I am having a very long and annoying time removing the old caulk from
my tub where it meets the tile wall. Somebody did a terrible job
recaulking, a while back. I tried repeatedly to deal with the mold
exteriorly with various mildewcides. Nothing worked, so I have now
grasped the nettle, and day by day, am chipping away at this train
wreck with various tools, mainly a razor blade in a straight holder.
Ghastly business!

QUESTION: Since I don't ever want to go through this again, I want to
clean/disinfect/whatever the area with the strongest and best
mildewcide on the market before I recaulk.

Everybody has their own favorites. Is there a concensus?

TIA

On 7/30/2010 4:58 PM Higgs Boson spake thus:

I am having a very long and annoying time removing the old caulk from
my tub where it meets the tile wall. Somebody did a terrible job
recaulking, a while back. I tried repeatedly to deal with the mold
exteriorly with various mildewcides. Nothing worked, so I have now
grasped the nettle, and day by day, am chipping away at this train
wreck with various tools, mainly a razor blade in a straight holder.
Ghastly business!

QUESTION: Since I don't ever want to go through this again, I want to
clean/disinfect/whatever the area with the strongest and best
mildewcide on the market before I recaulk.

Everybody has their own favorites. Is there a concensus?

I think bleach does a dandy job, and is Available Everywhere. Anyone
have a good reason *not* to use bleach? (Assuming you rinse it away
completely before recaulking.)


--
The fashion in killing has an insouciant, flirty style this spring,
with the flaunting of well-defined muscle, wrapped in flags.

- Comment from an article on Antiwar.com (http://antiwar.com)

Concrobium Mold Control. They sell it in the paint dept. at Home Depot.

A heat gun would probably make it easier removing the old caulk.



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Higgs Boson wrote:

I am having a very long and annoying time removing the old caulk from
my tub where it meets the tile wall. Somebody did a terrible job
recaulking, a while back. I tried repeatedly to deal with the mold
exteriorly with various mildewcides. Nothing worked, so I have now
grasped the nettle, and day by day, am chipping away at this train
wreck with various tools, mainly a razor blade in a straight holder.
Ghastly business!

Use caulk remover, sold in tubes that look just like those for bathtub
caulk. DAP makes it, and it's green goo. Lacquer thinner also works,
but the fumes are strong. Only when all the old caulk is gone can
you do a really good job of removing the mildew, such as with bleach
or Lysol. Clean that off with alcohol or lacquer thinner before
applying new caulk so it sticks better. BTW, bathtub caulk contains
mildewcide.

On Jul 30, 7:07*pm, "larry moe 'n curly"
wrote:
Higgs Boson wrote:
I am having a very long and annoying time removing the old caulk from
my tub where it meets the tile wall. *Somebody did a terrible job
recaulking, a while back. *I tried repeatedly to deal with the mold
exteriorly with various mildewcides. *Nothing worked, so I have now
grasped the nettle, and day by day, am chipping away at this train
wreck with various tools, mainly a razor blade in a straight holder.
Ghastly business!

Use caulk remover, sold in tubes that look just like those for bathtub
caulk. *DAP makes it, and it's green goo. *Lacquer thinner also works,
but the fumes are strong. * Only when all the old caulk is gone can
you do a really good job of removing the mildew, such as with bleach
or Lysol. *Clean that off with alcohol or lacquer thinner before
applying new caulk so it sticks better. *BTW, bathtub caulk contains
mildewcide.



OH,THANK YOU THANK YOU for all suggestions. I should have realized
there might be such a product. I do have sort of a "heat gun" --
actually it's the tip of a soldering iron -- but I'll try that DAP
stuff first. David thinks common bleach is as good a mildewcide as
any.
Other suggestions?

Also, how effective is the mildewcide in bathtub caulk (specifically
silicone, which has been recommended by most (all?).
IOW, do I need to add anything?

TIA

On Jul 31, 12:16*am, Higgs Boson wrote:
On Jul 30, 7:07*pm, "larry moe 'n curly"
wrote:



Higgs Boson wrote:
I am having a very long and annoying time removing the old caulk from
my tub where it meets the tile wall. *Somebody did a terrible job
recaulking, a while back. *I tried repeatedly to deal with the mold
exteriorly with various mildewcides. *Nothing worked, so I have now
grasped the nettle, and day by day, am chipping away at this train
wreck with various tools, mainly a razor blade in a straight holder.
Ghastly business!

