Ive got mildew all over my shower curtain and have been scrubbing all day to get it off. Does it actually post any health danger? Will mildew infect human skin? Does it create a breading ground for other microorganisms? Just curious I guess.
IANAM (Microbiologist) but I don’t believe that mildew presents any particular danger to most humans EXCEPT if you happen to bem extremely sensitive or allergic to it. Since some people have contact allergies with various microbes and substances it might be a problem for them if they continually came in contact with it. My guess is that if it was going to make you sick it would have probably done so already.
What is your shower curtain made of? I usually toss the (vinyl) curtain in the washing machine with detergent and chlorine bleach and it takes care of the problem. Of course, last time I did this, I took the curtain out of the machine and discovered holes in it. I bought a replacement, and the package said that you were supposed to “wipe with warm water” to clean it. So, perhaps you’re not supposed to machine wash them, but it usually works. A fabric curtain should wash well, but I’d test it to make sure it was bleach-safe first before adding the bleach.
Chlorine bleach is your friend when it comes to mildew.
IANAD (or M), but I do know that it is possible to suddenly develop allergies to certain substances. You can be fine, and then one exposure will “sensitize” you, and then the next exposure will cause allergic symptoms. So, just because you’ve been fine so far doesn’t mean that you will always be fine if you decide to let the mildew grow. It also could be a problem (as well as a turn-off) to houseguests who are allergic to mold and mildew–I don’t think that this is such an uncommon thing.