Mold is a naturally occurring substance that can be found both indoors and outdoors. It is a fungus that can wreak havoc on your home, property, and health. This is why you should take any mold-related symptoms seriously.
What is Pink Mold?
Pink mold is the common name for a water-borne bacteria known as Serratia marcescens. This is a mold type that, as the name suggests, has a pink color. However, this is not always the case; sometimes, the mold might have more of an orange color than a pink one.
However, such situations are mainly attributed to the room temperature, making the mold develop an additional red pigment.
In addition to this, pink mold is also known for its slimy and fuzzy texture.
Almost every person knows about black mold, the dangerous and toxic substance that affects human health drastically. However, people tend to associate the pink mold with the black one. Contrary to this belief, they are not related in any way. As a matter of fact, pink mold is bacterial growth.
Where is Pink Mold Found, and How Does It Form?
Have you ever gone into your bathroom and noticed some unusual discoloration on the bathroom’s surfaces? Something pinking or orange and is slimy? What you most likely touched was the pink mold. You can also find it growing on most dump and dark corners of the house. This includes the kitchen and bathroom.
You can also find Pink mold in your laundry room. It will thrive well here by feeding on the fat and phosphorous present in soap scum. Other common places to find pink mold includes the shower tile grouts, water lines leading to the sink, toilet bowls, and even on sinks.
If the bathroom is too damp, the mold can show up on the floors and inside the cabinets.
There is another common type of mold known as Aureobasidium pullulans. During its early stages, it mostly starts with a light pink color. In some rare cases, it can also be white or yellow.
As time goes by, it gradually starts developing a brown color. Just like its counterpart, you are most likely to find it in your bathrooms. It also likes growing on organic substances such as damp wood, houseplants, and even linseed oil paints.
Below are some additional and specific places where you are most likely to find pink mold in your house.
- The corners of your shower
- On plastic or vinyl shower curtains
- Underneath your bathmats
- Bathroom and kitchen wallpaper
- On your window sills, especially on the caulking and weather-stripping
- Inside your dishwasher
- Behind the mirrors mounted on the walls
- On the countertops
- Unemptied air conditioner
- Unemptied dehumidifier
What are the Conditions that Favor its Growth?
Pink mold is always fond of growing in areas that have high moisture content. That is why it is most likely to be found in most damp areas. They still require food, water, and oxygen for growth.
They thrive well on temperatures that range from 77° F to 86° F. since they reproduce through spore production, the small-sized and lightweight spores make it easy for them to be dispersed by both wind and water.
Risks to Your health
Compared to the black mold, no type of pink mold can cause an immediate and serious threat to your health. However, this does not mean that it is totally safe for your health; it can still affect your health, especially if you are exposed to it for quite a long time.
Due to its fast growth and quick flourishing, there are high chances of you coming into contact with it regularly, which affects your health in the long term.
Pink mold is an immediate risk to adults, especially healthy ones. However, the problem comes in when children come into contact with it. People who have weak immune systems, such as the sick and the elderly, are at risk too! They can develop conditions such as eye infection, respiratory tract infection, urinary tract infections, and many others.
It is important to note that even though pink mold isn’t as harmful, people with underlying health conditions such as asthma have high chances of developing health problems related to the pink mold.
Below are some of the most common symptoms that can show pink mold-related illnesses.
- Allergic reactions include coughs, sneezes, eye irritations, and rashes.
- Bladder problems
- Stomach aches
- Nausea
- Difficulties in breathing
- Endocarditis
- septicemia
- Diarrhea
- Open sores infections
After a person is exposed to the pink mold, the symptoms might be mild or severe, depending on the health condition of the patient and the extent of the exposure. For instance, if you are to get exposed to the pink mold in a dehumidifier, there are high chances of you developing problems with your lungs, such as lung inflammation, which can lead to more infections such as lung failure.
How Can You Get Rid of Pink Mold?
You do not have to panic in case you come across pink mold in your house. Yes, it might be hard for you to eliminate the pink mold yourself while using the standard cleaning methods: detergent and water.
To beat it, you have to take extra cleaning steps and use additional materials. Some of the things you’ll need include:
- Baking soda
- Chlorine bleach
- All-purpose cleaning material
- Scrubbing brush, one with nylon bristles if possible
- Spraying bottles
- A bowl
- A washing machine
- Protective gloves (rubber)
- Goggles
- A protective mask. The N-95 is the ideal choice
- Your laundry detergent
- A towel
- Squeegees
The procedure is as follows.
