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REMODELING ARTICLE - BASIC BATHROOM MAINTENANCEBathrooms are one of the most used rooms in the house and since they handle both fresh and waste water they can be a source of damage to your home if not maintained properly. Here are some helpful maintenance tips you can use yourself. If you have a shower with a tile surround it is important to keep the grout between the tile clean and sealed. When grout stays wet and the water penetrates the surface it will begin to mold or mildew. This can lead to leaks and even cause the grout to fall out. To prevent this it is important to keep it clean. The best way to do that is to seal it with a professional grout sealer. This is easy to do. Simply clean the grout using a medium strength detergent, floor or all purpose cleaner (e.g.; 409, Pinesol) mixed with warm water. Do not use grout cleaners or harsh cleaners on your grout. These products are for immediate results and my often cause more damage than the mildew or mold they claim to kill. Using the warm water and cleaner solution, begin scrubbing the grout with a kitchen scrubber. I like the green pot scrubbers that can be found at any grocery store. Take your time and remove all mold, mildew or discoloration. If your shower has a silicon seal at the base of the tile where it meets the tub, remove it also (see below). Once the grout is cleaned allow it to dry completely before applying the sealer. I prefer using a Franklin (Brand name) sealer which can be found at most janitorial supply stores (Leanord Janitorial in Seattle is a source of this product line). You can use similar products found at Home Depot, however these products never seem to last very long and you may have to seal your tile more often. Apply at least two coats and allow for dry time. Doing this a couple of times a year will lengthen the life of your tile work and prevent costly damage caused by leaks. Unless you have a one piece shower and tub enclosure your shower enclosure will have a silicon seal between the surround and the tub. On average, for a shower that is used daily, this seal needs to be replaced every 5 years. To replace this you will need a couple razor blades, a disposable hand cloth ( painter rags work great), a tube of silicon ( I prefer GET) and a caulking gun. Using a razor blade cut along both sides of the seal. You may need to do this a couple times along both sides. Then simply pull the old seam away from the wall. Going back over the area make sure all the old silicon is removed. Cut the tip of the tube of silicon off. It is important not to cut too much of it off. It is better to have a small hole for the silicon to come out than a large hole which could allow too much silicon to come out, causing a big mess. Using the caulking gun place your index finger on the very tip of the silicon tube and point the tip into the corner of the surround to tub seam. Start from one corner and slide the tip along the seam slowly squeezing the trigger of the caulking gun. Do this until you reach the opposing corner and stop. Do this with each seal. The reason you place your finger on the tip of the silicon tube is to lightly press and smooth out the seam as you go. Be sure your finger is damp with water so it slides over the silicon and does not smear it all over. Use the rag to clean your finger as you needed. Be sure this rag is also wet, which will help your finger to stay damp. Allow at least 24 hours for the silicon to dry and cure before using the shower. There are many other seals in your bathroom that can be replaced using this same method. There is often a seam between the shower or tub and the floor. This seal prevents water from getting under the flooring and causing rot. There should be a seal at the base of the sink where it meets the counter top or along the back splash of the counter top, and often a seal around the base of the toilet and the floor. As with all these seals it best to be sure they are intact and performing the jobs they are meant to do, which is prevent water from getting behind them. Sink drains are also a simple thing to maintain. If your sinks drain slowly it may be caused by a small blockage in the pipes located right below your sink. Look in the cabinet under your sink. You should see the pipes coming from the bottom of your sink basin and forming a “J” before entering into the wall. If they are white plastic it will be easy to clean. If your drain pipes are chrome I do not suggest you attempt this unless you have the proper wrenches and feel confident in your abilities as a plumber. You will notice that these pipes are connected by plastic collars. Loosen these collars and gently disassemble the J in the pipes. This is called the J- or P-trap. The J-trap is imperative to health safety and preventing large debris from entering into the sewer pipes behind your wall (If you loose your ring in the sink this is usually where it ends up). Gently holding the J-trap upright empty it into the toilet. Remember, you have disconnected the sink drain. I have seen people empty the J-trap back into the sink where it promptly spills all over the inside of your cabinet. Check the J-trap for blockage and clean as needed. Reassemble the pipes and hand tighten the plastic collars. Be sure to run some water and watch the pipes for any leakage. Tighten the collars as needed. It is also important to keep up with the maintenance of your toilet. Toilet leaks can cause a lot of damage. The main seal or wax ring of the toilet (also known as the toilet flange ring) is single handedly one of the most frequent causes of water damage I encounter. I advise my customers to replace this ring every 5 - 10 years depending on how much use it gets. The toilet is held down to the floor by two small bolts with 1/2 inch nuts. Between the floor and the toilet is the main seal. Before unbolting the toilet, the water supply line must be shut off and disconnected. Flush the toilet before disconnecting the hose and after shutting the water off -- this will drain the toilet tank. Look at the base of the toilet, on each side you will see a small cap. Under these caps are the nuts to the bolt that hold the toilet to the floor. Remove the nuts and pull the toilet from the floor. Warning! The toilet is heavy! If you do not feel comfortable lifting 50 -70 lbs, do not attempt this. Laying the toilet on it's side and using a putty knife, remove the old wax seal from the bottom of the toilet. Do the same with the floor if any wax is present. Place the new wax seal on the toilet flange (the pipe in the floor). At this point I would also install new mounting bolts. The hardest part of this job comes next. Be sure the mounting bolts are standing straight up. Lift the toilet up and lower it on to your new wax seal being sure the bolts are coming up through the base of the toilet. Thread the nuts onto the bolts and slowly tighten them equally on each side. Gently rock the toilet back and forth while tightening the bolts. I do this by laying my chest on the toilet seat cover with my arms to each side of the toilet where I can reach the bolts. Tighten the bolts until the toilet stops rocking. Connect the water supply and turn on the water. Flush the toilet many times to be sure the seal is seated properly and does not leak. To reinstall the bolt caps you may need to saw some of the excess treads with a hack saw. Wash your hands thoroughly. |