Silicone joints - treat mold and prevent
- Formation of mold
- Treat mildew
- home remedies
- Chemicals
- Prevent mold growth
- Find cause
- Correct heating and ventilation
- Silicone with "mold blocker"
- More tips
On a silicone joint mold first appears in the form of small gray or black dots. Then you should remove all mold stains immediately, because they move very quickly into the silicone and then can not be eliminated. We show you different ways to get rid of the mold.
If the mold is removed before it settles permanently in the silicone joints, it is not necessary to renew the entire joint first. But many cleaners, which are specifically designed for these molds, damage the silicone and make both the joint and a seal of the same material porous.
Formation of mold
Molds are not "beings from another, evil world" but a natural and important part of our environment - through their involvement in the decomposition of organic material they play an important role in the cycle of nature. Molds are everywhere in the air. In winter, a few hundred colony-forming units per cubic meter of air are contained, in the summer up to 10, 000 units. With this air, they enter the interior and multiply there when they find the temperatures and humidity that they can live with and where there is enough food.
Unfortunately, the more common molds find the temperatures in our homes much better in winter than outside. Outside they even die in cold winters, they need 0 to 5 ° C to survive. They are doing really well at 25 to 35 ° C (mesophilic = mushrooms favoring medium values) or at 30 to 40 ° C (thermotolerant molds), the bathroom temperatures are the paradise for our more common molds. Nothing to eat in paradise "> 
In addition to the room temperature, the pH and humidity also play a role in the development of mold fungi. Whereby the main cause of mold, which is too high humidity of interiors. This can be caused by defective masonry or by the formation of condensation in the "normal" use of a room. "Normal" use includes: cooking, sleeping or taking a shower.
Due to the modern idea of energy saving, the rooms were increasingly insulated, ie let warm air inside, leaving cold air outside. This causes a lack of circulation of air and thus an increase in humidity. The energy saving without adequate ventilation is not so cheap, then finally recognized the experts. In May 2009 - after several years of revision - an updated ventilation standard DIN 1946-6 was issued.
Cause of the formation of mold:
- high room temperatures
- high humidity
- no adequate ventilation of rooms
- broken brickwork
Treat mildew
home remedies
Isopropyl alcohol (70%)
is a pure alcohol that is part of many disinfectants. Care should be taken when using, as it forms a highly flammable vapor-air mixture. Isopropyl alcohol can be used to remove mold. But does not provide sufficient protection against the emergence of new mold.
First clean the affected areas with water and then add some isopropyl alcohol to a cloth and rub off.
methylated spirits
is ethanol. Here, too, a lot has to be considered in the application. It is recommended to work with gloves and mouthguard. Advantage of methylated spirits, it passes quickly. Also put some methylated spirits on a cloth and rub the affected areas with it. If necessary, wipe with warm water.
vinegar
The "miracle" vinegar essence also works against mold. It should be noted that vinegar essence does not prevent mold, but only supports the removal of mold.
Chemicals
Mold remover with chlorine
Chlorine removes the mold by destroying the cell walls of the white horse. As a result, a renewed growth of the white horse is prevented. However, you should check in advance whether the area to be treated is suitable for the use of chlorine. When using chlorine-containing cleaning agents, always follow the instructions of the manufacturer, as chlorine is very harmful to health.
Mold remover with fungicides
These remedies kill the mold in any case. However, the use in closed and inhabited rooms is not recommended, as the fungicides remain in the rooms and can lead to health problems, especially allergies.
Prevent mold growth
Find cause
If you have large mold stains on a wall, you should quickly find out and fix the cause. A complete removal of the white horse without knowing the cause is otherwise hardly possible.
Thermal bridges in corners and windows often provide a pleasant environment for mold spores due to the condensation. As described at the beginning, the fungi are quite modest in their diet, so flying dust or wallpaper is sufficient.
For smaller sites, you can experiment with the above-mentioned mold removal tools yourself. However, should it be larger areas or recurrent mold, you should have the cause checked by a specialist. There are specialized companies specializing in the detection of moisture and its causes.
Correct heating and ventilation
- Never turn off the heating during the daytime
- Keep interior doors closed between differently heated rooms
- Short-term window (5 minutes are often enough already) open large (scorching)
- Tilting is ineffective and wastes heating energy
- Once a day make passage, so-called air exchange
- ventilate even in the rain
- open the kitchen window while cooking
- Do not put furniture too close to the wall
Silicone with "mold blocker"
You can try to prevent mold in the damp room by using silicone with mold blocker.
Examples:
- Sista S2500 Mold Blocker, an "active silicone with unique mold protection formula"
- Manufacturer suitable for sealing joints in the entire sanitary and wet room area
- Specially developed for heavily used joints
- elastic, neutral curing, compatible with most surfaces
- excellent mold resistance
- Pattex Mold Blocker Active Silicone
More tips
- Put joints so that there are no puddles of water after every shower / bath
- The joints overflow hot after use (mold fungi die at 60 ° C)
- Minimize humidity, open the shower door after use, ventilate the bathroom
- Regular mold prophylaxis after cleaning,
- with methylated spirits 70%
- hydrogen peroxide
- Ammonia (Ammonia)
- Household cleaner with chlorine bleach
