# Forum Home Renovation General Odds & Sods  Mould in Silicone?

## JB1

Hi Guys,  
Any tips to get rid of mould spots in Silicone inside the shower. 
Been inside my new house for 18 months so it was a matter of time. Caulker applied the silicone, all 473m of it.  
It's only a few black spots 3mm in size for now.... 
I can try bleach but have heard that bleach will remove/bleach the outer layer of the mould but the roots will come back. 
I have heard that vinegar kills mould spores, roots and all. 
I've also soaked the silicone with wet tissue of double strength vinegar (8%) over night and unfortunately it's still there. 
Any tips? 
lk

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## ForeverYoung

In my experience the mould is _under_ the silicone.

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## JB1

> In my experience the mould is _under_ the silicone.

  Anyway to removing it, short of cutting the silicone out? 
lk

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## r3nov8or

I've only ever used a bleach gel (Domestos, full strength) soaked toilet tissue for 24 hours (time it between last morning and first next morning showers). And I'm happy enough with the result for a few months 
I think I'll try the vinegar soak then the bleach gel soak next time. Might get 6 months out of the effort

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## JB1

> I've only ever used a bleach gel (Domestos, full strength) soaked toilet tissue for 24 hours (time it between last morning and first next morning showers). And I'm happy enough with the result for a few months 
> I think I'll try the vinegar soak then the bleach gel soak next time. Might get 6 months out of the effort

  The Vinegar has reduced the mould somewhat, I'm going to leave it for a couple of days to see if it takes longer to kill the mould. 
From all reports Vinegar kills mould roots, while bleach only kills the surface of the mould but bleaches it clean so it looks like it's gone, but doesn't kill what is underneath. 
With the bleach, you need to redo every 6 months? That's not too bad.

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## Bart1080

Try adding in baking soda to the bleach.
...I like Reno's idea of soaked tissues.   https://www.essentialhomeandgarden.c...ly-and-easily/   Put some baking soda in your bowl and slowly add small amounts of bleach until you have a paste-like substance (make more than you need, you dont want to run out and this is cheap stuff)Grab the paint brush and use it to apply the paste to the moldUse the plastic wrap to cover the paste on the mold  this may be a bit difficult depending on the location  just do what you canLeave it to sit for at least 1  2 hoursRemove the plastic covering and clean off the paste (which may have dried out). If your mold is gone then you are done. If the mold is still there then start again

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## METRIX

I found Vinegar does nothing, sprayed it on on older bathroom here (it will be ripped out so didn't care too much about what I was spraying on the finished surfaces) the vinegar didn't do a thing. 
I tried Selleys Rapid Mould Killer, it works very quickly and appeared to get rid of everything, but does need applying every now and then as it comes back, it contains Sodium Hypochlorite.  
I have also tried the 30 seconds outdoor cleaner, this brings the entire shower up like brand new, but again it needs doing every now and then, it also contains Sodium Hypoclorite, and additional stuff, it works really well for brightening dull white clothes as well, they come up like new, only a small amount in a bucket of hot water. 
30 seconds is potent stuff, once I was spraying a fence, using a new pump pack, I didn't check and the hose fitting were not fully attached at the factory, when I pumped it up, the hose blew off, and 30 seconds went on my clothes, within 10 seconds it had completely bleached the blue colour our of the pants to an almost white colour !! 
I would be tending to rip the silicon out and apply a new generation, such as Selleys No mould, I have had this in for a while and no signs of anything yet. 
Previous bathrooms no matter what brand had mould within two years in the shower, you only need to take it out of the shower recess as this is the only spot that really gets affected.  https://www.selleys.com.au/products/...icone-sealant/

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## METRIX

> Try adding in baking soda to the bleach.
> ...I like Reno's idea of soaked tissues.   https://www.essentialhomeandgarden.c...ly-and-easily/   Put some baking soda in your bowl and slowly add small amounts of bleach until you have a paste-like substance (make more than you need, you don’t want to run out and this is cheap stuff)Grab the paint brush and use it to apply the paste to the moldUse the plastic wrap to cover the paste on the mold – this may be a bit difficult depending on the location – just do what you canLeave it to sit for at least 1 – 2 hoursRemove the plastic covering and clean off the paste (which may have dried out). If your mold is gone then you are done. If the mold is still there then start again

  Baking soda and hydrogen Peroxide works a treat on stone benchtops to remove stubborn stains, I haven't found a stain it can't remove, even turmeric came straight out.

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## Bart1080

> I would be tending to rip the silicon out and apply a new generation, such as Selleys No mould, I have had this in for a while and no signs of anything yet. 
> Previous bathrooms no matter what brand had mould within two years in the shower, you only need to take it out of the shower recess as this is the only spot that really gets affected.  https://www.selleys.com.au/products/...icone-sealant/

   :2thumbsup: ....similar experience as it has mold inhibitors.  Not zero maint proof but generally last years longer before issues occur.

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## r3nov8or

This just popped up in social media. Go figure  https://yourhomeheroes.co/products/silicone-mould-hero 
Anyone used it?

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## JB1

Thanks Guys, Im going to try the thick bleach first. 
Will report back. 
ttalk

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## JB1

OK, soaked the silicone with thick bleach and tissues overnight. Worked very well.. if it lasts 6 months I'll be happy. Only downside is that the bathroom smells like a public swimming pool.  
I tried to find the strongest bleach. I found out that the Aldi thick bleach contains the same amount of Sodium Hypochlorite as the White King Bathroom Power Gel at less than 1/2 the cost. 
That White King toilet gel? Basically the same stuff but contains half the Sodium Hypochlorite.... I'll save my money and get the Aldi stuff next time.  
Actually, if I knew, I'd have used the White King toilet gel that I already had. Even though it's not as strong, I'm sure it would have bleached (or killed?) all the mould in the silicone.

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## r3nov8or

Glad it worked, and hope it lasts many months. Good to know about the ALDI variety. 
Whether it's bleached or killed, doesn't really matter... as even those that say they killed it, they get it back in about the same time, give or take  :Wink:   :Biggrin:

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## JB1

Given it comes back the same place, I doubt it's killed it. 
Anyway it's a case of out of sight out of mind  :Biggrin: talk

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## JB1

Just a 3 month update.... good news is that it hasn't returned in the areas I spot treated.  
Bad news is that areas of the silicone I didn't treat has some mould. 
This time, I'll treat the whole shower all in one go.  
Large showers are great except when you have to clean them.

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