Mold and mildew thrive in damp, dark environments. Bathrooms, especially those that lack proper ventilation, are some of the most humid spaces in the house, offering prime growing conditions for mold or mildew to develop.
While it’s common to find mildew spots on the bathroom ceiling, wet towels thrown in a pile on the floor are just as likely to be the source of a bad smell. If your bathroom smells damp and musty 24/7, you need to eliminate the source of the problem to get rid of the odor. Here’s how.
Locate the Source of the Problem
Mildew can appear in white, gray, or green spots. It’s usually flat in its early stages but can have a fluffier appearance as it ages.
Common places to find mildew in the bathroom include on the bathroom ceiling or walls near the shower, on the caulk lines in the shower or bathtub, and on any damp rugs or towels.
Kill the Mildew
Once you’ve found the mildew, you need to kill it so that it doesn’t continue to spread. You can remove mildew from the ceiling, walls, caulk lines, and bathtub or shower surround with a mixture of one part bleach to three parts water. Spray the solution on the mildew and let it sit for ten minutes. Then, use a soft-bristled scrub brush to scrub the mildew from the area. Finally, go back over the treated spots with a wet towel to rinse.
Whether or not you’ll be able to rid your towels, bath mats, and shower curtains of their mildew smell depends on the severity. We recommend you wash everything using your washing machine’s hottest cycle and regular detergent. (You can even wash your shower curtain liner in the washing machine—just don’t put it in the dryer.)
If regular detergent doesn’t rid your items of the mildew, rewash them, this time adding 1 cup of white distilled vinegar to the washing machine instead of your regular detergent.
Replace or Clean Your Bathroom’s Vent Fan
A lack of ventilation is the number one reason that bathrooms develop mold and mildew. When you take a hot shower, the steam needs somewhere to escape, or else it will coat your bathroom ceiling, creating a moist environment for fungi and leading to the possible rot of your drywall ceilings.
If you don’t have a bathroom vent fan or yours doesn’t work, install one as soon as possible. If you currently have a bathroom vent fan but are still dealing with mildew problems, ensure that the fan is appropriately exhausting the excess moisture. First, check if the fan’s vents are clogged with dust. If so, clean your exhaust fan. If the fan isn’t dirty, it’s likely not big or powerful enough for the space.
Deep Clean the Bathroom
As a final step, deep clean your bathroom. Launder any soft materials that you haven’t already washed. Then, wash the ceilings and walls, wipe down the counters and mirrors, clean the toilets, scrub the shower or tub, and sweep and mop.
Deep clean your bathroom every couple of weeks to keep it in tip-top shape.
