I took my dog to the veterinarian yesterday. My usually energetic German Shepherd looked weak and unhappy recently, and he didn't want to eat too much. This was concerning, and so I decided to take action.

The tests results came back and the diagnosis was a bit concerning. The doctor said that my dog of three years had a bit of lung infection. And this was caused by black mold which got into his system.

That was new to me. I never even knew I had black mold in my grout! I like keeping my surrounding area clean. And to keep my beloved pet (and me, of course) healthy and safe, I browsed online for possible places in which the mold could grow.

Black mold or Stachybotrys Chartatum is a fungus that commonly grows in the grout between tiles, I read. Finding this out, I searched around the house for areas which have tiles. None in the kitchen that's for sure, as I use polished concrete for my floor and kitchen counters. But the bathroom, though, had tiled surfaces everywhere.

While I do regularly clean my bathroom once every two weeks, my focus has always been the toilet seat and the tiles. But I've never really taken notice of the grout in between. So I always scrubbed it, but not much attention was spent on turning it white. In fact, I kind of liked the contrasting of the dark grout with the white tiles. Unfortunately, the black gunk in between was apparently harmful.

My findings online also said that scrubbing it would be particularly harmful, and advised to call in a professional instead. Which I did. So in a matter of days, we scheduled an appointment and they came by to clean the grout. They were just about done in a handful of hours.

I, on the other hand, cleaned up the rest of the place, eliminating every single ball of dust and dirt and filth hiding around the house. That way, when my dog is ready to come home, the house will be safe for him (and me).