WHAT IS TOILET MOLD, AND HOW DO I GET RID OF IT?

What is Slime Mold?

Slime mold is a special class of mold that forms a slime coat to protect it from harsh environments. A toilet bowl provides the perfect atmosphere for any type of microorganism as it has food, water, air and a nice warm location.

Mold can come in a variety of colors – most are black or dark brown, but they also show up in pinks, blues, reds and some of them are absolutely beautiful. Don't let the pretty colors fool you, if you don't remove them they will take over the toilet.

How Did Slime Mold Get in my Toilet?

Mold spores are everywhere, and can travel through the air. (Ever wonder how the mold got on that slice of bread?) When one hits the toilet bowl, it may start a small colony, and if left alone, will completely cover the inside of the bowl. It can also grow in the tank if that is where the spore landed. It is not uncommon for the mold to show up in all the toilets in a single home, especially when the homeowner uses one toilet brush to clean all the toilets.

When we explain this to customers, their first reaction is "No way! I am a meticulous housekeeper." This is not an indication of poor house keeping. The spore may get picked up on your clothes during your daily travels, and fall into the bowl when you use the toilet at home. It is also possible for the spores to have come in on the tools that were used to install the new toilet.

How do I Eliminate Slime Mold?

Chlorine will kill the mold spore, but if it has already developed a slime layer, chlorine alone won't work. In order to remove the spots, you need to:

• Scrub the colony off the china, using a non-scratching scour pad.
• Then you need to follow up with a chlorine rinse to kill the spores that you removed, or they will just form another colony.

It may take repeated treatments to finally kill off the colony. One way to ensure continuous treatement is by using an in tank Chlorine tablet. Our installation manual warns against the use of these in tank tablets, but we need to address the mold issue, and we are only going to use it once. The tablet will last about 30 days, and each time the toilet is flushed, it will wash all the water contact surfaces with a little extra chlorine. This step is essential if the mold has grown up in the rim holes, as you will be unable to scrub that area.

Once the tab has gone through its cycle, please contact TOTO Technical Support for replacement parts. The chlorine can damage the rubber components of certain parts and they may need to be replaced.