Have you ever lifted your toilet tank and saw a mold infestation? Is your toilet bowl also suffering the same fate? Mold, in small quantities, isn’t a problem because it’s easy to get rid of. However, when you neglect it and it’s allowed to grow, they can be a much bigger problem for the house and its inhabitants.
Mold comes from different shapes and sizes, and it doesn’t have any preference on where to grow, as long as it’s constantly humid and moist. This makes your bathroom and your kitchen the most optimal places for mold growth. The dangers of mold are well documented, ranging from respiratory problems to skin problems.
First, you need to do is to clean the toilet bowl and flush everything out. Spray vinegar from a spray bottle into the tank, then rinse with a bleach/water mix. Finally, flush a couple times and scrub the tank and you’re done!
Why is Keeping Your Toilet Tank Clean Important?
Any type of mold that grows anywhere in your house, whether it be in your boiler room or toilet tank, must be eradicated even if they’re still starting to grow.
While mold doesn’t have the same effect on everyone, there is evidence to suggest that mold is linked to serious respiratory illnesses. Moreover, researchers also suggest that mold is linked to other adverse health effects such as memory loss and lethargy.
In short, if you are very sensitive to allergens, especially mold, it can give you severe lung problems. And even if you aren’t that reactive to it, mold can still create an environment where you will most likely contract serious respiratory problems.
While some molds are more dangerous than others, they all have the same risks. This ranges but is not limited to:
- Irritation of the eyes, nose, skin, throat, and lungs
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Rashes
- Headache
- Shortness of breath
- Allergic reactions
- Asthma attacks
- Serious lung infections
The Supplies You Need for Cleaning Your Toilet Tank
Luckily, there are plenty of ways you can remove them. You can even create a DIY mold remover with a few items in your kitchen. But first, here are the tools that you need:
- Cleaning gloves and mask
- Toilet bowl scrubber
- Toilet bowl cleaner
- Magic eraser
- Bleach
- Vinegar
- Spray bottle
The first thing you need to do is to clean the toilet bowl. So first, wear your protective gear and grab your tools. After that, flush your toilet to get rid of any foreign substances in it. Once done, get your spray bottle filled with your cleaning agent (in this case, vinegar) and the scrubber.
Spray the inside of the bowl with the vinegar and let it sit for a minute. Afterward, scrub off the mold. Spray and scrub the mold off repeatedly until nothing is left. Lastly, flush the toilet to clean out the vinegar.
The next one you will address is the toilet tank. The first thing you should do is pour bleach into the tank and let it sit for 30-40 minutes. The ratio of your bleach mixture depends on the size of your tank. You can check the label on the bottle of bleach for this one.
Next, scrub the tank. However, be careful not to bump against any working parts of the tank to avoid damaging it.
After that, flush the toilet a few more times to get rid of the bleach. Next, dispose of your cleaning gear, especially the gloves and the mask, as they could have spores on them. After that, shower off all the dirt and mold spores you may have missed. You can scrub down too to make sure nothing is left on your body.
How to Prevent Mold from Growing Back Again
Now that both your toilet bowl and toilet tank are clean, you will need to tackle the problem of preventing mold from growing again. After all, they are constantly moist, so mold might grow again. Cleaning your toilet bowl and toilet tank involves the same process. However, sometimes bleach doesn’t cut it.
As mentioned earlier, there are various cleaning products in the market that get rid of mold permanently. However, you can make your own with a few choice items in your household, such as vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, and even lemons. Also, you can buy toilet products that sit in the tank and mix in little bits of chemicals every time you flush, which is a good way to prevent molds from spreading again.
Takeaway
Although mold can be an alarming discovery, it can be relatively easy to get rid of. With just a few products or homemade mixtures of your own, you can get rid of them permanently with little to no trouble.
However, remember that when you’re seeing mold coming from an unusual place, it may also mean that your house has a leaking pipe somewhere. If this is the case, you may need to consult with a plumbing company like mrblueplumbing.com.