Orange Stain in Shower
 

We have an orange stain at the base of our shower doors and along the corners of the shower floor. They are not from soaps or shampoos. They wash away with cleaning, but reappear. Anyone have any ideas what this could be?

I may be wrong, but I believe it is some type of mildew or from the type of water. I always had it up north too -in CT also :) Like you said, it goes away with cleaning so I never worried about it.

It is some sort of microorganism, a mold probably, that loves dark, wet areas. It WILL be back. It is deterred with bleach and brushing, but hard to say an absolute good bye too. The high humidity in the shower helps it grow too. Sometimes squirting bleach spray after the shower helps. Wiping the shower down to dry does too. Not too many takers on that. Running your exhaust fan for awhile after the shower helps too. Mostly we shower, and run to the next activity. I don't think it is a mold that can harm you, just not pretty.

One way to avoid mold is to keep the area dry. (I know this is impossible in the shower) Rustoleum has a new product called Never Wet.

It is based upon nanotechnology and once applied keeps the coated area from getting wet even when rained on or sprayed with water. Looks kind of neat.

Here is a website:
NeverWet Liquid Repelling Treatment

we get that orange slime in our toilets. I use a bleach tablet in the tank and it works. So someone's suggestion of spraying a little bleach water in the shower may work.

We have been very successful controlling mold with Mold Armor. It is sold in the paint department at Home Depot. Look for the combination mold cleaner and blocker. I spray the shower walls and floor every 2 months. Let set for a few minutes and rinse. It does not have an obnoxious smell, and we have not had mold in the shower for 3 years. I should also squeegee the shower to speed up the drying process, but am too lazy to much of the time.

Keep a close eye on the flush valve and related parts. Chlorine bleach will cause them to deteriorate fairly quickly.

It is definately Mildew or mold....use a cleaner with bleach.

I used to use the bleach tabs in the tank, but I read that the new "innards" don't hold up well to them. They do work like a charm!

"Rustoleum - Never Wet" NOT good in shower
 

I looked into this for my river rock shower floor. I'm glad I read the fine print, because it would have been a waste of my money for use in the shower. Here is a quote from the Use and Care section of the "Never Wet" instructions.

A treated surface should not be exposed to detergents, soap, oil solvents. Even excessive handling by human skin (due to the oil in our skin) can cause a reduction of performance.

Thanks for the suggestions......this may be the answer. We do squeegee after each shower. The mold only appears at the base of the glass on the doors and in the track. Using the fan helps too.

Thanks everyone for your help!

I have seen recommendations here to install a solar tube over the shower.
The light is supposed to help prevent the mold from forming. Anyone out there with more info on this.
We had thought that would be one of the first things we do....if I see enough feedback that it works. I know mold hates sunlight.

Like BobandMarilyn, I use Mold Armor on the floor of my shower. I spray it on, leave the room for 10 minutes, then rinse -- that orange stain is gone! It looks beautiful and cleaner than anything else I've tried, including clorox!

My friend used the chlorine tank tabs in her upstairs toilet - BIG MISTAKE! I assume the chlorine deteriorated the seal which caused the water to overflow. They had been out for several hours on a holiday and returned to find water pouring through the ceiling into their downstairs dining room, office and master bath. Luckily they had only been gone for the evening and not longer. It was also a huge ordeal when they filed their insurance claim.

Serratia bacteria are common inhabitants of our environment and can be found in many places, including
human and animal feces, dust, soil, and in surface waters. The bacteria will grow in any moist location where
phosphorous containing materials or fatty substances accumulate. Sources of these substances include soap
residues in bathing areas, feces in toilets, soap and food residues in pet water dishes. Many times, the pinkish
film appears during and after new construction or remodeling activities. Others have indicated the pink “stuff”
occurs during a time of year that their windows are open for the majority of the day.
These airborne bacteria can come from any number of naturally occurring sources, and the condition can be
further aggravated if customers remove the chlorine from their water by way of an activated carbon filter.
Serratia can also grow in tap water in locations such as toilets in guest bathrooms where the water is left
standing long enough for the chlorine residual disinfectant to dissipate. Serratia will not survive in chlorinated
drinking water.
Serratia marsescens is not known to cause any waterborne diseases. Members of the Serratia genus were
once known as harmless organisms that produced a characteristic red pigment. More recently, Serratia
marcescens has been found to be pathogenic to some people, having been identified as a cause of urinary tract
infections, wound infections, and pneumonia in hospital environments.
Once established, the organism usually cannot be eliminated entirely. However, periodic and thorough cleaning
of the surfaces where the pink slime occurs, followed by disinfection with chlorine bleach appear to be the best
way to control it.

I was looking on google scholar for a latin name, but I shoulda asked you. Lordy I get it. I have to use the guest potty every now and then.

orange stain in shower
 

Just going to build a house and are we talking a tile shower or a fiberglass?
Thanks

I use the hang in the bowl type so it won't impact the inards of the tank.

I also have replaced my fan switch with a timer so I can twist it on after my shower and it turns itself off after awhile has helped reduce the moisture in my bathroom a lot. Two people taking a shower two or more times a day creates a lot of moisture.

anyone ever use this on the white fence in cyv's or pv

again a simple question, tile or fiberglass?

We did install solar tubes in both bathrooms and still get the orange slime. But, the solar tubes make a huge difference.

I agree its mold

I had that problem and call the plumbing company they installed the water filter and it took care of that problem

I had that problem and I call the plumbing company and they installed a Water filter and it took care of the problem

I had tile in my old house and would never do it again.
It was a major pain in the you know what to keep clean and then there was the issue of leaking at every caulk joint.
Blah.
Tile looks fantastic and helps TV sell homes but I am always going to go with fiberglass.
Low maintenance kinda like me.

Trudy, what brand, and does it have chlorine?

Thanks, Bogie. I didn't think it was mold. We had it in our new condo in MI in an all-fiberglass shower. No mold problems at all in those bathrooms. It was in the johns, and even the dog's water bowl. It appeared suddenly, and I traced it back to the fact that when we had the water softener installed, we also installed a whole-house water filter. After removing the filter, the problem went away except for a rare occurrence.

As for chlorine bleach tablets for johns, we were told by our plumber here that the new toilet designs have a rubber thingamajig that the old design didn't have, and the tablets eat away at that. We had to replace ours after less than a year due to the tablets. So no more tablets. Had been using them since the late '70s with no problems.

Now you can see the orange slime better? ;)

I am pretty sure that mold spores are in the air, on our shoes and clothing and float around until they grow on a warm, dark, wet environment. Anything that is dry will not be affected and they will be killed by antiseptic solutions and will not return for awhile...longer if it is less wet, less often, becomes dry faster...but they are there waiting....waiting.