How do I know if there is mold between shower lining and the wall?

Leah
by Leah

Bathroom has mold everywhere from too much moisture and no ventilation fan. The entire ceiling has mold, the wallpaper has some also, and the smell is getting stronger. The moisture has warped the flooring and is causing damage to the subfloor.

  6 answers
  • I'd be concerned about a leak if the floor is warping, Leah. You may need to open up a section of the wall and floor so you can see inside.

    • Leah Leah on Mar 14, 2019

      The leak is my little brother taking very long showers, up to an hour or so, and constantly getting out of the shower, several times (10-15) dng that shower, without drying off, then leaving the floor wet, along with a soaked wet towel or two left on floor. He won't use a fan or open the window to vent out any moisture. The walls, mirrors, and ceiling all wet. He uses my dad's master bathroom, and now my dad is having a hard time breathing when he wakes up in the morning, hacking miserably, which is getting worse. My brother won't let me clean the bathroom,he hates the smell of bleach, but I wait for him to leave, and do a little bit at a time. I'm so worried about my dad. I talked to my brother, but he won't change his ways. My brother is disabled, he suffers from manic depression, so my dad won't correct him, he'll throw a fit.

  • William William on Mar 13, 2019

    Sound very severe. You may need to demo the walls down to the studs. You would need to remove the flooring and replace/repair the subfloor. And start from scratch. Also get some ventilation in there.

    • Leah Leah on Mar 14, 2019

      Yes, the subfloor in front of bathtub is showing and it is soaked, so I'll replace that, first thing. I just have to figure out what I'm going to replace the flooring with. My dad just wants to caulk up the old vinyl flooring. He didn't even want me to replace the damaged subfloor. I explained to him that if he seals up the wet subfloor, it will rot. The floor around the toilet is sagging some too. I was thinking of vinyl panels. I have to do repairs while family members step out for the day (3-4 hours.) They will freak out, if they see me have anything apart. Very stressful!

  • Kathy Gunter Law Kathy Gunter Law on Mar 13, 2019

    It sounds like you need to gut the bathroom. Mold can be very dangerous to your health and you don't have to be in the bathroom to have it effect your health.

    • Leah Leah on Mar 14, 2019

      Yes, I know, that's why I'm so worried for my dad to be breathing in all those mold spores. I can smell it in his bedroom now, and it's getting worse. I had cleaned the mold from that bathroom before, a year ago, that took a day or two. I was feeling sick from breathing all the bleach. This time, I am using hydrogen peroxide & baking soda. white vinegar, soap & water, and I'm going to try the tea tree oil (20 drops+1/2 cup water.) Bleach worked to remove dark areas the best, but my br

  • Gk Gk on Mar 13, 2019

    Something is seriously wrong in your bathroom if you have this much mold. I don't have a ventilation fan and I have never had mold in the bathroom in the 35 years I've lived in my house. There has to be a plumbing leak/shower leak/roof leak somewhere. You are probably going to have to open walls and ceiling to find and repair what's going on. Maybe even the floor.

    • Leah Leah on Mar 14, 2019

      It's my brother taking hour showers. He also has a new habit of getting out of the shower several (10 +) times during his shower, dripping wet ( If he hears noises, talking,the phone, or the TV, he'll jump out of the shower dripping wet, coming to see what the noise was.) leaving the floor wet afterwards along with a couple soaked towels, he doesn't open the window for ventilation or exhaust fan. After his shower, the floor, walls,mirror, and ceiling are all wet from condensation. His showers are getting longer. The other day, the water was running for over an hour & a half. He's been developing this strange habit since our mom died. Shorter showers, dry floors, and more ventilation/open window would help. This is the second time we've had mold in this bathroom, in 1 years time. Never had mold problems before this.

  • Leah Leah on Mar 14, 2019

    Could you tell your brother if he is going to make such a mess, he will have to clean up after himself? Have you asked him why? Have you discussed the damage he is doing or the hot water bill? Does he need a counselor? It may be the easiest way to,fix your problem.

    • Leah Leah on Mar 15, 2019

      I tried, he's a very difficult person. He just doesn't get it. He doesn't seem to care about any damage he causes, and he's not going to like it when the bathroom is getting fixed and he won't be able to use it. He's going to throw a fit! I have to replace the subfloor,

      in tub area and at toilet, replace baseboard, maybe some or all walls, add trimming, and I think I have to rip out all of the ceiling, it looks like the mold has saturated through.

      Wish me luck!




      left trailand that left dark/ streaksr keft tile flooringsubfloorI'm going to make sure to Waterproof like crazy

  • Leah Leah on Mar 16, 2019

    My youngest son!!! I learned that I had to give him choices. I made him responsible for his choices. I did Not learn this on my own. It worked. Maybe, when It is fixed, he can take a shower for 15 minutes or he does not get to take a shower because of the damage he caused. His choice. So very sorry for your troubles. You may want to try choices on little things now.

    • Leah Leah on Mar 16, 2019

      That sounds good! He's in his 40's though, he won't listen. He's a big baby too! Maybe I should just take out the bathtub and leave it out. No, just kidding! If my dad has to call in the pros, it's going to be very costly and he won't let my brother forget! Well thank you for your advice! Have a great weekend!