Yeah, sealing felt like a hassle to me too, especially in an old house where nothing is ever quite square. But after the third time I had to break out the heavy-duty cleaner for the grout, I caved. It’s not glamorous, but you’re right—it really does cut down on the scrubbing. I still grumble about it, but at least I’m not fighting mold every week. Funny how the “lazy” solution is actually just doing the annoying thing once and saving yourself a ton of work later.
Title: Keeping mold away from your shower—my favorite lazy hack
Yeah, sealing’s one of those things nobody ever gets excited about, but it’s wild how much grief it saves later. I’ve worked on plenty of old houses where nothing lines up and you’re basically wrestling the walls to get a decent seal. Still, I’d take a couple hours of awkward caulking over scrubbing black gunk out of corners every week.
Here’s the thing people miss: it’s not just about the grout. Water sneaks into every little gap, especially when the tiles aren’t perfectly flush. I’ve seen folks skip sealing because they figure “eh, it’s just a shower,” and then a year later, they’re tearing out half their wall because of hidden mold. Not fun.
If you’re already going through the trouble, I’d say use a good quality sealer—don’t cheap out. And don’t forget the edges where tile meets tub or floor. It’s a pain, but honestly, it’s the closest thing to a “set it and forget it” solution you’ll find in home maintenance.
Couldn’t agree more about not cheaping out on the sealer. I learned that the hard way—used a bargain brand once and it started peeling after a few months. Ended up with mold creeping in behind the caulk, and it was a nightmare to clean up. Now I just bite the bullet and get the pricier stuff. It’s not glamorous, but it’s way better than dealing with that musty smell and scrubbing forever. And yeah, those corners where the tub meets the wall are always the first to go if you skip them.
I get where you’re coming from, but honestly, I’ve had better luck just making sure everything dries out properly after each shower. I use a cheap sealer most of the time, but I run a fan and wipe down the corners, and that seems to keep mold at bay. Maybe it’s just my old house and how it breathes, but I haven’t had major issues. Sometimes it’s less about the product and more about the airflow, in my experience.
That’s interesting—airflow really does make a difference. I’ve always wondered if some of those “miracle” anti-mold products are just fancy marketing. I switched to natural cleaners and a squeegee routine. Not glamorous, but hey, less plastic waste and no mold so far... knock on wood.
