QUESTION

How to get rid of Mold on Grout Joints - water leak under house -couple of day`s stop water leak now fungis grow between tiles. what can we use to stop it

ANSWER

ANSWER - I understand that you had a water leak under your home, which was stopped after a couple of days. Now you are seeing a mold fungus (microbial) grow between the tiles in the grout joints, and you want to know how to stop the microbial growth.

For mold to grow it needs moisture and food. Normally the cementitious grout between the tiles does not support the growth of mold since it is very alkaline and not a food for mold. Although if the grout joints are dirty then the dirt or residues on the grout surface can act as a food for the mold.

If the excessive moisture in the tile is due to the water leak that has been repaired then the tile assembly should dry soon. You can use fans or heaters to try to get it to dry faster. If the soil beneath the house is still very wet then that needs to dry out too. While the tile assembly is drying, it would be recommended to clean the tile and grout with detergent soap to remove all the dirt and residues. To clean it properly use a brush on an extended handle and scrub the tile and grout. Then use a wet and dry vacuum to pick up the dirty water. Then rinse the floor again and pick that dirty water up with a vacuum. If you keep the floor and grout clean and dry then you will not get mold microbial growth. Good Luck.