Mold in the Bathroom in Provo, UT

Why the bathroom grows mold

The bathroom is the wettest room in the house, and it stays wet longer than any other room. Every shower puts warm, moist air into the room, and the grout lines, the shower surround and the wall behind the tub stay damp after the shower ends. A bathroom fan that is weak, or a fan that vents into the attic instead of outside, leaves that moisture in the room — and the growth follows on the surfaces that stay wet.

The second cause is a leak. A shower valve that drips behind the wall, a tub drain that leaks, or a toilet base that seeps puts water into the wall cavity and the floor, where no one sees it. The growth on the grout lines is the visible part; the growth behind the wall is the larger part, and it is found only when the inspection takes moisture readings through the wall.

The bathroom is also the room where the growth is seen earliest, because the surfaces are light-colored and the room is used every day. A dark line on the grout, a stain on the ceiling below the bathroom, or a smell that stays after the shower are the signs that come up most often in Utah County homes.

How the inspection tells surface growth from a leak

The inspection starts with the question that decides the job: is the growth on the surface, or is it behind the wall? Surface growth on grout and caulk is cleaned, and the fan and the ventilation are dealt with. Growth behind the wall means a leak, and the wall has to be opened, the affected material removed, and the cavity dried.

The provider takes moisture readings through the wall around the tub and the shower, and checks the ceiling below the bathroom. Where the readings are high, the wall is opened so the cavity can be seen and the extent of the growth measured. The provider explains what was found and what the plan covers before any work starts. The inspection report is the record of what was found.

A stain on the ceiling below the bathroom

Bathroom mold in Utah County homes

Bathroom mold in Utah County is usually a ventilation story or a leak story. The ventilation story is a fan that is weak or that vents into the attic, and the growth is on the grout and the caulk. The leak story is a shower valve or a tub drain that drips behind the wall, and the growth is in the cavity. Both are found by the inspection, and both are dealt with by finding the source first.

It is also a rental story. Provo has about 114,500 residents and only about 29 in 100 homes are owner-occupied, which means a large share of the bathrooms in the city are in rentals. In a rental the tenant sees the growth on the grout and the landlord cannot see the leak behind the wall, and the inspection report becomes the document both sides need. The landlord and tenant guide explains who pays and what the inspection covers.

Keeping a bathroom dry after the work

A bathroom stays dry when the moisture leaves the room. That means a fan that runs during and after every shower, and a fan that vents outside rather than into the attic. It also means grout and caulk that are kept in repair, so water does not get behind the tile, and a shower valve and a tub drain that do not drip.

Watch the same places the mold was found: the grout lines, the ceiling below the bathroom, and the wall behind the tub. A stain that returns, or a smell that stays after the shower, means the source needs another look. Call now if either appears.