How to clean mold in the shower: Builder’s 60p toilet paper and bleach

The builder and content creator behind Skillbuilder on TikTok and Youtube (Youtube.com/Skillbuilder) has shared his “easy” hack to get rid of mold build-up in your bathroom. In particular, mold can start to form in shower cubicles and around bathtubs due to the humid environment.

Although there are many mold-killing products available for purchase, if you want to get rid of mold quickly and on a budget, the builder says he uses a combination of bleach and toilet paper. Supermarket own brand bleach can be bought from the likes of Sainsbury’s and ASDA for just 60p and most households usually have absorbent paper on hand at all times.

Using a “fine strong bleach” and an “old toothbrush”, the builder applied the bleach to the areas affected by mold spores.

He recommends using protective equipment for the face and hands while handling the product. He explained: “If you look at the back of the bleach it will tell you to wear gloves, goggles, a mask, anything like that. I wouldn’t argue with that at all. I think that’s completely valid information.”

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Once the bleach is evenly applied, the builder scraped up long pieces of the toilet roll and covered the moldy areas completely, before topping the paper with another dose of bleach.

“It keeps the bleach from evaporating, and now you’re in constant contact with that mold,” he explained. You can let the bleach sit anywhere from a couple of hours to a couple of days, depending on how bad the mold infestation is.

“This is really a useful thing to do if you’re going away on holiday,” explained the builder. “Even if you’re just going away for a weekend. Right before you leave and you’ve taken your last shower, rub it out and clean it up.”

If you don’t have bleach, or prefer to use a mold and mildew killer, the toilet paper method can be used. The builder explained: “You can use any kind of mold inhibitor to do the same, as long as you get some kind of toilet roll around there to hold it. We cut off the oxygen supply, so if you’re moldy, it’s a bad day for you. That’s all it is, a very simple tip.”

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But even after the initial cleanup, mold can return, so it’s important to stay on top of it. “Get rid of mold using this technique and then use daily [mould-killing] spray and you will stop it,” he said.

The video has been “liked” over 7,000 times and has garnered nearly 300 comments with people sharing their own tips and tricks for cleaning mold. A user post under the handle @killerstidge said: “Dettol’s mold and mildew remover does this but at £3.45 a bottle it’s not as cheap as regular bleach at 99p.”

Other users suggested that while bleach will get rid of the mold in the first place, it will not kill the spores. Instead, several users recommended using vinegar instead of bleach.

An anonymous commenter said: “I have some better advice. Bleach is only a temporary fix, that’s why it comes back. White vinegar kills it.”

Household white vinegar usually contains about five to eight percent acetic acid, which is a moderately strong acid capable of disrupting the growth of a wide range of fungi and other microorganisms.

Experts from Healthline explained: “Research has found that vinegar is effective at preventing mold growth on fruit and at removing some common household fungi, but it is not effective at killing all types of mold.”

A 2015 study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that vinegar made from four to 4.2 percent acetic acid was effective in treating Penicillium chrysogenum but not Aspergillus fumigatus. Both are common household forms.

If you intend to use vinegar to clean mold, it is important that you do not use it in combination with bleach, as this can produce toxic fumes.