How to Remove Bathroom Caulking

The purpose of caulk in the bathroom is to prevent water from getting into crevices. Moldy, old or decaying caulk does not effectively seal out water. When caulk fails to seal out water, walls and other surfaces connected to bathroom fixtures are prone to water damage. New caulk not only works better, it looks better. Clean, fresh caulk adds a fresh look to a bathroom.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• General household cleaning detergent
• Caulk removal tool, such as razor blade or scraper
• Old toothbrush
• Rubbing alcohol or nail polish remover

1. Clean caulk with a general household cleaning detergent and water.

2. Use a caulk removal tool, razor blade or scraper to remove the caulk. Hold the tool, blade or scraper at an angle and pry the blade or edge of the tool underneath the caulk. Scrape underneath the caulk to loosen it from the underlying surface.

3. Pull loose pieces of caulk off the underlying surface by hand. Continue to scrape pieces that will not pull off by hand.

4. Remove caulk residue by scrubbing the area with an old toothbrush saturated with rubbing alcohol or nail polish remover. Resaturate the toothbrush as needed.

5. Use water to rinse the rubbing alcohol or nail polish remover from the surface. Dry with a towel.

References

• How to Remove Caulking in the Bathroom

Resources

• Caulk Removal Tool