Use caulk remover, sold in tubes that look just like those for bathtub
caulk. *DAP makes it, and it's green goo. *Lacquer thinner also works,
but the fumes are strong. * Only when all the old caulk is gone can
you do a really good job of removing the mildew, such as with bleach
or Lysol. *Clean that off with alcohol or lacquer thinner before
applying new caulk so it sticks better. *BTW, bathtub caulk contains
mildewcide.

OH,THANK YOU THANK YOU for all suggestions. *I *should have realized
there might be such a product. *I do have sort of a "heat gun" --
actually it's the tip of a soldering iron *-- but I'll try that DAP
stuff first. * David thinks common bleach is as good a mildewcide as
any.
Other suggestions?

Also, how effective is the mildewcide in bathtub caulk (specifically
silicone, which has been recommended by most (all?).
IOW, do I need to add anything?

TIA


LOL... If you are using a soldering iron to try and de-caulk a tub,
no wonder you are having troubles...

You need a HEAT GUN, which is basically an industrial strength
hair dryer, which will provide more heat over a broader area than
what a soldering iron will be able to put out...

You heat the old caulking and it will come out much easier with
your razor scraper and other tools...

~~ Evan

On Jul 30, 6:58*pm, Higgs Boson wrote:
I am having a very long and annoying time removing the old caulk from
my tub where it meets the tile wall. *Somebody did a terrible job
recaulking, a while back. *I tried repeatedly to deal with the mold
exteriorly with various mildewcides. *Nothing worked, so I have now
grasped the nettle, and day by day, am chipping away at this train
wreck with various tools, mainly a razor blade in a straight holder.
Ghastly business!

QUESTION: *Since I don't ever want to go through this again, I want to
clean/disinfect/whatever the area with the strongest and best
mildewcide on the market before I recaulk.

Everybody has their own favorites. *Is there a concensus?

TIA

Since mold is an issue its going to come back, it will come back
because mold is airborn and everywhere, you just have the right
environment for it to grow, you need more ventilation and for it to
dry out, its pobably never drying fully between showers. Bleach is
cheap and good to kill it then clean the residue, I had a bad place
that stayed wet and kept a little bottle of bleach on a spray bottle
to get any mold as t started. Cleaning the joint of soap residue is
real important to get new caulk to bond to the tile, its hard to be
sure its going to be clean.

Higgs Boson wrote:
I am having a very long and annoying time removing the old caulk from
my tub where it meets the tile wall. Somebody did a terrible job
recaulking, a while back. I tried repeatedly to deal with the mold
exteriorly with various mildewcides. Nothing worked, so I have now
grasped the nettle, and day by day, am chipping away at this train
wreck with various tools, mainly a razor blade in a straight holder.
Ghastly business!

QUESTION: Since I don't ever want to go through this again, I want to
clean/disinfect/whatever the area with the strongest and best
mildewcide on the market before I recaulk.

Everybody has their own favorites. Is there a concensus?

TIA

I got a tip from a pro when I messed up caulking my tub enclosure. He
told me to wipe the area with full strength bleach, let dry, before
caulking. I did that and all was fine. I made sure there was no soap
scum and I usually give a wipe with denatured alcohol before the bleach.

I have seen bad caulk jobs that turned gray from mildew behind the
caulk, and those rough, gloppy caulk jobs that trap debris and water. I
don't think it is as much the type of caulk as it is the preparation and
form....shape the new caulk like a cove molding so it doesn't hold
water. Scrubbing Bubbles is great for normal cleaning to get rid of
soap scum.

I can't remember where I read this, but I was going through a similar
situation and I read that bleach will remove most mold & mildew from the
surface, but LYSOL is one of the few cleaners that will kill it off down
deep. The nice thing about LYSOL is that it is a cleaner also, so it
will get rid of contaminants other than mold which could interfere with
a good caulk job. Bleach has no soaps or surfactants in it to break up
grease & stuff.

I got a tip from a pro when I messed up caulking my tub enclosure. He
told me to wipe the area with full strength bleach, let dry, before
caulking. I did that and all was fine. I made sure there was no soap
scum and I usually give a wipe with denatured alcohol before the bleach.

