Sick of Mold in Your Tiny Bathroom? As An Air Quality Specialist, This Is the 1 Thing You’re Doing Wrong and the Fix to Avoid a Miserable, Moldy Winter

If your small bathroom is struggling with mold, I can promise you it is not your cleaning routine; it's the airflow. Or rather, the lack of it.

When steam from hot showers can’t escape, it clings to walls, ceilings, and window frames – and that trapped moisture is exactly what mold loves.

I see it constantly as an Indoor Air Quality specialist, but there is a simple, free fix to prevent mold and save yourself hours of cleaning and remediation this winter.

Why You Shouldn't Shut Up Your Bathroom in Winter

While the risk is present year-round, mold is a particular problem in winter when homes are cold, and everyone keeps the windows shut to keep the home warm all day, turning any and all bathroom ideas into sealed boxes.

You shower in hot water, moisture hits the cold surfaces, and it sticks around for hours with nowhere to go. This trapped moisture feeds mold on grout lines, ceilings, paint, and the caulking around showers. As the owner of Clean Air Technologies, I tell homeowners regularly that if a bathroom stays wet for more than 30 minutes after a shower, there is a very high chance of mold infestation.

The simple, single solution is to re-establish that airflow and improve ventilation.

Luckily, there are some fast and low-cost fixes that will offer improvement in about a week. Better yet, you don’t need fancy equipment:

• Run the exhaust fan the right way: Most people run the fan for five minutes, but they need to run it for at least 20-30 minutes after every shower so the humidity actually clears out.
• If the fan is weak or noisy, clean it: Half the fans I open up are clogged with dust, which cuts airflow by a lot. Simply cleaning a bathroom extractor fan with a vacuum and a soft brush (also from Walmart) usually makes a lot of difference.
• Crack the door open after the shower: You don't even need tools to improve bathroom ventilation. Even a one-inch gap in your bathroom doorway is enough to let moist air escape into the hallway. You can also use shock ventilation to clear out humidity from your home.
• Use a cheap squeegee: Pull water off the shower walls and glass with a squeegee from Walmart. This will remove 70-80% of the moisture the fan would otherwise have to handle. Head of Solved, Punteha van Terheyden, banished limescale build-up in her shower with a squeegee, too.
• Warm the bathroom slightly before showering: Warm surfaces don’t collect condensation as quickly – there are several ways to keep a bathroom warm without heating if needs must. Plus, it makes a bathroom cozy for post-shower dressing.

Removing the moisture on your shower tiles and glass with a squeegee not only lowers the moisture levels, but also makes it easier to keep this space clean and reduce your deep cleaning schedule.

Punteha van Terheyden adds, 'I have chronic pain and limited mobility, so deep cleaning is not easy for me to do. That's why I always squeegee down the shower to remove the moisture, which is especially good for avoiding mold in my tiny en suite, but also doesn't allow mineral deposits to build up.'

This is a great way of cleaning with adaptive pacing in mind. Punteha recommends the Casabella Rubber Blade Squeegee Broom, available at Target for easy reach and to protect your back, hips, shoulders, and neck, if you have pain in those areas and find it difficult to bend down or reach up.

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Meet the Expert

Matt Gorbacz

Since 1996, Matt Gorbacz has been helping New Jersey families and businesses breathe cleaner, healthier air. As the owner of Clean Air Technologies, he brings over 28 years of hands-on experience in air duct cleaning, dryer vent services, UV lamp installation, air quality assessments, and HVAC system care.

Did you know there are some things you can declutter to prevent damp and mold this winter? targeting moisture magnets is a great way to protect your home from damage in the holiday season.