Ask a Clean Person: Sulfur Water, Toilet Brushes and Shower Mold

The very bastion of cleanliness in my tiny box of an apartment has a stank issue. After merrily signing a lease on my new apartment, I moved all my stuff in and then promptly showered that nasty New Orleans sweat off my bod, as one is wont to do. Imagine my horror when the smell of sulfur (the devil? Hellsmoke coming for me?) filled my bathroom, coming (I think?) out of the drain, not the showerhead.

I have confirmed with several of my most insensitive friends that I don’t come out of this shower smelling like sulfur, so I’m pretty sure it’s not tainted water. PLEASE ADVISE. I’M ASHAMED OF MY SHOWER.

I’m going to try to sound like I know what I’m talking about here, and ask that you all smile and nod politely as you pretend like I don’t sound as clueless as I feel. Because the thing is, this isn’t really a Clean Person question so much as an Ask a Plumber question, but I’ll do my best to explain what’s happening to you and your shower. And also to try to convince you not to feel ashamed because shame is a feeling best reserved for the morning after you’ve hoovered a slice of ziti pizza after an 8-hour drinking binge. NOT THAT I’VE DONE THAT. (And fine, two slices and 12 hours FINE.)

The way I can tell it’s a plumbing issue is that you’re not complaining about sulfur stench in your sinks or in the toilet. So it’s almost assuredly not your water supply.

I think what’s happening here is that the drain cap in the shower is either dry or missing entirely. The drain cap should be filled with a small amount of water which will help something something plumbing something keep putrid water from getting up into the drain and spewing nasty smells all over the place. I don’t fully understand the mechanics of it — though I swear I’m trying to learn more about the handyperson side of keeping things clean! — but basically this is a thing for a plumber to help with.

What should I be doing to my toilet brush after I use it? Dousing it with bleach? Burning it? I worry about it sitting there in its own filth.

I just read the most batguano insane thing about how, after every use of a toilet brush, you need to disinfect it with bleach and boiling water and you know what? That’s just crazy and unrealistic, don’t you think? I’ve got wine to drink, I don’t have time to disinfect a flipping toilet brush after every use. Good grief, let’s all get a grip here.

With that said, if the thought of an unsanitized toilet brush in your home gives you the freakie heebies, then by all means clean the darn thing with bleach and boiling water after each use. I just don’t want anyone feeling that they’re a failure of a clean person if they don’t.

The simpler way, and equally effective, is to spray the brush down with your favorite disinfecting spray, let it sit for 5 or so minutes, turn the tap in the tub onto the hottest setting you can get it, and rinse the brush under the hot water. That really ought to kill anything lurking around. You can also wash the base in which the brush sits in a similar way. Then maybe clean the tub? Sure!

There’s this black … stuff … growing (existing?) in our shower. It’s mostly at floor-level, though it’s been spotted in the grout up to about 18″ high. It’s also been found under the built-in seat. (A built-in seat! Great for shaving! Not great for cleaning!)

We have a lovely, sanity-saving cleaning crew which comes every two weeks, but despite our frequent requests that they attack this troublesome spot, the black stuff remains. I doubt they’re just ignoring it, because they are awesome cleaners who do an otherwise super job, so I am assuming that it is just not attackable with their green, nature-friendly cleaning products.

For the ❤ of Bleachie, I can’t figure out what to do.

I’m starting to think that I need to attack this myself. But what do I use? Do I go with a “tile cleaner that contains bleach?” Do I just pour bleach on the whole thing and let it sit? Magic Eraser? Are we going to die from mold inhalation (but seriously, is that causing my respiratory issues of late)? And how do I clean the underside of the built-in seat, since I can’t, like, leave that to soak? Unless I make a paste of some sort that won’t drip off immediately? We do have one of those detachable showerhead things, so I can spray it all down pretty easily after soaking or pasting or whatever.

I think you’re right that you need to attack the mold yourself, and I also think bleach — or a bleach-based cleaner — is needed here. You can, of course, try to clean it with tea tree oil, which is an eco-friendly substitute for bleach, first if it’s really important to you to avoid harsh chemicals. It’s just not going to be as effective as quickly, and you’ll have to work harder. But! It’s good to know you have choices.

Also, yes, I do think the mold is causing you to have respiratory problems. It’s really, really bad stuff, guys. Not just because it’s gross, which it is, but also because it is SO bad to inhale mold spores. So please don’t muck around if you see mold in your house, get right on that. Okay? Okay!

If you do choose to go the bleach route, you’ll want to put your bleach solution in a spray bottle, or buy a product like Tilex that already comes in a spray bottle, then spray all the moldy areas heavily. Don’t worry about dripping — enough of the bleach will stay on the spots to be effective. Allow the bleach to sit for 20–30 minutes; I like to think of this as marinating the mold. Once the bleach has had a chance to work its magic, go in after the spots with a heavy duty scrubber brush. You’ll probably also want to have a toothbrush on hand to help work the mold off that bench. If you do want to go more of the paste route, I’ve found that splurting a blurt of Soft Scrub (that’s a technical term, by the way, “splurting a blurt”) and then using your finger to push it into place is highly effective on mold and mildew patches.

Two important things to know here: (1) you MUST wear rubber gloves while working with bleach and (2) you MUST open the windows. If you’re very sensitive to smells and/or you don’t have enough ventilation in your bathroom, you may want to consider wearing a surgical mask. I don’t, but I’m practically radioactive at this point from a lifetime of huffing Endust. And because I feel obligated to say this whenever the topic of bleach comes up, you must NEVER EVER mix bleach and ammonia together. The combination creates toxic fumes that can quite literally kill you and dear God is it ever getting macabre around here?!

A few more things to know: you might need to do more than one pass at the mold spots. But allow a few hours in between, because the bleach will continue to work over time, especially as things dry. But it’s good to know that you can stop when you start getting tired and frustrated, and go back for round two later. Don’t kill yourself trying to get rid of it on the first go. (Of course, if you can get rid of it on the first go that’s fantastic!)

Previously: Oven Triage

Jolie Kerr is not paid to endorse any of the products mentioned in this column, but she sure would be very happy to accept any free samples the manufacturers care to send her way! Are you curious to know if she’s answered a question you have? Do check out the archives, listed by topic. More importantly: is anything you own dirty?