How clear are your shower doors really? Many people don’t realize that glass is a porous material, and your shower doors didn’t necessarily come with a sealant to keep that scum, bacteria and fungus out. While mold, including black mold, thrives in wet, warm and dark places, that makes the corners and rims of shower doors an ideal breeding ground. When you’re getting clean each morning, do you actually have a living shower buddy who’s wreaking havoc on your health?
While black mold is most often connected with toxic, bad-for-you problems, here’s the truth: No mold that’s allowed to grow on or in your shower doors is “good mold.” It’s a problem no matter what the color. Mold is a symptom of moisture, and it eventually causes rot. Eventually, any mold you see can turn into black mold, or Stachybotrys chartarum. It develops slowly, getting born from earlier mold colonies. Since there are over 100,000 mold species, and they can all turn into black mold, there’s no telling which (if any) you or your family members may be sensitive toward.
What’s the Big Deal?
Some naysayers might claim that mold isn’t really that bad for you—they’re wrong. The negative impact of exposure to mold is highly documented. According to Dr. Harriet Ammann, “Health effects generally fall into four categories. These four categories are allergy, infection, irritation and toxicity.” Did you know that peanut allergies are actually mold allergies? The vast majority of people who say they’re allergic to peanuts are actually allergic to a common mold growth on those nuts, Aflatoxin B1.
There’s no telling what mold species are growing in your shower, what they’ll turn into or whether you will develop an allergy to them over time. Not all allergies are deadly or even severe enough to garner a doctor’s visit. However, it could be the hidden reason for your headaches, fatigue, crankiness and scratchy eyes.
What You Can Do
“Getting rid of mold” is easier said than done. A common “fact” is that bleach will kill mold, but it only seems that way. The actual results are temporary and superficial. Mold can’t thrive in bleach, but once that chlorine is gone (and it goes fast), the leftover water will feel the surviving mold—helping it re-grow even faster. There are a host of chemicals that kill mold, but the lingering effects might be hazardous to your health since (if it’s not completely dissolved after treatment) you’re essentially taking a chemical shower.
The best solution? New shower doors complete with a sealant to prevent mold from growing inside the glass. As an added bonus, it will also seriously improve your bathroom’s looks. You deserve a spa retreat that just doesn’t feel good, but looks good and is healthy for you.
