To maintain the effectiveness, safety, and useful life of your bathroom showers and tubs, it is important that your home maintenance program include the proper maintenance for your bathroom showers and tubs.

Bathroom shower stalls may be lined with ceramic shower tiles that are held together with a mortar called grout.  Plastic shower stalls may have grout or caulk at the seams where the plastic meets the wallboard.  Similarly around bathroom tubs.  See also:  Plumbing and Exhaust Fans.

Shown in the "Maintenance" tab above are the recommended routine maintenance tasks for your bathroom showers and tubs. The "Questions / Answers" tab above shows our answers to related questions. And the "Articles" tab above provides links to related informational articles and sources.

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 Maintenance Task:  Inspect grout and caulk

Inspect grout and caulk around tubs, sinks, and shower tiles.  Chip out cracked grout and replace missing grout.  Stained, discolored, and mildewed caulk should be cleaned with trisodium phosphate or other household cleaner.  If caulk remains discolored, remove it and replace it with fresh, mildew-resistant caulk.

Over time grout and caulk deteriorate, and will no longer seal out water, potentially allowing water to leak into the walls and floors causing serious damage.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS from "Ask-a-Wizard":

QUESTION from "jefrimmer": 

How can I clean out mildew that has accumulated under the vinyl strip that holds the glass to the shower tile?

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM:

Dear jefrimmer:

Have you tried using Tilex brand cleaner (http://www.tilex.com/questions.html#mildew)? I've had very good success with it for controlling mildew in showers.

A couple of points that you might want to consider:

1) Read the instructions very carefully. The fumes are not good to breathe. 

2) You will want to be very careful not to stir up the mold and mildew spores such that they disperse up into the air where they can cause respiratory problems.

3) If the mildew has gotten established deep under the vinyl strip, unfortunately, you may need to bring in a professional.

4) You should consider eliminating the root cause of your mildew problem. Why is your shower staying damp and becoming a breeding ground for mildew? Do you need to squeegee the water off the walls and floors into the drain after using the shower? Or do you need to place a fan in front of it, or install an exhaust fan? In other words, what can you do to keep your shower from being a damp spot waiting to grow mildew?

We hope this is helpful.

Regards,
Home-Wizard.com
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QUESTION from "mike.cooley": 

Trying to replace a bathroom tube restrainer. The existing one is giving me h#@% as I try to unscrew. Any recommendations?

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM:

Dear mike.cooley:

I'm not exactly sure which pieces you are working on. But if its metal pieces in the bathroom that you are trying to unscrew, you might want to try spraying them with "Liquid Wrench" (or another such penetrating / dissolving oil), then letting it soak in overnight.

And now here's where you need to be careful. When you are trying to break free parts that are stuck together like what you've described, its better to give a sharp pull on the wrench, rather than a long strong tug. But be careful, if you give it too sharp of a tug, you could break or strip the threads.

Hope this is helpful.

Home-Wizard.com
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QUESTION from Susannah Graedel on 2/24/2008:

We have a bathtub with a shower head. We have a shower curtain and liner along the open side of the tub. When we take a shower, water splashes onto the tiled wall. It runs down the wall and then onto the tub rim and finally down the side of the tub and puddles on the floor by the wall.
I have read about a water guiding strip on a patent website. Is anything like this or some other product that will solve our problem available on the market? Thank you very much.

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM ON 2/24/2008:

Dear Susannah Graedel:

Here's a link to a website that shows a product called a "Splash Protector" that helps keep shower water that splashes against your tile from dripping down onto the tub rim, and then down on your floor:

http://www.bookofjoe.com/2006/07/splash_protecto.html

Hope this is helpful.
Home-Wizard.com
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QUESTION from Corrine B Hinkle - randchinkle 2/12/2008:

We have had tile floors installed. The grout has been sealed twice at installation. Still, the (lght-colored)grout gets dirty and I cannot get it clean. Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance for your consideration

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM ON 2/12/2008:

Dear randchinkle:

Here is a webpage that gives a good description of how to clean tile grout:

http://www.mrscleannw.com/tips/grout-cleaning.html 

Which describes the best way to clean grout (i.e., using a mixture they describe of baking soda, vinegar, ammonia and water, and then using a wet/dry vacuum to pull the dirt out of the porous grout after applying a cleaning solution).