On Jul 31, 9:59*am, "
wrote:.

shape the new caulk like a cove molding so it doesn't hold
water. *

Now how exactly are you supposed to run a bead that is "shaped" like
this?

http://epibuildingproducts.com/image...rior_big/2.jpg

__ Bøb __ wrote:
I can't remember where I read this, but I was going through a similar
situation and I read that bleach will remove most mold & mildew from the
surface, but LYSOL is one of the few cleaners that will kill it off down
deep. The nice thing about LYSOL is that it is a cleaner also, so it
will get rid of contaminants other than mold which could interfere with
a good caulk job. Bleach has no soaps or surfactants in it to break up
grease & stuff.

I got a tip from a pro when I messed up caulking my tub enclosure. He
told me to wipe the area with full strength bleach, let dry, before
caulking. I did that and all was fine. I made sure there was no soap
scum and I usually give a wipe with denatured alcohol before the bleach.

I forgot to mention that I use silicone caulk on tubs and sinks. As for
cleaning "down deep", where might one clean for caulking where Lysol
will reach and bleach won't? The issue is to have the surface to be
caulked absolutely clean and free of scum, grease, mildew, moisture.
Plain latex caulk with no silicone probably is one of the worst choices
for wet areas. I've seen such horrible looking, mucked up caulk jobs
that is isn't surprising they trap crud and grow stuff. Ventillation is
important, too....I never leave the shower curtain closed after
shower...I leave it open on both sides so air can circulate. Vent fan
with timer for about 30 min afterward.

Ron wrote:
On Jul 31, 9:59 am, "
wrote:.

shape the new caulk like a cove molding so it doesn't hold
water.

Now how exactly are you supposed to run a bead that is "shaped" like
this?

http://epibuildingproducts.com/image...rior_big/2.jpg

My bad...."concave" would be the intended shape....smoothed to the
surface level on both sides of the arc. Wish I could draw a picture )

On Jul 31, 3:45*am, ransley wrote:
On Jul 30, 6:58*pm, Higgs Boson wrote:

I am having a very long and annoying time removing the old caulk from
my tub where it meets the tile wall. *Somebody did a terrible job
recaulking, a while back. *I tried repeatedly to deal with the mold
exteriorly with various mildewcides. *Nothing worked, so I have now
grasped the nettle, and day by day, am chipping away at this train
wreck with various tools, mainly a razor blade in a straight holder.
Ghastly business!

QUESTION: *Since I don't ever want to go through this again, I want to
clean/disinfect/whatever the area with the strongest and best
mildewcide on the market before I recaulk.

Everybody has their own favorites. *Is there a concensus?

TIA

Since mold is an issue its going to come back, it will come back
because mold is airborn and everywhere, you just have the right
environment for it to grow, you need more ventilation and for it to
dry out, its pobably never drying fully between showers. Bleach is
cheap and good to kill it then clean the residue, I had a bad place
that stayed wet and kept a little bottle of bleach on a spray bottle
to get any mold as t started. Cleaning the joint of soap residue is
real important to get new caulk to bond to the tile, its hard to be
sure its going to be clean.

That's discouraging. Even if we beat out our brains cleaning,
disinfecting,
drying, etc. and sealing as best we can with silicone caulk -- it's
STILL
going to come back?

How is it going to get in?

On Sat, 31 Jul 2010 11:49:35 -0700 (PDT), Higgs Boson
wrote:

On Jul 31, 3:45*am, ransley wrote:
On Jul 30, 6:58*pm, Higgs Boson wrote:

I am having a very long and annoying time removing the old caulk from
my tub where it meets the tile wall. *Somebody did a terrible job
recaulking, a while back. *I tried repeatedly to deal with the mold
exteriorly with various mildewcides. *Nothing worked, so I have now
grasped the nettle, and day by day, am chipping away at this train
wreck with various tools, mainly a razor blade in a straight holder.
Ghastly business!

QUESTION: *Since I don't ever want to go through this again, I want to
clean/disinfect/whatever the area with the strongest and best
mildewcide on the market before I recaulk.

Everybody has their own favorites. *Is there a concensus?

TIA

Since mold is an issue its going to come back, it will come back
because mold is airborn and everywhere, you just have the right
environment for it to grow, you need more ventilation and for it to
dry out, its pobably never drying fully between showers. Bleach is
cheap and good to kill it then clean the residue, I had a bad place
that stayed wet and kept a little bottle of bleach on a spray bottle
to get any mold as t started. Cleaning the joint of soap residue is
real important to get new caulk to bond to the tile, its hard to be
sure its going to be clean.

