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Cleaning best practice
The short answer
Mould in a silicone seal grows into the sealant, so surface cleaning helps only temporarily; badly affected seals need cutting out and replacing.
A silicone bead in a wet room holds moisture at exactly the temperature mould prefers. Once growth is established below the surface, bleaching only removes the colour.
How it is done
- Treat early growth with a dedicated mould product and correct dwell time.
- Dry the bead after use: ventilation is the actual control.
- Replace seals that stay spotted after treatment.
- Fix the cause, whether that is a failed extractor or a leaking joint.
Why it matters
Recurrent mould in one bathroom is usually a ventilation or leak problem wearing a cleaning problem's clothes. Repeated cleaning without the fix is money spent on the symptom.
questions
Asked about this
For most people it is an irritant rather than a hazard, but it matters more for asthma sufferers, small children and anyone immunosuppressed. Either way it should not be left.
Yes. Cutting out and replacing a bathroom seal is routine work and usually the cheaper path once a bead is colonised.