Single-use caulk
I have talked before about my strange master bathroom in my home. It has no built-in storage, and it didn’t even come with a toilet paper dispenser for the wall.
The worst aspect of the room — as if no storage wasn’t bad enough — is the shower stall. The floor of the stall is made out of a plastic or fiberglass that attracts dirt, mildew, and soap scum like it’s hoarding it. The shower stall has to be deep-cleaned twice a week, otherwise you don’t feel clean when you leave the shower.
All of this cleaning takes a toll on the caulk that waterproofs the shower from the walls and floor. Three times a year I have to scrape up the old caulk and lay down a new strip to protect our home from water damage. Caulk isn’t the most expensive product on the market, but I have to give up space in our basement to store the caulk gun and what remains in the caulking tube.
The last time I was at the do-it-yourself home store (Lowe’s), I came across a product that is saving me a little headache and space:
The packages are 1.25 fl. oz, which is the exact amount I use for our shower stall. I buy the clear waterproof silicone, but it is also available in white paintable acrylic and white waterproof silicone.
If you’re limited on storage space and have a small caulking job in your future, you might consider the convenient Caulk Singles. There is no need for a caulk gun and no leftover caulk to store when you’re finished. It’s an uncluttered home improvement solution.
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Posted by Erin on Nov 13, 2008 |
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32 comments posted
Posted by Tiffany - 11/13/2008
This… is brilliant. I never understood why you could only get those giant caulk bottles- how many people go through that much caulk often enough to justify it. And as it happens, our bathroom needs a little caulking attention anyway…
Posted by Reimer - 11/13/2008
Seriously, if you need to re-chaulk your shower after 4 months, something is really wrong.
Either your chaulk isn’t set properly or you have OCD…
Posted by Erin Doland - 11/13/2008
@Reimer — I do not have OCD (was tested for it and ADD/ADHD during graduate school for extra credit in a human development course). And, the caulk is normal. Bleach, unfortunately, eats caulk — and bleach is the only thing that works in this space. I would take pictures, but it is too embarrassing. My guess is that the previous homeowner bought the cheapest shower stall on the market when he redid the bathroom. We hope to redo our bathroom this spring and say, “goodbye!” to this nasty shower. Our plumber and deep clean service have both told us that our shower type is notorious for being mold, mildew, and soap scum magnets.
Posted by Sara - 11/13/2008
That last comment was rather unkind, but is it at all possible that the caulk is having trouble setting due to all the heat and humidity around the room?
Posted by Erin Doland - 11/13/2008
@Sara — No problems setting … it’s the bleach that eats the caulk. And the steel scrubbing brush isn’t awesome on it, either.
Posted by timgray - 11/13/2008
Wax your shower stall. Seriously.
get a high quality silicone car wax and wax everything EXCEPT for where you stand. If you wax that you will have a clean shower but will not remember any of your family from the severe concussion you get from falling and hitting your head. a waxed floor in a shower or tub = serious injury and death.
I wax mine 2X a year and use one of those auto “shower care” squirters. we never have to clean it. and my caulk is 6 years old and looking good.
Posted by DaveW - 11/13/2008
Have you tried wiping down the stall after every shower with a microfiber cloth? Water only – no clensers. The cloth is a microabrasive (so micro I use it on my glasses with out problem), and does wonders on my shower stall glass. Hard water deposits gone with a little wiping – and no chemicals.
We use them eveywhere now and have virtually eliminated chemical clensers in the house. And yes, sterile too. I had a chemist friend swab the surfaces and there was no more bacterial growth as compared with a chemical clenser.
Oh, and they go in the washing machine and last up to 20 years…
Posted by j - 11/13/2008
If you’re caulking that often, I think it makes sense to find the space for that caulk gun rather than buying single-servings. Are you going to make a trip to the hardware store every time you need to caulk? Keep dozens of little 1.25 oz bottles around for when you need them? Seriously, it sounds like a caulk gun isn’t clutter — it’s something you use and need.
Posted by Kelly - 11/13/2008
DaveW – excellent idea. I have a few of those cloths around and didn’t even think to use them for general cleaning
I think the single use caulk idea is a great idea. I’ve gotten smaller tubes of caulk before and it’s so much easier – no caulk gun required, just snip the end of the tube and go. And the come with a cap if you don’t use it all at once. The paintable white caulk was a life saver for me when we did our crown molding. Fill in the gaps and voila – looks flawless.
Posted by Sarah H. - 11/13/2008
I empathize with you! While we do not have to re-caulk our shower that often, we have a problem where caulking our shower to seal it properly is very tricky due the terrible design of the shower. I recognize the picture of the caulk singles you posted above–we have one of those (I think we got it in the mail as a freebie). We haven’t used it yet since we found that for our particular shower, it seemed most economical to buy the big caulk tubes and use a caulking gun. However, this we discovered only after trying several other kinds while we were caulking and re-caulking the shower to try to seal up some leaks. Caulking is frustrating so any little tip helps. I agree that the little caulk singles would be perfect for small jobs and they of course don’t take up very much space!
Posted by Rue - 11/13/2008
I can’t remember what store it was (I want to say Lowe’s, though), but I found some strips of caulk. They’re adhesive on the back, and you just lay them down where you need the caulk.
Kinda like this: http://www.installerstore.com/.....uctid=1800
Posted by gypsy packer - 11/13/2008
xx(TIM)xx great idea! Thanks from a dirty job worker.