That's discouraging. Even if we beat out our brains cleaning,
disinfecting,
drying, etc. and sealing as best we can with silicone caulk -- it's
STILL
going to come back?

Yes, particularly if you insist on giving it a place to grow and its fav
environment. When you re-caulk make sure everything is secure and smooth. If
it does grow back it won't follow any water into the wall and it'll be easy to
clean/kill (bleach works wonders, but be careful). Remove the constant source
of water and it won't grow back.

How is it going to get in?

Air. Spores are everywhere.

Higgs Boson wrote:
On Jul 31, 3:45 am, ransley wrote:
On Jul 30, 6:58 pm, Higgs Boson wrote:

I am having a very long and annoying time removing the old caulk from
my tub where it meets the tile wall. Somebody did a terrible job
recaulking, a while back. I tried repeatedly to deal with the mold
exteriorly with various mildewcides. Nothing worked, so I have now
grasped the nettle, and day by day, am chipping away at this train
wreck with various tools, mainly a razor blade in a straight holder.
Ghastly business!
QUESTION: Since I don't ever want to go through this again, I want to
clean/disinfect/whatever the area with the strongest and best
mildewcide on the market before I recaulk.
Everybody has their own favorites. Is there a concensus?
TIA
Since mold is an issue its going to come back, it will come back
because mold is airborn and everywhere, you just have the right
environment for it to grow, you need more ventilation and for it to
dry out, its pobably never drying fully between showers. Bleach is
cheap and good to kill it then clean the residue, I had a bad place
that stayed wet and kept a little bottle of bleach on a spray bottle
to get any mold as t started. Cleaning the joint of soap residue is
real important to get new caulk to bond to the tile, its hard to be
sure its going to be clean.

That's discouraging. Even if we beat out our brains cleaning,
disinfecting,
drying, etc. and sealing as best we can with silicone caulk -- it's
STILL
going to come back?

How is it going to get in?

Mildew and mold spores float around in the air everywhere. When we got
a timer on our bath fan, it helped cut down on mildew. We have a shower
stall, tiled walls and floor, and it gets a little mildew in the corners
but not enough to bother cleaning oftener than every couple of months.
I regrouted the tile myself about 4-5 years ago, and could have used
more muscle ... there are little dips in the grout and they seem to
gather mildew first. Too old to do it over )

On Jul 30, 6:23*pm, "CraigT" wrote:
Concrobium Mold Control. *They sell it in the paint dept. at Home Depot..

I looked up this stuff; it sounds iffy to me. Form an impervious
layer and crush the poor little mold under it?

Dunno...

A heat gun would probably make it easier removing the old caulk.

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Higgs Boson wrote:

David thinks common bleach is as good a mildewcide as any.
Other suggestions?

Also, how effective is the mildewcide in bathtub caulk (specifically
silicone, which has been recommended by most (all?).
IOW, do I need to add anything?

When Consumer Reports tested several bathroom cleaners, several years
ago, chlorine bleach was among the best products for killing mildrew,
but it wasn't the best at keeping new mildrew from forming. That
honor went to some other products, including Spic & Span (I don't know
if they meant the powder or liquid), but they won't help you because
they have to be rinsed off completely before caulking can be applied.
I think bleach also has to be rinsed off, but I believe Lysol should
be OK.

Bathtub caulk, whether it's latex (siliconized latex just contains up
to 2% silicone oil) or silicone rubber, contains mildewcide. I think
the only way to be sure that silicone rubber sealer does not contain
mildewcide is to buy the kind made for repairing food processing
equipment, including dishwashers. BTW, there are mildewcides you can
buy as additives to paint, and they can keep fungus at bay for as much
as a couple of years.

Why not just make everything in the bathroom black or dark green so
mildrew isn't so noticable?

"larry moe 'n curly" wrote:
-snip-

Why not just make everything in the bathroom black or dark green so
mildrew isn't so noticable?

Because then your cleaning is doubled if you ever use any soap . . .
or water.g

I had a dark bathroom once-- never again.

Jim

On 7/30/2010 6:58 PM, Higgs Boson wrote:
I am having a very long and annoying time removing the old caulk from
my tub where it meets the tile wall. Somebody did a terrible job
recaulking, a while back. I tried repeatedly to deal with the mold
exteriorly with various mildewcides. Nothing worked, so I have now
grasped the nettle, and day by day, am chipping away at this train
wreck with various tools, mainly a razor blade in a straight holder.
Ghastly business!

