Why Are There Red Stains in My Bathroom?

Can you imagine yourself working in a messy office, especially with a dirty and unsanitary bathroom? For sure, you’d be disgusted and unmotivated. However, when the office bathroom is clean and germ-free every day, employees will be healthy and stay motivated. And, keeping the office bathroom clean and spotless is the responsibility of professional commercial cleaners. However it is your job to keep your bathroom clean and spotless, but I know this is always the last job on the cleaning list.

Compared to dusting pieces of furniture, washing dishes and sweeping floors, cleaning the bathroom is no one’s favorite task. And, sometimes, reddish brown stains make the task way more difficult.

Red Water???

When you abandon toilet’s hygiene and when the toilet isn’t cleaned for a very long time, the minerals in the toilet water will stain your toilet bowl. The mineral build-up that picks up dirt particles and bacteria will form a chalky white residue on your toilet. And, the same happens with faucets, sinks and showers when they are not cleaned regularly. Back in the late 1980s, for example, people quickly became disgusted with the low-flush toilets as they got dirty and all greenish when they weren’t cleaned regularly.

However, what about all the red stains that are coloring your bathroom surfaces? What’s behind this mysterious red matter?

Causes of Red Stains

Causes of Red Stains

High Levels of Iron

The type of materials used for making water pipes varies between countries, partly due to tradition, partly due to the availability of materials in the market and partly due to water quality. However, in some cases, instead of copper or PVC plastic, water pipes are made of galvanized cast iron. And, it’s a well-known fact that when iron reacts with oxygen and water, it creates hydrated iron (III) oxide, which we see as rust. Rusting is therefore, in broad terms, the oxidation of iron. Rusting of iron is an undesirable change as once the layer formed by the rust falls off, it exposes the metal to further rusting and as a result, iron objects become weak with the passage of time.

Once formed, rust begins to eat away at the metal and thus forms a flaky red coating that weakens the iron. This same red matter ends up discoloring your water and giving it an orange-red color. So, if red residue seems to have shown up just about everywhere in your bathroom, then your home piping system which composes of iron, may have begun to rust.

Now, if the pipes are made of copper, for instance, then the main line connecting to your home may have started rusting.

Serratia Marcescens

I’ve known many people who didn’t clean their bathrooms for months and in my opinion, I think there is nothing worse than a filthy, dirty and disgusting bathroom. Do you know what kind of microorganisms grows in there?

According to some experts, if you leave the bathroom unclean for a week, you can’t imagine the sheer amount of bacteria and viruses that can thrive on washroom surfaces.

Serratia marcescens, for example, is a common type of bacteria that grows and thrives in wet places like in showers and around sinks. This bacterium is known for producing a distinct bright red dye and colonies of it can produce a kind of slime that can be seen as a red stain on a surface.

In small quantities, the bacteria is said to be harmless to most individuals, however, it has often been linked to respiratory infections such as pneumonia, urinary tract infections and meningitis.

Is This Red Residue Dangerous?

Is This Red Residue Dangerous?In general, these red stains are believed to be harmless –i.e., if you are in good health. However, when people with asthma are exposed to this red residue, it triggers the following reactions in them:

  • Runny nose
  • Chest tightness
  • Sneezing
  • Fatigue
  • Headache
  • Itching
  • Skin rash
  • Watery eyes
  • Nasal congestion

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why Are There Red Stains in My Bathroom?
Tagged on:                     

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *