Jenna,

Mold spores are everywhere. When they find a moist location, they can bloom. So the key is ventilation to remove humid air and a properly sloped pan on the floor to prevent the floor from retaining moisture.

Soap, shampoo, and conditioners can also have an effect, in terms of residue left on the walls or floor. After a consumers report article years ago we switched to Zest soap, and sure enough, it rinses much cleaner than the soaps we had previously used.

Mt wife has a collection of lotions and potions (shampoos and conditioners), some rinse less well than others.

If you have hard water, the minerals could leave residue on the tile.

One thing to consider is having a hand held shower that you can take off the wall and use that to rinse down the walls after you shower. It only takes a few seconds. If you need additional help, some use a squeegee and give the walls and floor a quick once-over, that can prevent mineral deposits being left on the wall from hard water.

In general, taking in all the negatives, if you have a tough situation, your hubby is right in that less grout can mean less maintenance issues.

But in a well-designed, well ventilated, and well-built shower, you should have no problems to begin with.

Mongo

I have glass tiles in the shower of my sons' bathroom (teenagers!) They squeegee the shower door but don't squeegee the tiles, and they look fine after over a year of use. I had a water softener installed right after I redid the bathroom because we have very hard water in my area.

Don't the newer grouts have fungicides built right into the grout though? I'm also wondering how the grout can get dirty when it gets washed each time the shower is used. It should stay clean naturally...no?

Jenna, Just to clarify, what I was trying to communicate is that a well built shower will perform well if it is a lot of tile and little grout or a lot of grout and a little tile.

The rest of the post (hard water, oily lotions, residue-leaving soaps) was just to let you know that regardless of how well a shower is constructed, outside influences can also have an effect.

Blondelle, yes you are correct. Grouts nowadays have mildewcides in them, and yes, all a well-built shower needs nowadays is a quick rinse and they'll pretty much take care of themselves.

Mongo

annkathryn,

Nice looking shower!

Mongo

OK, you guys have convinced me - I'm going for it! Thank you so much for the input, I feel a lot better about it...

Dial Clean Rinse is another great option. I even use it when I travel to be sure jet tubs are clean before I decide if I really want a shower or bath.