QUESTION: Since I don't ever want to go through this again, I want to
clean/disinfect/whatever the area with the strongest and best
mildewcide on the market before I recaulk.

Everybody has their own favorites. Is there a concensus?

TIA

It's not really a matter of favorites or what not. BLEACH kills mold
and mildew period. But the secret is getting it dry back in there
before you re-caulk. Or it'll just keep growing back there forever.

--
Steve Barker
remove the "not" from my address to email

Steve Barker wrote:
On 7/30/2010 6:58 PM, Higgs Boson wrote:
I am having a very long and annoying time removing the old caulk from
my tub where it meets the tile wall. Somebody did a terrible job
recaulking, a while back. I tried repeatedly to deal with the mold
exteriorly with various mildewcides. Nothing worked, so I have now
grasped the nettle, and day by day, am chipping away at this train
wreck with various tools, mainly a razor blade in a straight holder.
Ghastly business!

QUESTION: Since I don't ever want to go through this again, I want to
clean/disinfect/whatever the area with the strongest and best
mildewcide on the market before I recaulk.

Everybody has their own favorites. Is there a concensus?

TIA

It's not really a matter of favorites or what not. BLEACH kills mold
and mildew period. But the secret is getting it dry back in there
before you re-caulk. Or it'll just keep growing back there forever.


I'll second that. After multiple 24-hour and 48-hour waiting periods
failed (not just mold, the damn caulk kept falling out), I finally
abandoned the main bath for a full week and used the tiny stall shower
and guest bath exclusively, and it finally stuck. I also scrubbed ALL
the grout lines with bleach, and after recaulking the bathtub line and
corners, painted them with that clear grout seal stuff. I then let the
new caulk and seal set for another 48 hours before using the bath. So
far, other than one tiny spot where the caulk pulled away, success. When
I hit the lotto and build my dream house, the shower will have
solid-surface walls and rounded epoxy (or whatever they make field
joints out of) corners. I hate grout and caulk.

--
aem sends...

On Aug 1, 4:59*pm, aemeijers wrote:
Steve Barker wrote:
On 7/30/2010 6:58 PM, Higgs Boson wrote:
I am having a very long and annoying time removing the old caulk from
my tub where it meets the tile wall. *Somebody did a terrible job
recaulking, a while back. *I tried repeatedly to deal with the mold
exteriorly with various mildewcides. *Nothing worked, so I have now
grasped the nettle, and day by day, am chipping away at this train
wreck with various tools, mainly a razor blade in a straight holder.
Ghastly business!

QUESTION: *Since I don't ever want to go through this again, I want to
clean/disinfect/whatever the area with the strongest and best
mildewcide on the market before I recaulk.

Everybody has their own favorites. *Is there a concensus?

TIA

It's not really a matter of favorites or what not. *BLEACH kills mold
and mildew period. *But the secret is getting it dry back in there
before you re-caulk. *Or it'll just keep growing back there forever.

I'll second that. After multiple 24-hour and 48-hour waiting periods
failed (not just mold, the damn caulk kept falling out), I finally
abandoned the main bath for a full week and used the tiny stall shower
and guest bath exclusively, and it finally stuck. I also scrubbed ALL
the grout lines with bleach, and after recaulking the bathtub line and
corners, painted them with that clear grout seal stuff. I then let the
new caulk and seal set for another 48 hours before using the bath. So
far, other than one tiny spot where the caulk pulled away, success. When
I hit the lotto and build my dream house, the shower will have
solid-surface walls and rounded epoxy (or whatever they make field
joints out of) corners. I hate grout and caulk.

AMEN to that! Bathroom problems aside, my tiled kitchen counter and
backsplash have been a major problem for years. When I remodeled the
kitchen, back in the Paleozoic, I was too ignorant to realize problems
tile can bring.

can't afford to replace the whole thing with one of the high-end non-
tile products like Corian, etc. So I have to keep cleaning the damn
grout which never looks good, period. Have tried to re-grout several
times;; amateur job; good appearance lasts about 5 min. I used that
protective "clear grout seal stuff" after the last re-tile job; did
zip to preserve grout. Whole thing is about enough $$$ to put in a
functional non-tile kitchen counter. What's the winning lottery # this
week g.

--
....