# Strange spots on bathroom ceiling



## SpiderLawGirl (Nov 17, 2018)

I was worried that I had mold on my bathroom ceiling but it’s more like dust that wipes right off. I get more after every shower. I have no idea how to stop it. I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on what this could be and how to stop it?


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## HenryMac (Sep 12, 2018)

SpiderLawGirl said:


> I was worried that I had mold on my bathroom ceiling but it’s more like dust that wipes right off. I get more after every shower. I have no idea how to stop it. I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on what this could be and how to stop it?


Welcome :wink2:

Pictures of the area in question would be helpful..


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## SeniorSitizen (Sep 10, 2012)

What material is the ceiling surface? Is the bath mirror all steamed over after a shower?


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## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

Without a pic we're just taking a stab in the dark. Could be anything. Could be white mold. Could be efforvesence on an old plaster surface. Could be hair spray being drawn up into the bathroom vent. Could be drywall dust from an unfinished ceiling. Could be spider eggs. Could be lice eggs. Well, you get the PICTURE.


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## Dave Sal (Dec 20, 2012)

Gymschu said:


> Without a pic we're just taking a stab in the dark. Could be anything. Could be white mold. Could be efforvesence on an old plaster surface. Could be hair spray being drawn up into the bathroom vent. Could be drywall dust from an unfinished ceiling. Could be spider eggs. Could be lice eggs. Well, you get the PICTURE.



I go with spider eggs based on the OP's user name. :devil3:


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## SpiderLawGirl (Nov 17, 2018)

Dave Sal said:


> Gymschu said:
> 
> 
> > Without a pic we're just taking a stab in the dark. Could be anything. Could be white mold. Could be efforvesence on an old plaster surface. Could be hair spray being drawn up into the bathroom vent. Could be drywall dust from an unfinished ceiling. Could be spider eggs. Could be lice eggs. Well, you get the PICTURE.
> ...


“Spider” is for my law school. 

Here is a picture. It wipes off like dust.


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## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

Looks like mildew. Give it a shot of watered down bleach. Or, better yet, concrobium which kills the mildew and any roots it leaves behind. To stop it from growing you need a better bathroom fan sized properly for your bathroom space. It needs to be properly vented to the outside of your house and not just vented into the attic. Mildew just loves surfaces that are constantly wet. That's why you see it growing on the north side of houses where the sun rarely shines enough to dry out the siding.

If you have no bathroom fan to exhaust the moist air, now would be the time to get one properly installed or the mildew will constantly come back and you will constantly be treating that ceiling to kill it off.

Concrobium can be purchased at Wal-Mart or any big box store.


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## Guap0_ (Dec 2, 2017)

SpiderLawGirl, Gym is right about the exhaust fan. Is there an exhaust fan in the bathroom? If there is, do you use it?


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

Would the picture be the same every time it comes back?


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## SpiderLawGirl (Nov 17, 2018)

Nealtw said:


> Would the picture be the same every time it comes back?


 Basically, if I don't clean it off it gets bigger. I'll give the cleaner a try and I plan on using Kilz on the whole ceiling before I paint. The fan I have should be strong enough for a small bathroom but I'll have to check on where it vents to.


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

SpiderLawGirl said:


> Basically, if I don't clean it off it gets bigger. I'll give the cleaner a try and I plan on using Kilz on the whole ceiling before I paint. The fan I have should be strong enough for a small bathroom but I'll have to check on where it vents to.


 What is above the ceiling? If it keeps returning I would be suspicious of mold growing on the other side of the drywall.


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## SpiderLawGirl (Nov 17, 2018)

Nealtw said:


> What is above the ceiling? If it keeps returning I would be suspicious of mold growing on the other side of the drywall.


 The attic and I've checked and I don't see any mold up there.


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## Domo (Nov 9, 2018)

The mold/mildew is in the ceiling and coming through the wallboard. The problem, most likely, is moisture trapped in the attic - perhaps the exhaust duct from the bath ceiling vent has come loose - or worse, it is simply shoved in the attic and dumps the moisture up there and not outdoors?

The wallboard on the ceiling has been compromised, IMHO, and will not be fixed by spraying anything on the surface, by painting over it, by attempting to seal it.

