How To Prevent Mold In A Bathroom Without A Window
The Bathroom is usually the most humid room in the house and can often present problems with mold and mildew settling in. Mold can look unsightly and can even be dangerous to your health if left untreated for long periods. So how can you remove and prevent mold in the bathroom without a window? Let’s take a look.
What Are Windowless Bathrooms and Their Implications?
Sometimes we are usually faced with bathroom designs with small windows or no windows at all. A windowless bathroom is a room that lacks the invading of natural light due to the absence of a window. It is said to be full of darkness, and you won’t want to spend a lot of time in this Bathroom due to its state because there is this tendency to feel stuffy when closed in. It is one of the most critical factors when it comes to the building is ventilation. However, if you have a bathroom without windows, there are still ways you can go about it for it to suit your desire.
Bathrooms without windows are usually shared in tiny terraced houses, and it comes with excess moisture in the air, resulting in mold. Most cases of mold in a bathroom are the prolonged moisture caused by lack of ventilation. Mold is best prevented than treated because it can become a problem once it starts to spread. This is why it should be prevented as early as possible.
Are they harmful?
Entering your Bathroom, there is a brownish or greenish lump of muck in the corner or on the wall. Is it something you should worry about? The first mold is mildew. A bathroom is a place where water frequently runs, making it damp and humid, and this kind of environment is suitable for mold to grow. When surfaces are left unclean and dry off, mildews begin to grow and result in mold. Stagnant water in showers also stimulates mold growth, and sometimes hidden pipes that have slow leaks can also catalyze for mold to grow.
Related: How Can I Keep My Bathroom Dry Without Fan
Molds that usually grow in a bathroom include:
- Aspergillus.
- Cladosporium.
- Penicillium and.
- Stachybotrys, famously regarded as black mold.
Molds look very similar, and it can be challenging to differentiate. Mold can look dark brown, green, bluish, or yellowish. While they are pretty harmless, they can arguably cause irritation, stimulating allergies, and in some cases trigger asthma.
Someone with a pre-existing allergy or a respiratory condition is prone to getting irritated and increases the risk of an asthma attack. People who get irritated by mold can have runny noses, coughs, or scratchy throats.
Top Ways to Prevent Mold in A Windowless Bathroom
Having said that, mold grows where there is moisture, and a way to reduce moisture is to open the window, but in a state where there’s no window, what can you do? As you read further, I will show you how you can prevent mold in a windowless bathroom.
Ensure that your Bathroom is well illuminated
Mold has two favorable conditions to grow, moisture and darkness. Therefore, your Bathroom must be well illuminated to prevent mold from growing. Make sure there is no dark corner in the room by using lights as much as possible.
Install a fan
A windowless bathroom without a fan will undoubtedly contain optimal moisture; hence, you need a fan to reduce such moisture content. It can be a fan of any type, either ceiling, wall-mounted, or standing fan, and one is required to be in a windowless bathroom. You can also get an extractor fan, make sure you do not cheap out when getting an extractor, get a long-lasting and durable one even though it might cost you a lot. Quality extractors and will help look after your Bathroom, so they are worth investing in.
When fixing the fan, ensure it is fixed the right way. If you are not fixing it yourself, ensure you get an expert that knows how to install common bathroom products. One of the extractor fans can highly recommend the Zehnders CV2; it’s a great fan, it has a 100-diameter design, and it’s completely silent.
Regular cleaning of your Bathroom
A clean bathroom cannot breed mold, no matter how dark or moist your Bathroom is. If it is given a thorough cleaning and regular cleaning, you will prevent mold from growing. Therefore, give a bathroom the best cleaning attention; focusing mainly on corners and mold won’t have a breathing space. Wash your bathroom rugs regularly; rugs are known for trapping moisture.
Bear in mind that water is mold’s friend, so when you clean your Bathroom, use mold-killing products like bleach, vinegar, and hydrogen peroxide. You can as well make use of Clorox disinfecting wipes; they are very effective for eliminating mold.
Related: How To Get Rid of Black Worms in Bathroom
Use high gloss surfaces that won’t absorb moisture.
Some materials are most likely to absorb moisture which can quickly turn to mold. These materials must be avoided in a bathroom as much as possible. High gloss surfaces are moisture-resistant and are also water-resistant.
Ensure Surface protection
Furniture polish on wooden unit and radiators are highly recommended to protect them against moisture and oxidation. Furniture polish helps to provide a film coating on surfaces to prevent moisture. Another product you can also use on a radiator to prevent it from rusting is peeked polish. Peek polish wipes and safeguard metals, ceramics, and fiberglass. It also helps to remove oxidation, corrosion grease, and water stains. Therefore, if your ceramic sink needs some added shine and protection, get a peek polish.
Use a glass enclosure for the shower
The shower exhibits lots of moisture. Shower curtains also hold onto the water. This is why it is essential to use a glass enclosure to keep the moisture, and it will go down the drain. And if at all you do not have the capital to get a glass enclosure shower, make sure you always stretch out the shower curtain to its full length to allow it to dry thoroughly.
Keep a mop handy
After a bath or shower, the floor might get wet, so it is a good idea to keep a mop handy and give the floor a quick dry off after every use. After shower or bath, wipe off excess water with an old towel or a mop.
Fill your Bathroom with plants.
Plants are good friends when it comes to fighting foul odors and molds. This is because plants act as natural air purifiers. A bathroom has high humidity and temperature. This is why it is ideal to use tropical plants in a bathroom.
Tropical plants can help to prevent mold. Such plants include:
- English Ivy: Helps a great deal to remove airborne molds; it is a greater choice for smaller Bathrooms. It can be planted in a pot with a hanging handle and placed higher in the Bathroom. (Shop Here)
- Peace Lilly: the peace lily needs very little sunlight for survival, so it is an excellent choice for a bathroom with no windows. It can, however, be toxic to animals, so it needs to be kept out of reach of animals. (Shop Here)
- Reed plants: reed palms are known for their association with some of the tropical regions on the earth. They absorb moisture and need little or no light for survival. (Shop Here)
Other Ways to Prevent Mold In A Bathroom Without A Window
- Install a skylight: Due to the absence of a window, you can get a skylight installed if you have a house or a top-floor apartment, you can check it out.
- Don’t liter your shower: Bottles of shampoo, toys, or loofas shouldn’t be kept in the shower because they serve as a growing avenue for molds.
- Take care of your bathroom tiles: If you have tiles, seal the paste lines regularly with a standard past sealer to waterproof them.
- Spread out your towel: After bathing, ensure you always spread out your towel or dry it elsewhere.
- Make use of reflective surfaces: Bathroom mirrors are very effective for reflecting light around the room. This is very important in a room without a window. In a situation where there is no light to turn off, artificial light comes from the mirror, creating the illusion of a larger bathroom. As an advantage, you can get a LED mirror which will produce more light into the room.
- Using a Dehumidifier: Another method of preventing mold is using a dehumidifier, which can be cheap compared to buying an extractor fan. The throw-away type is very inexpensive and can be placed in a corner or a hidden location, such as behind the water closet. They help to attract humidity from a bathroom with moisture.
Related: Best Window Extractor Fan For Bathrooms (Detailed Review)
Conclusion
Generally, you can get rid of mold in your Bathroom by doing the following best practices:
- Have an illuminated and clean bathroom.
- Have your bathroom surfaces protected.
- Artificially ventilate your bathroom – a fan can come handy in this case.
- Use a mold remover.
Should you have further questions on how to prevent mold in your bathroom? Do not hesitate to connect with me via the comment section!