Dear Home-Ec101,

Hi Home-Eccers! Love the site – thanks so much for a return to the basics (that I should have learned LONG ago).

My husband and I have been in our new home for about a year and a half, and we’ve never been happy with the cleanliness of the tiles in our shower. It’s an older home (1940s) but I don’t know if the tile is original or not (I’m thinking not). Anyway, while parts of the tile are clean, there are some parts (including the corners) that are just disgusting. We’ve tried green cleaners (both pre-packaged and homemade), 409, Soft Scrub and a bleach pen. I think we tried Magic Eraser, too. Any advice?

The bathroom setup isn’t ideal, because we have no exhaust fan, and the humidty after a shower is perfect for growing and nurturing mold and other buggers. When it’s as cold as it has been recently, we can’t really bring ourselves to crack the window to ventilate.

The final factor here is that I’m pregnant and want to both 1) have a clean house and 2) not poison ourselves or the gestating one. Any advice would be most appreciated.

Signed,
Preggo and finicky

Ivy says:

Ah, the attack of the mildewed shower. Once mildew sinks in deep, it’s hard to get clean. Fortunately, your girl Ivy is here with some tips!

You can always use an old toothbrush to get at the stains, but I like a good grout brush, such as this one. Grout brushes have stiffer bristles than toothbrushes, and they’re curved to make it easier to get into the corners.

Take your grout brush and some Bar Keeper’s Friend (no, we don’t work for them, but we’d be all kinds of happy if they’d sponsor us) and try scrubbing off the mildew. That should work, but if it doesn’t, we’ll have to pull out the big guns.

This is something you’d better have your husband do, since you’re pregnant and it is not a well-ventilated area. Get your handy-dandy grout brush back out and try scrubbing it with wax stripper. Be sure to test on a hidden area first- it may not be safe for all types of tile.

If that doesn’t work, you can try spraying on a 50/50 bleach mix and leaving it to sit for 15 minutes, then scrub off. Again, this is a job for your super husband, since we don’t want you inhaling bleach fumes right now. I like to run a box fan while doing any heavy duty bleach work.

*****Note: Using bleach directly after using Bar Keeper’s Friend (Oxalic Acid) can cause an odorless noxious gas that can cause brain damage, lung damage, or worse. Please use caution and make sure you’re spacing this apart AND have cleaned the Bar Keeper’s Friend off VERY thoroughly.*******

One of these methods will surely work. Now, to keep the mess from coming back, be sure you are drying your shower walls every time you take a shower, and leave your shower door or shower curtain open to let your shower “breathe”.

Thanks for this great question!

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