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Your Caulking and the Health of Your Shower

When it comes to your shower there are so many different things to consider in terms of what dictates it as healthy and clean. Grout Restoration Works wants to focus on the aspect of shower caulking. It is an essential part of the shower, keeping water out from the corner seams and therefore keeping water out from behind your walls. This in turn ensures that there is no mold growing in your home. But how can you tell if your caulking is good or that it needs to be replaced, especially if you can’t tell that mold is growing behind your wall until it is too late?

Clean Your Caulking

The first step when it comes to figuring out the condition of your caulking is to give it a good cleaning. You can use water and vinegar with a soft bristle brush to do this. Try not to be so aggressive with it that you mess up the caulking. If there is discoloration to your caulking, a cleaning will be able to tell if it is just at a surface level or if it is coming up from behind your wall. Once you have thoroughly cleaned it, you will be able to give it a thorough inspection.

Inspection Time!

After you have cleaned it, you be able to really look at the condition it is in. Take note if there is any discoloration on it. This is an indication that there is mold growing on it from behind the wall. Another sign that you’ll want to look out for is if you notice that the edges are no longer adhered to the wall. This is a sure manifestation that the seal to keep the water out has been compromised. Likewise, if your caulking is hard, the seal has been compromised. It is an indication that it has aged and needs to be replaced. There is also the most obvious sign and that is if there are missing pieces.

Recaulking

If you notice that there are any of those signs, then you might have some mold and mildew behind your walls. If you don’t then it is only a matter of time before it starts to grow. The best way to go about rectifying the situation is to have your caulking cut out. From there you will want to apply an anti-mold treatment to the seams of your shower. After you do that, you’ll be able to apply a new bead of caulking to each of the seams.

This seems like it might be an easy project but, in all actuality, it is much more difficult. There is residue from the old caulking that you must make sure that you get up as well as applying the new bead is hard to make look good if you don’t know how to handle it. If the project feels daunting to you then just give us a call today. We can help make sure that your bathroom shower is healthy and looking beautiful! Set up a free home estimate by sending in a free online request form!

By Grout Restoration Works 3-11-2020