If this still doesn’t work for you, then it may be possible that your grout has become stained (especially since you say it is light colored). If it has indeed gotten stained, then you have a couple of options: 1) you can use a tool called a "grout saw" to gently remove the top layer of grout, then re-grout your tile with clean grout; or 2) tile stores sell special grout stains that permanently color the grout and hide the stains. 

Hope this is helpful
Home-Wizard.com
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QUESTION from robertridener on 1/15/2008:

i turn my shower off and i hear something crack.

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM ON 1/15/2008::

Dear robertridener:

Without hearing it myself, its hard to tell exactly what is causing the "crack" sound that you are hearing when you turn off your shower.

But if I had to guess, I would say that the sound is caused by a "water hammer" in your plumbing system. A water hammer is caused by the pressure shock that is created when there is a sudden change in velocity of a liquid flowing through a pipe (like when you close the valve on your shower). A water hammer is very bad for your piping system, and you should get it eliminated.

Eliminating a water hammer in your plumbing system will depend on the configuration of your system. For example, do you already have an air chamber in your plumbing (which is there to help eliminate water hammers), that has filled up with water and is therefore not working properly? So I'm afraid that you will likely need to bring in a trained plumbing professional to help you.

One test that you can try on your own is to turn off the water in your shower very slowly, and see if you still hear the "crack" sound.

Hope this is helpful.
Home-Wizard.com
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QUESTION from Lima Chan on 5/10/2008:

How can I get rid of the hard water film on my glass shower door?

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM ON 5/10/2008:

Dear Lima:

The best thing that I would recommend for removing hard water film from a glass shower door is to use a cleaner made for glass cooktops (such as Weiman's brand cleaner) and to use a blue 3M brand scrubber cleaner.

Hope this is helpful.
Home-Wizard.com
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FOLLOW-UP COMMENTS from Lima on 5/13/2008:

I did tried the glass cooktop cleaner and razor but it doen't clean it as good. Then, I tried the bleach soft cleanser with lemon, it cleaned quite well but a lot of scrub and result in scratch. Other methods I tried would be vinegar, dishwasher detergent or dishwasher no streak treatment. I even tried exfoliater, the one use to remove the dead skin for human.

anyway, thank you.
Lima

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM ON 5/13/2008:

Lima:

When you tried using the glass cooktop cleaner, did you use a blue 3M brand scrubber cleaner with it? Or did you just try using a razor blade?

Is your glass door clean now?

Sincerely
Home-Wizard.com
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FOLLOW-UP COMMENTS from Lima on 5/13/2008:

I don't think it was 3M scrubber but I believe it was scotch brite.... and I didn't notice much clearer with Cook Top cleaner.. The razor blade does do the job but it was like square inch by square inch job and took forever, very exauhsting. 

After using soft scrub the glass door is clearer with few scratches. Yet I still can see the fine spots over the glass door. I am still trying. 

The scrubber you are talking about is not those "stone" ones alright? Let me buy it and try first. It it goes well I will let you know.

Thanks,
Lima

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM ON 5/13/2008:

Lima:

It sounds like the problem with your shower door glass is a particularly difficult one.

I've been doing some research for you to see what others have been successful with, and I found the following webpage that has a list of possible solutions: http://uclue.com/?xq=962

It seems that every situation is a bit different, and some products work well for a particular situation but not for others. So unfortunately, it requires some trial and error.

And yes, I did not mean the "stone" scrubbers.

I hope this is helpful.
Home-Wizard.com
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QUESTION from John on 11/6/2008
In my tiled shower their is some grout that is missing. The grout lines are less than 1/8 wide. Can I remove the grout that is failing and replace it with caulking? If so , which would be the best caulking to usr? Thanks, John

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM on 11/6/2008
Dear John:

In a tiled shower, caulk should just be used where planes intersect (such as wall to floor, or wall to wall), where there is the possibility of settling or movement. Caulking is flexible, and as such, can accommodate these slight movements without cracking.