1. Mix the cleaning solution
Add two cups of baking soda and put it in a bowl. Take the all-purpose cleaning material and add it to the bowl. Mix these two thoroughly until runny paste forms. The number of mixtures you will prepare will be dictated by the area you want to clean.
2. Wear protective clothing
There is a high chance that you will have to come into contact with the bacteria. For those reasons, I would strongly advise that you wear protective gear to protect yourself from exposure to the pink mold.
Wear your rubber gloves, goggles, and mask appropriately. Moreover, if you any wounds, cuts, or bruises on any exposed part of the body, it would be best to cover them up before you start the procedure.
3. Remove any materials and things that might get in the way while washing
Once your protective gear is on, remove materials near the area you intend to clean. In fact, if you are cleaning your bathroom, it is recommended that you remove the shower curtain and the liners.
Note that the bacteria can still be viable when suspended on fabric and plastics surfaces. This means that you have to clean the curtain and liners as soon as you are done eliminating the pink mold. If possible, you should throw the curtains into the washing machine as soon as you remove them.
Wash them in warm to hot water using detergent. This should be done even if they do not show any signs of the bacteria (the pink color).
4. Clean, clean, clean
Take the scrubbing brush and dip it in the solution you had prepared. Use the brush to scrub off the pink mold, starting from the highest point as you go downwards along the infested surface.
The main purpose of adding the baking soda was so that it can provide a smooth grinding nature when you scrub so that the bacteria can be loosened from the surfaces and wash away easily.
It would be best if you scrubbed until the coloration clears out, indicating that the pink mold has been eliminated from the surface. Once you do so, fill up the spraying bottle with water and rinse the surface. You can also make the towels damp and use them to rinse by wiping down the surfaces.
5. Prepare a disinfectant solution
Bacteria do not die easily. You have to ensure that not a single viable one remains.
In case you had used the spray bottle to rinse the wall, empty the content in it and add warm water and chlorine bleach in a 1:1 ratio. Shake the solution well and spray it on and around the area you have just cleaned. This will ensure that all bacteria are dead.
Once you have disinfected these surfaces, you are advised to take a break for a few minutes before starting on the next step of the procedure. This should take at least ten minutes so that the solution can work.
6. Rewash the surfaces
After the break, take the brush and scrub the freshly cleaned surface again for at least three minutes.
After you are done scrubbing, rinse these surfaces once more so that you can get rid of the chlorine and water solution.
7. Dry the cleaned surface
This is where the squeegee comes in. use it to dry the cleaned surfaces to ensure that no moisture is left behind to support the development of any streaks.
Professional Pink Mold Remedies
You should deal with the pink mold by yourself if you are healthy, and the infestation has not extended much.
There are instances where the pink mold problem keeps on recurring even after following the removal procedures. This might be the time to ask for help from professionals. The cost of these elimination procedures will depend on the extent of the growth and the local prices.
Other reasons that should prompt to call for professional help include:
- If you have respiration issues such as asthma
- If the pink mold infestation already covers an area larger than 3 square feet
- If the pink mold was not present but developed after a sewage leak
- If the mold has already made its way into inaccessible areas such as the HVAC vents
Moreover, if the pink mold is already in the HVAC vents, it is also advisable to seek help and advice from an HVAC specialist as they will be in a position to determine the cause.
Prevention Tips
Getting rid of pink mold once it has infested your home is not an easy process. Fortunately for you, once you have eliminated it from your home completely, it may not recur. Here are some of the simple practices to keep the pink mold from your home.
- After cleaning the surfaces and getting rid of the substance, you should get a safe biocide to treat the freshly cleaned surfaces.
- In case you haven’t yet, ensure that your bathroom has enough ventilation to keep the moisture from building up in the room.
- You can also switch on the exhaust fan before you take a shower. You can also leave it on for twenty or so minutes after you are done showering.
- Keep a squeegee in the bathroom and use it to wipe down the walls regularly.
- Ensure that your home is always free of any shampoo and soapy residues since they can facilitate regrowth of the pink mold.
- Contact a plumber to inspect the pipes in your house and fix any water leaks available.
- Establish a handwashing culture in your home, especially after people visit your bathroom. This will prevent the bacteria from being transferred to other parts and rooms in your home.
- Wash your bathroom liners and curtains at least once every month.
Take Away
Pink mold can be a pain in the neck for any homeowner. Your health and property being at stake, you shud take action as soon as you spot any signs of the infestation.
Additionally, if you choose to go the professional away, ensure that you choose an experienced company to rule out the chances of the bacteria ever returning.
