# Pink mold redux



## wyld thang (Nov 16, 2005)

Again, it's a bacteria (commonly referred to as pink mold)
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/220733.php
"An outbreak of Serratia marcescens bacteremia in six Alabama hospitals has killed nine patients and left at least 19 others ill, the Alabama Department of Public health has announced. Serratia marcescens is a type of bacterium found in foods, milk, silkworms, other insects, water and soil. It is a major source of hospital-acquired infection, especially among those with weakened immune systems."

Just thought it was interesting this came up after I posted about it a while ago. I'm definately going to be more careful, and if it ever shows up at my house I will definately clean any up right away. 

REmember a lot of it can be inyour toilet, and when you flush that stuff goes airborne, which is a way this bacteria can travel around. You breathe it in, and if you're susceptible bang you've sick. Or it lands on your toothbrush on the counter...

The stuff is becoming drug resistant. 

The SHTF application is that this stuff causes problems for people with weakened immune systems, can infect wounds, etc. Obviously its presence in the home is not taken seriously by some (ha, you know who you are:sing. 

Also I looked at a cleaning job(didn't have time to complete it so passed), and cleaned another shower where the showers were used as toilets by recent immgrant IT workers and construction workers. LOTS of pink everywhere(what IS IT with using showers as toilets???). You can take that as you wish.

Anyways, if you've got the pink stuff, and if there's lots of colds going around in the house, might as well keep on top of that and eliminate a contaminant?


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## wyld thang (Nov 16, 2005)

PS< to expand, guys, it's no big deal to pee in the shower while the water is running...but just pulling back the curtain and peeing in there and leaving it, gross!!!!

Seedspreader. I was in Ohio in 1982. Briefly.


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## cast iron (Oct 4, 2004)

What products, tools, and methods do you recommend for general cleaning and disinfecting of toilets, shower stalls, sinks, floors and the like?

Do the things that you put in the toilet tank which release product during each flush really help at all or are they more of a marketing thing? I've used them in the past but it seems all they really did was make the water blue.

Thanks


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

Serratia is one of the main 'bugs' that the kids came into pediatric isolation with that causes D&D (diarrhea and dehydration). It has a distinctive odor. Once you've smelled it, you don't need to wait for a C&S to come back. Usual cause was bottle feeding with very poor sanitation. Had to do a LOT of teaching with the moms while the kids were on our unit. Most of which went in one ear and out the other. Big regional medical center in the deep south (not TX).


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## Merit (Jul 15, 2009)

So is this "pink mold" ever confused with anything else? Some around here refer to it as as a hard water stain from their wells. It would be safe to assume the bacteria could theoretically be transported from one client house to another? If found in a client's house with young children, how long of an incubation period before becoming symptomatic? I've seen what looks like this in residences too...


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## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

I suppose that peeing into the bathtub is a step better than peeing onto the floor around the base of the toilet.

Even if I squint, I can't get a bathtub to look like a urinal. But then, I haven't had a case of beer to drink, either.


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## ovsfarm (Jan 14, 2003)

Merit, there is a definite difference between the "pink mold" bacteria and the reddish, rusty looking stains that can come from minerals in someone's water. Too much iron in the water can result in little rust particles that form when the water is exposed to the air.

We occasionally see this now that we live up north, if someone's well water has lots of iron content. However, we saw it all the time when we lived in Tampa, Florida. Something to do with their freshwater source. Once an iron stain forms on something, it is hard to get it off just by scrubbing. You often have to use some sort of chemical cleaner to take care of it. It can affect the side of a house where the waterhose spigot is, sinks and toilet bowls, and even will discolor laundry - especially noticeable with white clothes.


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## wyld thang (Nov 16, 2005)

Wayne02 said:


> What products, tools, and methods do you recommend for general cleaning and disinfecting of toilets, shower stalls, sinks, floors and the like?
> 
> Do the things that you put in the toilet tank which release product during each flush really help at all or are they more of a marketing thing? I've used them in the past but it seems all they really did was make the water blue.
> 
> Thanks


Basically we try to use the least aggressive method first, and then move to the harsher chemicals as needed, and those as infrequently as possible(such as stuff like LimeAway which removes hard water stains and water spots on glass). Lots of plain ol elbow grease like for soap scum, which is very green. Of those scrubby pads available we use either the white ones(less abrasive), or a red one(med abrasive. But NOT the green pads, they can scratch and it's jsut too risky to trust workers to be a good judge of how to use a green pad(but they will work good of course, just test on a small area to see if it will scratch. We use a piece of drywall sanding screen for mild hard water stains on porcelain toilets and sinks--this works well to maintain a clean toilet from "fresh" water stains. I've also used the drywall sanding screen to get that ancient hard soap scum off of shiny tile, BUT was careful of scratching, so do the test and be careful with it--of course those sanding screens are REALLY abrasive.

Seriously though, elbow grease will get a lot of stuff off that people usually use harsher chemicals for. It's a great workout, I try to use both hands 

I think the blue water things are just a gadget, though if they let of bleach it can help with that red bacteria. On the other hand if someone has a poop blowout in the toilet and it sticks, it WON"T get it off. I hoep this doesn't sound bad, but it seems most people who buy those do it so they dont' have to clean the toilet so often. It takes a minute to clean a toilet, and then of course it just takes more time the longer you let it go(and there's more germs wafting up...).

The Lime Away gel toilet cleaner works really good to get off hard water/rust stains. Spread it all around and plop some in the water and just let it sit there all day if possible, or at least like ten minutes. It's a harsh chemical though, so just use it for the really bad stuff. If you keep on top of keeping the toilet clean(like use the drywall sanding screen) then it won't build up so bad again.

HTH!!!


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## wyld thang (Nov 16, 2005)

Merit said:


> So is this "pink mold" ever confused with anything else? Some around here refer to it as as a hard water stain from their wells. It would be safe to assume the bacteria could theoretically be transported from one client house to another? If found in a client's house with young children, how long of an incubation period before becoming symptomatic? I've seen what looks like this in residences too...


I suppose it could be transported, but the tools we have are used with Comet(which has bleach) so they get disinfected. But I don't think the particular bacteria is transported on things--it needs food(fats) to survive, so it gets around by people, getting sneezed, peed, spit out. it's a germ that is all around us(like staph), and it seems it's one that our bodies keep in chek, but it get's out of line when people are immune weak then they succomb(UTI, respiratory, pink eye etc).

around here the hard water is orange, and the pink bacteria is coral pink color.


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## wyld thang (Nov 16, 2005)

oregon woodsmok said:


> I suppose that peeing into the bathtub is a step better than peeing onto the floor around the base of the toilet.
> 
> Even if I squint, I can't get a bathtub to look like a urinal. But then, I haven't had a case of beer to drink, either.


there was that too to clean up. and on the walls. yay.

something else I read about was brown sediment. We have one guy that has us come once a month and his toilet has a LOT of it. brown sediment in your pee can indicate poor liver function. Sure enough the guy drinks a lot...


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## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

wyld thang said:


> I think the blue water things are just a gadget, though if they let of bleach it can help with that red bacteria.



Those in-tank tablets or blue liquids that flush into the bowl will dissolve and destroy the working parts in your toilet tank. I used to use those clorox tablet things in our tanks, and yes they did keep the bowls clean longer and smelled good. But having to replace all the rubber and plastic parts in our toilets every six months made me decide they weren't worth it.


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