Are you tired of confronting annoying, unattractive orange stains when you step into your morning shower? Why do those stubborn stains appear on your shower’s tile walls and flooring?
Even if you recently remodeled your bathroom, these puzzling stains may form, detracting from the beauty and appeal of your new bath design and decor.
What Causes Orange Stains in Shower?
Orange shower stains typically result from pink mold formations or iron in the water.
Pink Mold
Pink mold is a bacterium with the scientific name Serratia marcescent. It is not a mold. This substance can form quickly on the smooth tiled walls of your shower and may also build up on your shower curtain.
To avoid confusion, pink mold is not always pink. It usually has an orange or reddish appearance. This persistent build-up may also form outside your shower, marring the beauty of your bathroom walls, flooring, or mirrors.
Iron in the Water
If your home water supply contains high iron levels, it may also be a source of orange stains. The iron often combines with lingering soap buildup to create orange or rusty-looking deposits. These deposits can form on your tub, sink, or metal fixtures.
Are Orange Shower Stains a Health Hazard?
Orange stains in your shower caused by iron in the water are ugly and annoying. Yet, they are not hazardous to your health. Bathing in this water will not make you or your family members ill. Even drinking this water will not endanger your health.
Water that contains pink mold, however, can cause numerous health issues. These issues include respiratory problems, gastrointestinal illness, and various infections. For help eliminating pink mold from your bathroom, consult your experienced local plumber or a water treatment expert.
Different Types of Shower Stains
Different types of shower wall, floor, and fixture stains have varied colors:
Green or blue stains are caused by slightly acidic tap water. These deposits gain their colours from copper or lead, which leaches into the water from your shower’s plumbing pipes.
The white stains that commonly occur in your showers are caused by hard water from the tap. The white appearance is due to the water’s high calcium and magnesium content. Water from the tap. The white appearance is due to the water’s high calcium and magnesium content.
How to Clean Orange Deposits in Showers
Iron deposits that have recently formed can be eliminated using white vinegar or lemon juice. Yet, if the stains are older, you may also need to apply a tile cleaner. Eco-friendly cleaners are recommended, and many brands are quite effective.
You should use a cleaning sponge or brush to avoid scratching the tile surfaces of your shower stall. If your bathroom has a combination tub and shower, also use a non-abrasive sponge, cloth, or brush to remove orange stains from the tub.
If you have difficulty removing your shower’s orange deposits using vinegar and lemon juice, try applying baking soda. Make a paste by mixing the baking soda with water. After applying this paste to the stained areas, leave it on for an about 10 to 15 minutes. Then, scrub with a soft-bristled brush and rinse clean with clear water.
If the baking soda paste method is not completely successful in eliminating the orange shower stains, try another mixture. By adding hydrogen peroxide baking soda (one part hydrogen peroxide to two parts baking soda), you may succeed in removing the stains. Apply this mix to the discolored grout, leave on for a few minutes, scrub with a soft brush, and rinse clean.
If neither of these methods of restoring the grout to its original white shade works well for you, apply a commercial grout cleaner, following the manufacturer’s instructions. Again, it is a healthy practice for your household to use an eco-friendly product for this task.
If removing orange stains from the grout around the tiles in your shower becomes a persistent problem, contact your local home supply store or hardware. These knowledgeable sources can advise you concerning the best safe, healthy grout cleaners to use. You want to have clean white grouting while ensuring the good health and well-being of your family.
While bleach may be necessary to clean your shower’s grouting completely, never combine it with other substances without determining all safety hazards. It is never worth endangering the safety of your household members by experimenting with cleaning product mixtures.
Ways to Prevent Orange Shower Stains
You can help keep your bathroom shower free of ugly orange deposits in the future by cleaning its surfaces frequently. It is also a good habit to wipe the shower walls dry after each shower.
When all the older children, teens, and adults in your household follow this daily practice, you are much less likely to see these unattractive shower stains.
Useful Tips for Preventing Mold Occurrence and Growth
Helpful tips from housekeeping experts concerning how to safeguard your shower from developing stains include the following:
Encourage Regular Hand-washing in Your Household
When you encourage everyone in your household to wash their hands regularly, you can help prevent the development of pink mold in your bathroom. Cleansing hands, especially after using the bathroom, helps stop the spreading of Serratia marcescens bacteria throughout your bathroom.
Keep Shower and Other Bathroom Surfaces Dry Whenever Possible
Pink mold requires moisture to grow and spread. When you make an effort to keep your shower’s surfaces dry, you are less likely to have ugly orange stains appear.
Close the Shower Curtain Showering
Close and Straighten your shower curtain after each shower. This will help it dry thoroughly more quickly and prevent mold from developing. You should also launder the curtain and its liner at least once each month.
Remove All Traces of Soap Residue
Scrub away all traces of soap residue or scum that is left after showering each week. Doing this every few days can keep your shower surfaces dry, even cleaner, and healthier. Soap residue contains body oil that mold and bacterial growth feed on.
Remove All Spills of Shampoo and Liquid Soap
After each use, take time to clean away any spills of shampoo, conditioner, liquid soap, or body washes from the shower. This will also discourage the development of orange stains and other forms of mold or bacteria.
After each use, wipe away spills and drops of liquid soap, shampoo, and conditioner from the walls and floor of the shower or tub.
Lower the Humidity Level in Your Bathroom
Use an effective exhaust fan or dehumidifier to lower the humidity level in your bathroom. Also, always have plumbing leaks repaired as soon as they occur. These practices will help prevent the unattractive orange stains of pink mold or iron deposits from developing.
Conclusion
Removing orange stains from your bathroom shower is usually a relatively simple job. Yet, it can require patience, persistence, and some dedicated scrubbing sessions.
If the walls, flooring, and plumbing fixtures of your shower and bathroom also develop black mold, you should schedule an experienced plumber or mold removal company.
These professionals have the training and expertise to eliminate orange, black, and other types of stains. They can restore your shower to its original healthy state for safe daily use by all household members. By knowing how to maintain its cleanliness, you and your family can enjoy a healthy, bright, and safe shower.
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