All About the Bathroom: Let's talk about the pink in the sink!

​When I moved back to Asheville from California and started my residential cleaning business, the first thing I noticed about the bathrooms here versus bathrooms in California was this mysterious pink slime that seemed to form in virtually everyone’s bathroom. It builds up in the grout of tile, it builds up around the drain of the tub, it builds up around the faucet and drain of the sink, and leaves a ring in toilets, and in rarely used toilets the entire surface covered in water turns pink. In some houses it builds up heavy, it some lightly, and some seem to escape it’s disgusting aesthetics all together. After noticing it, my inner Sherlock began to develop theories about this stuff. I knew I could google it and find an answer, but part of me just didn’t want to know about my possible impending doom. Somehow, it was easier to just theorize about it instead. So, my first theory was they are treating the water here with something weird that one of the nine billion environmental laws in California just wouldn’t allow in your home. My second theory was that there was some scary amoeba in our water just waiting to enter my ear, and devour my brain. After a while, I got brave enough to ask a client who inspects homes for a living if he knew what it was? He told me it was some bacteria in our water, and it was harmless. I decided to ride with that answer for a year, and regurgitated it to several clients when they mentioned it to me. But eventually, I had to do my own research. What did I find?
Well first off, it’s not some crazy biological warfare chemical to kill all the liberals in Asheville! (Well actually it could be, but I’m just going to be the cleaning lady, not the conspiracy theorist.) And it’s not some flesh or brain munching amoeba, we can all be glad about that! And it’s not in our water! Wait what, but it occurs in places that water pools? Nope, it’s an airborne bacteria, Serratia marcescens, and it thrives in a damp environment, hence why I never saw it in dry northern California. It’s a gram negative, anaerobic bacteria, anaerobic means it does not require oxygen to live. And though it was once thought to be harmless, that isn’t true.
Serratia marcescens is a human pathogen, that once established in the body, can be difficult to get rid of as it is resistant to certain antibiotics. It has been known to infect babies, small children, and the immuno-compromised. Serratia m. can cause urinary tract infections, pneumonia, meningitis, conjunctivitis (pink-eye), endocarditis, infection to open wounds, among other dis-ease. Wow! Right? Glad I looked this up, and now I bet my clients are extra glad that I’m the one scrubbing their bathrooms.
For those of you who don’t have a cleaning service, how do you clean it? Well, bleach is an option and one that works really well. Using a product like Clorox Clean-Up Foamer that will sit on the surface for a couple minutes will kill the bacteria 100%. If you have bad buildup of the bacteria, I suggest you do this initially on and in all surfaces that are porous, like grout or scratched porcelain. It can be maintained with natural cleaners after the initial killing of the colony. If you don’t have a bad build up, you can start with the natural stuff. Any cleaner with vinegar, baking soda, tea tree, lavender or thieves essential oils will usually do the trick. We use Mrs. Meyer’s all-purpose spray in the bathrooms we clean, which all contain bacteria eliminating essential oils. When I spray it in the toilet, I watch the film dissolve and lose its pink color in about five minutes. Then, I scrub with a plastic bristled brush, and flush a couple times. When it comes to showers, tubs, and sinks, I use a baking soda cleaner with essential oils, and a toothbrush to get around the drains and faucets well. It is important to disturb the entire colony and then rinse it away thoroughly. Never use a metal brush or scrubber because they will scratch porcelain and tile surfaces and create a larger porous surface area for the bacteria to thrive in.
Can Serratia marcescens be prevented? Yes, there are things that you can do to reduce the growth of this airborne bacteria in your bathroom and throughout your home, and help prevent human infection from this pathogen.

1. Use your bathroom vent! It’s there for just this reason. Run it during your bath or shower and then for 30 minutes afterwards.
2. Close your shower curtain after you shower. This will allow your liner to dry out and prevent growth in the curtain or liner. If your liner is badly infected, you can try spraying vinegar and essential oils on it. If that doesn’t kill it, you can try bleach. If the bleach doesn’t work, thow it out and get a new one!
3. Purchase curtain liners that are anti-microbial, the extra couple bucks are worth it.
4. If you use a non-slip tub liner, remove it from the bottom of your tub after each bath or shower, and stick it to the wall, so that it can drain and dry.
5. If you use one of those cute little animal faucet covers for your toddlers, remove it after each bath so that water doesn’t build up under it when the shower is used.  
6. Keep a microfiber clothe in your vanity to dry your sink and faucet after each use.
7. Buy a toilet brush and use it! Lightly scrub the bowl and flush at least once a week.
8. If you have shower glass, use a squeegee to remove the water, soap and conditioners from it after each use. Serratia m. feeds on fat, which is present in all soaps, conditioners, oils, and lotions.
9. Close the tops and lids to your products. If water gathers around them and they are open, the bacteria can grow in your products. This is incredibly important for preventing human infection. If you notice the pink stuff on your product bottles around the lid or ring of the cap, or pump top, throw them out, and get new products.
10. Clean your toothbrush holders. The last thing you want to do is put a colony of this stuff in your mouth. And if you are my client, and your toothbrush had a pink tinge on its bristles, I’m the guilty party who tossed it in the trash. Clean the bases of your electronic toothbrushes.
11. Do not let water sit in your water pic flossers.
12. If you use humidifiers in your home, sanitize them regularly.
13. Change your air filters. All HVAC systems have air filters on the intake and in newer homes, some have filters on the vents. Buy higher quality filters designed to remove airborne pathogens.
14. Use a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter to regularly clean your vents. Note: Canister vacuums without bags are notorious for leaking particles back into your home, consider a vacuum with a cloth bag or water collection instead.
15. If you have front loading washers, leave the door open when not in use.
16. Consider diffusing essential oils in your home. I am not a fan of chemical disinfecting sprays, they cause a whole host of other problems equally as bad as infections caused by Serratia marcescens. Tea tree is excellent for killing airborne bacteria, though homes with cats should not use it, as it is a neurotoxin in cats. For homes with cats, I suggest lavender or a thieves blend. Really, all essential oils are antimicrobial to some degree so even putting together a blend you just love to smell will help. And diffuse them in your bathrooms and kitchen! Diffusing essential oils is a very popular thing to do in Asheville, and in my experience, the homes I clean that diffuse EOs regularly have less occurrence of the bacterial colonies or none at all.  
17. Consider buying an air purifier for your home, and run it in the bathrooms and kitchen. If you are building a new home, consider a whole house unit if it’s in the budget.

 
So….. are you totally grossed out now, and completely paranoid? Yep, I am too! Part of me wishes I had never done my research on this one, but the other part is so glad I did. I couldn’t not share it with you too. Health is wealth, and cleanliness is godliness!