let it sit for 30 minutes.
3. Pour hydrogen peroxide over the paste so that it begins to fizz – this will help loosen old, stubborn mold or mold in showers with deep grout lines.
4. Scrub with your electric scrubber for a solid 5 minutes.
5. Rinse with water and repeat the process if any mold is remaining.
6. Once all the mold has been removed, dry the area and spray it generously with the Superstratum Everyday Cleaner.
7. Allow it to air dry.

How to remove mold from the shower drain

This is by far the easiest mold removal task in the shower.

• Remove the shower drain cover if there is one. If not, skip to step two.
• Spray the drain cover and/or the drain rim, inside, and stopper with 12 % hydrogen peroxide.
• Allow it to sit for a few minutes.
• Using a toothbrush or the like, scrub all the mold you can see off the drain and components.
• Rinse well, dry, and replace the drain cover.
• Spray the drain generously with Superstratum Everyday Cleaner, Remedy Mold Treatment Spray, or EC3 Mold Solution Spray.
• Allow it to air dry.

And there you have it! Everything you need to know about black mold in the shower! Be sure to check out my post on how to prevent bathroom mold. It’s important to take all the steps necessary to keep mold and mildew from sneaking up on you in the bathroom.

In this post I refer to Superstratum products. They are one of the only two mold and mycotoxins removal products that I personally use and recommend. Please read my article out the Superstratum product line for more information how how they work and the products available. This product lines has never failed me and is great for chemically sensitive individuals. You can learn more and purchase Superstratum products here.

In this post I refer to CitriSafe Remedy products. They are one of the only two mold and mycotoxin removal products that I personally use and recommend. Please read my article outlining what makes Remedysuperior when it comes to killing mold and mycotoxins. It has been proven to be 99% effective when used properly. I encourage you to purchase CitriSafe products directly through CitriSafe. If you prefer to shop on Amazon, CitriSafe has a presence there as well.

In this post I refer to EC3 products. They are one of the only three mold and mycotoxin removal products that I personally use and recommend. Please read my article outlining what makes EC3 superior when it comes to killing mold and mycotoxins. It has been independently lab tested and proven to be 99% effective when used properly. I encourage you to purchase EC3 products directly through Micro Balance. If you prefer to shop on Amazon, Micro Balance has a presence there as well.

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