Home Improvement

One of the most irritating things to home owners is the growth of mildew in and around caulking. This can especially be the case in the bathroom areas. Tubs and sinks which still have what would appear to be good caulking have become black or green with mildew growth. So now its time to remove it. Heres what you do.

Get a utility knife that is comfortable for your hand since you will be doing lots of scraping. Add a nice fresh blade and start scraping out all the old caulk. Wearing leather gloves might not be a bad idea since it is easy to slip with the knife when removng the caulking.

Don’t try to work to quickly otherwise you will incur scratches or gashes in the tub or sink porcelain. Use water if you have to to soften up the caulk so it can easily come out. Water based acrylic caulks might be a little tougher. You can soak some rags with rubbing alcohol and let it sit on the caulking for a few hours. this should help to soften up the caulking and allow for easier removal.

Once you remove the caulk, you will want to check out the newer mold resistant caulks that are out which will help decrease the chance of mold coming back so soon. Make sure when replacing the old caulk with new that the area is completely dry since this is what causes the mold to grow in the first place. Keeping areas dry after installing the new caulk will help prevent against more mold growth in the future.