Red stain and black stain around bathroom floor near the toilet

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LoveLiveLaugh

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Recently I've noticed that the area on the bathroom floor around the toilet is stained red. I don't have any red carpets or spilled anything red at all. Not sure what causes it, and I think the area is spreading/getting bigger. There are also areas where it's black, like mold? I tried to use bleach to wipe the red and black area, but it didn't work. Could the toilet be leaking causing the red stain (chemical reaction or something)? And the black color, could it be mold but underneath the tiles? At first I thought it was just my eyes playing tricks on me, but other people said the same thing. There is no water leaking that I could see.


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Helper Dave

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It could all be mold, rust stains, etc. Water might be getting under the tile from the toilet, tub, or both. A caulked toilet can hide a leak, and that strip running along the tub covers up where it's meeting the floor, so you don't know if you have gaps there.

Can you see underneath there? Is this a 1st, or 2nd story bathroom with access to look up at the pipes and joists and things? That could help you track down the source.
 

LoveLiveLaugh

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It could all be mold, rust stains, etc. Water might be getting under the tile from the toilet, tub, or both. A caulked toilet can hide a leak, and that strip running along the tub covers up where it's meeting the floor, so you don't know if you have gaps there.

Can you see underneath there? Is this a 1st, or 2nd story bathroom with access to look up at the pipes and joists and things? That could help you track down the source.
Ahh, it's a rental apartment so I think I should tell the manager before it gets out of hand eh? But with this covid situation, not sure if people want to come in to fix things.
 

WorthFlorida

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The caulking is soil from the top side from lack of proper cleaning. Caulking is about the worse thing to place at the seam under the toilet but millions of toilets are done that way. I always use grout. With a sharp utility knife and a razor blade cut out the caulking. It will take a while and it will be somewhat difficult. Thoroughly clean it and leave it open for a few days checking for any water. At Home Depot they sell caulking in a tube for caulking guns in their tile section.

Not sure what the red stain is. I never seen mold grown from the bottom up. but it is possible. Tile is a glass surface and it is hard to imagine something penetrating that deep into the tile. If there is a leak under the toilet I would expect to see the grout to be wet and molding first.

All in all, the toilet needs to be removed and the wax seal replaced. If someone live below you, water would be staining their ceiling?
 

Reach4

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Ahh, it's a rental apartment so I think I should tell the manager before it gets out of hand eh? But with this covid situation, not sure if people want to come in to fix things.
If you are not sick, think the worker people want to come, but want you to mask up and give space.

I would probably wipe with a bleach (3/4 tablespoon of chlorine bleach in a cup of water) solution or Tilex.

The manager might give you a cleaner, or at least if you let the manager know, you should avoid blame later. If you watch the court shows, you might make the notification by test message.
 

LoveLiveLaugh

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If you are not sick, think the worker people want to come, but want you to mask up and give space.

I would probably wipe with a bleach (3/4 tablespoon of chlorine bleach in a cup of water) solution or Tilex.

The manager might give you a cleaner, or at least if you let the manager know, you should avoid blame later. If you watch the court shows, you might make the notification by test message.
I did try to use bleach to clean it off, but for some reason it doesn't work at all. I left the bleach sitting on top of the area for about 30 minutes and then try to scrub it off, but couldn't as if it's underneath the vinyl or something. I tried this a few times, both on the red and black areas with no result.
 

LoveLiveLaugh

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The caulking is soil from the top side from lack of proper cleaning. Caulking is about the worse thing to place at the seam under the toilet but millions of toilets are done that way. I always use grout. With a sharp utility knife and a razor blade cut out the caulking. It will take a while and it will be somewhat difficult. Thoroughly clean it and leave it open for a few days checking for any water. At Home Depot they sell caulking in a tube for caulking guns in their tile section.

Not sure what the red stain is. I never seen mold grown from the bottom up. but it is possible. Tile is a glass surface and it is hard to imagine something penetrating that deep into the tile. If there is a leak under the toilet I would expect to see the grout to be wet and molding first.

All in all, the toilet needs to be removed and the wax seal replaced. If someone live below you, water would be staining their ceiling?
I don't see any water per se leaking from the caulk, but I do see yellow stuff seeping through? I guess this is the leak? It's just a little bit. I think u can see it in the picture #3.
 

WorthFlorida

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I did try to use bleach to clean it off, but for some reason it doesn't work at all. I left the bleach sitting on top of the area for about 30 minutes and then try to scrub it off, but couldn't as if it's underneath the vinyl or something. I tried this a few times, both on the red and black areas with no result.

If it is vinyl, definitely water from the bottom. I was assuming it was ceramic tile, it's very convincing.
 
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