Tracym

I would too do it myself too.

Except stupid caulk is a bit tricky - ideally need to get the little tube that doesn't require a caulk gun (or if you squeeze it you end up with it jumping out both ends, covering self, clothes, hands, and floor with caulk - guess how I know this). Smoothing it takes a bit of practice - wet finger or an ice cube are techniques I know.

lol and btw.... caulk does NOT wash off (self, clothes, floor...)

Oh yes - and dig out old grout/caulk, let it dry a day - make sure it's nice and dry before putting in the new caulk.

Just Jenney

Oh, it's been a problem, believe me. Mark has asthma, and while he only used his inhaler 3-4 times PER YEAR back in England, now he's on Advair, Singular AND some nose spray stuff, which he has to use EVERY DAY. Part of that is the dog, but he had a cat back in England and so the disparity shouldn't be so great. We think it's the mold/mildew/whatever you want to call it.

CAULK! That's what I meant -- I keep RECAULKING it. Sorry, I'm not Mrs. Fix-it.

In any case, I recaulk it every so often, digging all the old caulk out, letting it dry for 12-24 hours (depending on our schedules -- I try to leave it alone for 24 if I can), and then put new caulking on. It doesn't matter, though, the black stuff keeps creeping back from behind the wall/tiles. I haven't tried a sealant since I don't really know what that is. Can you provide a link?

This is NOT a cleaning issue. It's not grime or soap scum -- it's some sort of mold or fungus or mildew growing from underneath the caulking. How can I clean underneath caulking? How can anyone??

~ Jenney

Tracym

lol no problem, I got it now - caulk at the edges of the tub.

Perhaps the water is getting into the grout (between the tiles, higher up). Only a guess.

Grout sealer would be at any Home Depot, Menards, etc. - any home improvement or hardware store. That you would use to seal the actual grout between all the tiles (not the caulk at the edge of the tub).

No guarantees though.

My Keith and I both have asthma - he much worse than I. A dog allergy and cat allergy aren't the same - Mark could easily enough be allergic to one and not the other.

But the mold would be more my guess. Both Keith and I react to it quite a bit. It really is a health hazard, even if it isn't technically "toxic mold". I'm really wondering if you really want/have to live there. I'm sure there are other considerations, but it sounds very bad for him. Not asking for an answer, just thinking... I would think that the landlord could be made to fix that stuff - but it might take calling the health department to do it.

The doctor also should be able to test Mark for the various allergies - determine if it's dogs, fungus, etc.

I know for a little while I kept getting a little sick and wheezing - I hunted around and finally found some regular 'ol household mold on the top of the curtain rod. Cleaning it off fixed me right up - those household molds can really be a problem for those who are sensitive.

Bob

No, but fixing what causes the problem is...

Bob

True, but it's often in the contract that you don't do these things, liability issue as well as insurance issue.

snowbunny

Absolutely. I had a rental house (very different than an apartment, I know) and tenants that paid on time, stayed a long time (>2 years), took care of the place, didn't cause problems? I'd think very long and hard about raising the rent. If they said "this is the most we can afford" and I knew they'd have a hard time renting elsewhere.... I'd not only feel badly for sticking it to them, but I wouldn't want resentful tenants.

The fact that I only had one property and that it was a house does change factors but dang, I could only pray for tenants that stayed seven years and paid on time.

chicagojlo

I have asthma, and I'm not allergic to animals - I'm allergic to the dust they bring in on their hair. I'm guessing that the amount of dust a cat brings in compared to how much your dog brings in is quite different!

Tracym

Sure. But he could be allergic to dogs as well.

My bet is on the mold still.

lisag8070

OK I've been reading this about the mold and thought I'd put my two pennies worth in..

We had a similar situation where the mold was coming through the caulk and grout (tiled walls around bathtub)...we keep complaining to the Apartment complex at least once a week....they finally came out and after much messing about....they took off a couple op the tiles near where it meets the tub....and low and behold the mold was on the drywall....when they built the bathroom, instead of using greenboard or cement backer board they had just used normal drywall which does not like moisture at all and so it was a perfect breeding ground for the mold...

its worth checking out...

Kaffy Mintcake

Jenney - have you tried a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser? If not, maybe give it a whirl - I had a similar situation in an apartment and when nothing else worked, that did.

Just Jenney

A big thanks to both of you -- I will look into both of these possibilities!

~ Jenney