What to Do About Gunky Shower Caulk

June 7th, 2019

Caulk can be found in your home’s bathroom or kitchen. However, because of daily use, it can accumulate dirt and gunk. Gunk can most commonly build up in your shower, making the caulk look aged and dirty.
We all know that dirty showers and bathrooms in general make a bathroom look unappealing, and as a homeowner, you wouldn’t want it for your guests or potential home buyers. Gunk can be anything, from mold to dust and to other water residue that have accumulated in your kitchen. Gunk on your shower caulk can be pretty tough to remove, but luckily there are methods of cleaning and actually getting rid of it. Got some gunk on your shower caulk? Try this method of cleaning below:

1. First you would have to gather the following items:

Bleach
Baking soda
Paint brush
Plastic wrap
Spray bottle

2. Once you’ve gotten hold of the essential items, the next step is to mix your cleaning solution. Mix in a generous amount of bleach and baking soda together until it looks like batter. The baking soda will make the bleach look pasty. After making and mixing your cleaning solution, use the paint brush to apply it to the gunky shower caulk. Be careful if you’re using a disposable paint brush. This is because the solution will end up disintegrating it. Spread your solution quickly if you’re using a disposable one.

3. After applying a generous amount of solution to your caulk, what you have to do is to cover it with plastic in order to prevent the bleach from drying out. Once you’ve applied the solution and put on the plastic, the next step would be to wait and let the solution sit on your shower caulk.

4. Let the bleach sit on your caulking for several hours, and you can even do it overnight if you think the problem is severe. After leaving the bleach on, you can now check on your shower caulk, and the gunk, mold and other dirty residues will have already been gotten rid of. If you see that your caulking has gotten back to its normal color, you can then move on to cleansing. However, if mold and gunk are still present, you can put some more bleach on your spray bottle and apply more on the affected area. You can even spray some bleach on the walls and on the dried up paste to re-saturate it and let it dry out again.

5. Once you’re satisfied with the results of the bleach, you can now rinse your caulking in order to clean up the residue. You can simply use water to do this. Rinse your shower and bathroom with water in order to get rid of the residue and wash away the paste or cleaning solution that you made. If you want, you also have the option to scrub it as well. Once you’ve rinsed everything off, you can now expect your caulking to look clean, fresh and almost brand new!