All About Pink Mold – Is it Dangerous? How to Remove Pink Mold?

Have you ever noticed pink, fuzzy fibers sticking to the corner of your bathroom cabinet? That’s pink mold and you should get rid of it immediately! Here’s all you need to know about pink mold, its health risks, treatment, and prevention.

One of the most common problems experienced by many homeowners is the growth of mold in their homes.

Mold typically grows in wet and damp areas of your home, which makes your bathroom the most susceptible to the growth of mold and bacteria.

If you’ve ever noticed pink, slimy, fiber-like stains in the grout between the bathroom tiles or pinkish sludge appearing at the bottom of your shower curtain, you’re looking at a serious case of pink mold.

What is Pink Mold?

Scientifically known as Serratia marcescens, pink mold is a type of water-borne bacteria that’s most commonly found in bathrooms, or other wet, dark, and damp conditions. Some of its favorite growing areas include the water lines going to the sink, the shower curtain, shower tile grout, and the toilet.

As the name suggests, it sports a bright pink color, and once it fully grows and spreads, it often ends up looking like small, fuzzy, cotton candy-like fibers.

The pink color is the result of a pigment called ‘prodigiosin,’ which is produced by the bacteria itself. However, the pink color and its shades can greatly vary from salmon pink to blood red, depending on the growing conditions as well as the room temperature.

Since this type of mold is more like a bacteria colony, it can grow in various shapes and can also adopt different textures.

Is Pink Mold Dangerous?

While pink mold is not as dangerous as black mold, for instance, it still has serious health hazards that can be harmful for some people if it’s not effectively removed in-time.

If you ever come into contact with pink mold in your shower or any other place in your home, it can lead to all kinds of health risks and problems.

Exposure to pink mold can cause:

• Difficulty in breathing
• Bladder infections
• Urinary Tract Infections (UTI)
• Gastrointestinal problems (nausea, diarrhea, etc.)
• Allergic reactions (sneezing, coughing, etc)
• Pneumonia
• Bronchitis
• Respiratory tract infection
• Bone infection
• Blood poisoning
• Meningitis

The risk of developing these serious health conditions is particularly high for infants, children, pets, and those people who have respiratory and breathing problems, such as asthma or suffer from a weak immune system.

Pink Mold in the Bathroom

As mentioned above, moist and damp places like the bathroom are ideal habitats for pink mold. It thrives vigorously in areas where there are warm temperatures, mineral deposits, and dampness.

Your bathroom is warmer and damper than the rest of your house, which is why you’re likely to see pink mold growing there in abundance.

The shower area, in particular, is most prone to mold because it’s not only always damp, but it also contains mineral deposits and fatty residue that are left behind by soap foam and numerous other personal hygiene products.

Another reason for pink mold in the bathroom is the use of rugs, carpets, and mats on the bathroom floor.  This because water can easily permeate through these materials, leaving them moist, which makes the perfect breeding ground for pink mold.

Spotting Pink Mold

One of the best ways to successfully get rid of a pink mold infestation in your bathroom is to detect it early on. Like many other types of bacterial infestations, pink mold also starts off as tiny little light-pink dots in a damp place.

When they go unnoticed, these small spots turn into huge areas of slime and sludge, often with soft, fuzzy fibers.

So, if you ever notice pinkish residue forming anywhere in your bathroom, get rid of it immediately because it is most likely to be pink mold.

How to Get Rid of Pink Mold

If you have detected pink mold growing inside your bathroom, the next step is to remove it in order to prevent it from growing further.

There are many ways to get rid of pink mold, and they greatly depend on where the mold is located and how widespread it is.

First things first, it is essential that you carry out a few safety measures and get some safety equipment. This includes a breathing mask, goggles, and gloves. This is to prevent any kind of physical contact with the bacteria.

Method 1:  Baking Soda, Detergent and Vinegar

This method is particularly for cleaning mold from hard surfaces such as bathroom tiles. All you need to do is make a paste of baking soda and detergent.

Scrub it over the affected areas, allow it to sit for a few minutes, and then rinse thoroughly. This is to be followed by a mixture of vinegar and water. Repeat the same process and then rinse properly.

Method 2: Washing Machine

If your shower curtain has been affected by pink mold, the best way to remove the bacteria is by cleaning it in the washing machine.

Make sure to pour some baking soda along with the liquid cleaning detergent to effectively remove the mold.

However, you should immediately call a mold removal expert or professional in cases such as:

1. You suffer from respiratory and breathing conditions
2. There’s mold growing in your heating and ventilation ducts
3. The mold is as widespread as 3 sq. ft or more

It’s always better to be safe, so you must try to prevent the growth of pink mold in your home by ensuring that there’s enough ventilation in your bathroom and that there’s no standing water in your sink or bathtub for long periods.

Also, always wipe the shower area clean after every use to prevent it from turning into a breeding ground for pink mold.

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