Personally I think it's kind of ridiculous to withhold your deposit for mold/mildew on the tile grout if you've gone to these lengths to clean it. Seems like normal usage/wear - that happens in showers/tubs - and something the landlord needs to deal with if "normal" cleaning doesn't remove it. Are you sure you can't talk to the landlord/bldg mgmt before you move out and explain the situation?

If the management of my building were normal I wouldn't worry. But they aren't. They also aren't big on maintaining the building (part of the reason I'm moving) but have high expectations for their tenants.

It's been a nightmare living here. It took them 19 weeks to put my name/number into the buzzer system, 3 weeks to put in a new hot water tank when it died--I had to boil water to wash dishes and bath, and I'm still dealing with getting rid of the mold that I started noticing in July. Those are only a few examples. I could write a book.

And I know that my friend lost part of her deposit because of the mold. I saw the paperwork--it was the only thing they remarked on when they did the walk-through.

So, I agree that losing part of my deposit because of mold/mildew on bathroom tiles is stupid but it's happened before and I have no doubt they'll hold me accountable for it too.

For me it's not about the money. I just don't want to have them find fault with how I kept the place seeing as how this how year has been a nightmare.

Is it white? How about just putting a little paint over it to cover up the mold long enough for the inspection?

Mold that is on top of the grout or tile can certainly be cleaned. Mold that is in or under the tile cannot. The lanlord needs to scrape the grout and regrout and seal, as well as replace the caulking. You cannot clean mold out from under caulking either. This is normal wear and tear in all homes. However, since this is not going to happen, do what I did. When getting ready to sell our house with our bathroom that needed this done, I purchased this stuff at the home improvement store. Sorry, I don't remember the name of it. I used stuff that you grout over the top of what you have and wipe off but I found it to be alot of work and did not last. I preferred this stuff in a small bottle that you paint on and let dry. It was about $5.00 at my local Menard's store. It was really smelly so I would do it at least a few days before your inspection. It's cheap enough that you may want to give it a try in a small area to see if it will help. Good Luck.

Gibby and Joanie,

Thanks for the advice. I'll look around for the products you're describing. I think you're both right--if I can't clean it at least I can hide it.

You can get the Clorox bleach pens, they work great on grout lines. Also, There is Clorox gel (a huge bottle). Both of these products will "stay put" so it stays on the offending area longer and most likely will work better. Just put it on in the AM before you go to work. Leave it on all day then come home and rinse. Ta da!

Best of luck,
bluejean in ohio

If you have caulk, then you have to dig out the caulk and recaulk it. If you have grout, you might have a combination of mold and a protective layer of calcium or soap scum. Alcohol might help loosen the scum/calcium problem.

In the end you have to kill the mold. Clorox, alcohol, and Oxyclean (hydrogen peroxide) are the basic chemicals. You can't use them all together but you can use them one at a time. Give them time to work - don't spray on and wipe off. Spray on, let it sit for 10 minutes, scrub with an old toothbrush, then rinse.

Simple Green or 409 aren't disinfectants, so they won't touch it. Now if you have an oil stain in there (possible?), then these ammoniated cleaners might help to soften and lift that.

Bluejean and dchall,

I didn't have the time to do a complete list of all of the products that I've tried when I originally posted.

The Chorox bleach pens lighted a few spots but there was no great improvement. I then soaked paper towels in bleach and laid it in the grout lines hoping to see an improvement. Nope.

I haven't tried oxiclean yet so maybe I'll have luck with that. I'm guessing I should make a paste and leaving it in the grout lines for 10-15 minutes? (or longer?)

Since I'm a renter I have no idea what products could have been used to seal thee grout or even how the grout was mixed.

Thanks for the suggestions.

When I soak clothes in Oxyclean I leave it for 8 hours (overnight). I seriously doubt I need to leave it that long but my experience is all the long exposure.

It sounds like your problem was probably caused by improper construction of the tub surround that is allowing water to get into the wall and cause the mildew. I would use something like Tile Guard right before I moved out. It comes in a shoe polish type applicator bottle and is very easy to use.

Terriks, Tile Guard sounds like it would help me as well in my rental. If I use this now, how long will the white grout last assuming that I keep up with keeping the floor clean?

I used Finazzle & it worked well!

bonnie

Try Finazzle. (at Home Depot/Lowe's) Worked well for me.