You can temporarily make it disappear by using original Kilz (not the wimpy, useless water cleanup variety they try to sell nowadays - get the one that requires paint thinner to clean up). Prime the surface two times with the Kilz, then repaint. And, improve/use your exhaust fan and verify the duct from it actually goes outdoors and is not blocked up.


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

SpiderLawGirl said:


> The attic and I've checked and I don't see any mold up there.


 You have moved insulation and looked at the top side of the drywall?


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## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

@Domo, KILZ will NOT kill the mold/mildew. The mildew will grow right through the primer. Zinsser DOES make a Mold Killing Primer, but I say wait until more investigation is done looking in the attic for any trouble areas before going that rout. It could be something as simple as the exhaust fan needing cleaned so the air can move. I've seen a lot of fans gunked up over the years causing the fan to become useless.


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## Domo (Nov 9, 2018)

Gymschu said:


> @Domo, KILZ will NOT kill the mold/mildew. The mildew will grow right through the primer. Zinsser DOES make a Mold Killing Primer, but I say wait until more investigation is done looking in the attic for any trouble areas before going that rout. It could be something as simple as the exhaust fan needing cleaned so the air can move. I've seen a lot of fans gunked up over the years causing the fan to become useless.


Here's what I said;

_*You can temporarily make it disappear by using original Kilz*_

No mention of Kilz actually killing the mold. I then went on to mention check the attic for exhaust fan, etc.

No worries - I'm glad you helped to make sure others would not misinterpret after reading too quickly - heck we all do that all the time!

All of us have the goal of helping OP solve their problems.


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

When I first moved to northeast tenn I was shocked at the number of folks that thought applying oil base Kilz over mildew was the proper way to deal with mildew. Even run across a few so called pro painters that thought so. Mildew is easy enough to clean up and should always be removed prior to painting! that's the only way to guarantee it won't come back prematurely ..... along with rectifying the cause when possible.


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## Domo (Nov 9, 2018)

mark sr said:


> When I first moved to northeast tenn I was shocked at the number of folks that thought applying oil base Kilz over mildew was the proper way to deal with mildew. Even run across a few so called pro painters that thought so. Mildew is easy enough to clean up and should always be removed prior to painting! that's the only way to guarantee it won't come back prematurely ..... along with rectifying the cause when possible.


Yup - that's why no one has said it is a permanent fix.


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## siffleur (Aug 19, 2013)

SpiderLawGirl said:


> Basically, if I don't clean it off it gets bigger. I'll give the cleaner a try and I plan on using Kilz on the whole ceiling before I paint. The fan I have should be strong enough for a small bathroom but I'll have to check on where it vents to.


SLG, can you describe exactly how you and any others take your showers? What I mean is, do you treat the bathroom as a steam room by shutting the door and filling the bathroom with hot water vapor from the shower? If so, you might continue to have problems with mold growth in the bathroom as it probably is not designed to sustain that much steam.

What I do after every shower (with the bathroom door open) is to run a floor fan just outside the bathroom door for several hours after each shower to make sure that the bathroom gets properly dried out. 

I just did some repairs on a bathroom ceiling where the HO runs his shower like he was in a steam bath. He also has a fan in his ceiling, but it was not doing its job properly. I told him to use a floor fan to force the humid air out of his bathroom after each shower.

siffleur


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## electricbeer (Mar 15, 2017)

I had a similar problem when my girlfriend moved in with me and after I switched to an oil fired water heater instead of a little electric one (it was just me so i did't need a big water heater)... I have two exhaust fans in each of my bathrooms, vented nicely, no condensation on mirror etc... turns out the problem was my own memory.... I simply forgot to properly insulate one of the bathroom ceilings when i renovated it (did it in the summer)... did anyone ask what the insulation (if any) looks like above the bathroom? If there is little or none, the ceiling just acts like a big, flat condenser in the winter.


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## ionized (Jun 8, 2012)

You have several good suggestions so you might not need this. One sure way to tell if something is a growing life form or some sort of passive soil is to try to culture it. Take some of the same material, inoculate it and try to grow it under similar conditions elsewhere in the room or in another room. If you get growth, you have your answer. No growth is not so conclusive since you might not have the conditions quite right.

If any product seller claims that their stuff kills unwanted microbes, it will have gone through an EPA certification. That is the EPA's domain. A product may disinfect, but they can't put it on their label or in their ads if it is not tested by the EPA.


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