If the grout that is missing in your tiled shower is between tiles on a flat wall, ceiling or floor, then I would suggest that you replace the missing grout in these areas with new grout. Grout will last longer, and it also allows these areas to "breathe" as they are drying out. This is especially important for the bottom third of your shower which tends to get more soaked.

Hope this is helpful.
Home-Wizard.com
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QUESTION from Karl on 8/15/2009
Trying to get rid of mold that is along the mortar folds in the bathtub and kitchen sink. No cleaning fluid or powder seems to work.

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM on 8/15/2009
Dear Karl:

As it sounds like you have found out, mold can be very difficult to remove from bathtub and sink grout lines.

Have you tried using boric acid or hydrogen peroxide yet?

You need to be very careful when cleaning mold, as the process can disperse mold spores into the air. Here is a webpage that provides very important safety tips for cleaning mold: 

http://www.moldetect.com/mold-cleaning.htm

To get rid of mold in the affected area you should first put on rubber gloves, a filter mask and eye protection. Apply the boric acid or hydrogen peroxide onto the mold, making sure it becomes well saturated. It is very important that the mold be very wet before you start wiping or scrubbing, so that this will start to kill the mold immediately and help prevent mold spores from releasing into the air. Keep spraying the mold as you scrub with a non-abrasive pad, keeping it wet as you clean. This prevents mold spores from flying into the air. If any mold seems to be deeply embedded, then leave the mixture on longer so that it can sink in before scrubbing. Once it looks like you have gotten rid of all the mold, spray the area again with the boric acid or hydrogen peroxide and let it dry, as this will kill any remaining roots of the mold.

To keep the mold from coming back, you can take prevention steps such as:

o lowering the humidity in the room by opening windows and running fans to clear out the damp air after uses.

o keeping the area as dry as possible after uses.

o reducing the temperature in the room when not using it.

o regular cleaning to prevent and get rid of mold and mildew growth.


Hope this is helpful.
Home-Wizard.com
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QUESTION from don mcintyre on 10/4/2009
The thermostatic shower mixer valve on my gravity-fed system has seized up - water trickles out of hose at full-on. I'm told I probably need to replace the cartridge...is this a DIY job?

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM on 10/13/2009
Dear Don:

Yes, for many people, replacing the cartridge on a thermostatic shower valve can be considered a do-it-yourself task. If it helps, here is a short video that shows how to replace a shower mixing valve cartridge:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fu8fvlzbh_E

Hope this is helpful.
Home-Wizard.com
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QUESTION from ev on 10/22/2009
What is the best way to remove mold/mildew stains 
from colored grout in my shower?

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM on 10/22/2009
Dear ev:

Here is a webpage that provides a good description of how to clean tile grout:

http://www.mrscleannw.com/tips/grout-cleaning.html 

If this still doesn’t work for you, then it may be possible that your grout has become stained (especially since you say it is colored grout). If it has indeed gotten stained, then you have a couple of options: 1) you can use a tool called a "grout saw" to gently remove the top layer of grout, then re-grout your tile with clean grout; or 2) tile stores sell special grout stains that permanently color the grout and hide the stains. 

Hope this is helpful
Home-Wizard.com
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QUESTION from vcm0258 on 11/3/2009
My home is on a slab there are gurgling or water dripping noises comng from the drain. This shower has not been used for 2 years. there is no water leaking what can it be?

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM on 11/3/2009
Dear vcm0258:

Is the gurgling or water dripping noises coming from your drain a new sound? Or has it been happening for a long time?

If it a fairly new problem, then the following are possible causes:

1) A plumbing drain line could be partially blocked, and as a result, all of the fixtures served by this drain line (such as the unused shower that you mentioned) can be slow to drain. To fix this you can try a product like Drano (be sure to follow ALL directions), or have a professional clear the drain.

2) The plumbing vent pipe for your home may have gotten blocked by insect nests, birds nests, etc. To check for this, you will need to have someone climb up onto your roof and inspect your plumbing vent pipe.

3) If you have a septic system, you could have a partially blocked or sluggish septic system.

Hope this is helpful.
Home-Wizard.com
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