Urgent to treat mold under shower sealant myself?« Back to Previous Page
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My bathroom in our Jumeirah Village Circle apartment has had this musty smell for weeks, but I just pulled back the silicone sealant around the shower and found a bunch of black and green mold spots underneath. We’ve been running the exhaust fan, but with the humidity lately, it feels like a losing battle. How urgent is it to get this professionally treated, or can I handle it myself with a trip to ACE Hardware this weekend?
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Yes, this is urgent to address. The mold growth under the sealant indicates a moisture problem that has penetrated beyond the surface, which is a health and structural concern for your apartment.
In Dubai's high humidity, bathroom surfaces are a constant condensation point. Your exhaust fan helps, but it often isn't enough to dry the trapped moisture behind tiles and under sealants. The black and green spots likely include common bathroom molds like Cladosporium and Aspergillus, which can cause respiratory irritation and worsen allergies, especially in a confined space. A DIY approach with a mold-killing cleaner from ACE can remove surface stains you can see, but it's a temporary fix. The hidden fungal roots (hyphae) within the porous grout and wall substrate will likely regrow unless the moisture source is eliminated and the area is properly treated. You must physically remove all the compromised silicone sealant to assess the full extent. For a lasting solution, the area needs professional assessment. The treatment involves removing the old sealant, thoroughly drying the substrate, treating it with antimicrobial agents, and applying new, high-quality sealant. Given its location in JVC, a company with a microbiology lab can also take a swab to identify the species, which dictates the correct remediation protocol and confirms the job was done effectively. This is recommended to ensure your indoor air quality isn't being affected. |
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