Posted by Jen C - 11/13/2008
I think this is an amazing idea. Less waste. I have a large basement and room to store a caulk gun but I’d much rather use these (for the jobs I usually have) if they work well.
Posted by anonymous - 11/13/2008
Who needs a caulk gun when you have the Jumbo Jerky Works Gun?
Just fill it with caulk, and you can lay down strips, double strips, or sticks of caulk!
Posted by Nick - 11/13/2008
You may want to think twice about using that much bleach. You could be doing more harm to the surrounding area and everyone who takes a shower than you may think. Instead, use an anti mildew spray after every shower. A quick wipe with a cleaning sponge every other day or so would suffice. If you know what is eating the caulk away then the next logical step would be to stop using that substance. There are plenty of mildew and mold cleaners out there that are more natural and do a good job. You may have to use them more often, but thats a small price to pay for safety and the time savings from having to re-caulk every few months.
Posted by deb - 11/13/2008
We used to have a horrible mildew problem in one bathroom until we got wise to it. First, clean (yes, with bleach) everywhere mildew happens, remove old caulk, clean the crack with rubbing alcohol. Replace the caulk, let dry the recommended time. Do you have a fan in the bath? Run it from the time the shower is turned on until there is no extra humidity in the air, every single time the shower is used (may take hours). Squeegee and then wipe the entire shower after each use (you’ll get really good at this), then if you think you need it, give it a spray of something like Method shower spray. Leave all shower curtains/doors open for maximum circulation. Mildewy curtain liners can be washed in the washer with bleach added along with a load of towels. In case you don’t have a fan, open the window.
Mildew and bleach are very harmful for you to inhale on a daily basis, so getting rid of both will make for a healthier person. Doing the shower as I listed above keeps ours mildew free, I only need to give it a light cleaning maybe twice a year.
Posted by Tracy - 11/13/2008
EXCELLENT IDEA ! Now they need to do the same with construction adhesive (which also comes in the big tube).
Posted by adora - 11/13/2008
How’s the application? Do you need to buy a separate applicator?
I also have a fiberglass tub. It hoards my dead skin cells as well. On this British show “How clean is your house?”, they say that it is best not to scrub it or use harsh cleaning products, as it will damage it making it get dirty easily.
On the show, they suggest soaking it overnight with warm water and a cup of laundry powder. The enzyme in the laundry powder will break down proteins. The next day, you can just drain the tub and rinse it will some clean water.
Posted by Pauline - 11/13/2008
Erin, do you find it easy to use? I find caulking (re-caulking) to be a real nightmare task.
Posted by Eric - 11/13/2008
Yet another waste of packaging and money. I can’t imagine this is comparable, pricewise, to tube of caulk, or even the hand-squeeze tubes that have been around FOREVER (they look like toothpaste tubes). This is just less product for more $/unit, and more packaging to toss in your landfill.
Awful.
Posted by jantzie - 11/13/2008
I love this! It’s just like the single-use super glue I found at my local art store. I use these type of products so infrequently that, by the next time they are needed, the normal size tubes are crusty and unusable, if I can even find them in the depths of the basement anyway.
Posted by Karen - 11/13/2008
This is a great idea. Full size caulk tubes are such a waste (unless you’re a contractor!)
@Erin, good luck with redoing the bathroom. We replaced our fiberglass tub/shower unit this summer. Our problem was rust stains. One piece of advice, have grab bars installed when you do your shower. It’s easy to do when everything is ripped out, but hard (or impossible) otherwise.
Posted by JPLemme - 11/13/2008
Anything that means I need FEWER tools is probably bad, but I’ve thrown away so many half-used tubes of caulk that this is a pretty cool idea.
I’ve also had unopened caulk go bad. It only lasts a year or two even if you never open it. All the more reason to buy small containers only when you need them.
Posted by TC - 11/14/2008
Erin, have you had this in your bathroom for long? I ask because I got some samples of this caulk a while back, and used them, and was all excited about them…and then quickly changed my mind. I found the quality of this caulk to be AWFUL. I used it around my sink, and there are now huge DIVOTS in the calk…just two months later. And I do NOT use bleach or anything else like that. It just…disintegrated.
The idea is great, but the actuality a lot less so. Hopefully some company will do the same with GOOD quality caulk in the not-too-distant future.
As always, YMMV.
Posted by Sue - 11/14/2008
Would a new tub/shower liner be cost and time effective?
Posted by Rez - 11/16/2008
Rue, how did those caulk strips turn out for you? I tried them in my shower/tub but had trouble getting them to stick. I may have been using them wrong, though.
Posted by PrairieGal - 11/17/2008
How timely! I just got hubby to re-calk the tube this weekend because of mildew. We had a half used tube of calk that was mostly dried out – a single use (and sorry) disposible tube would have been much more efficient AND less wasteful. I appreciate the advice on keeping it clean.
Posted by Battra92 - 11/18/2008
Honestly that has to be one of the most wasteful products I have ever seen. Seriously, if you are caulking that much and are destroying your caulk that regularly you should really invest the $3 in a caulk gun. They are handy to have and are a tool that is useful.
What’s next, single use Tilex?
Posted by sarah - 11/18/2008
frankly, i think this is incredibly wasteful, and very expensive. a whole tube of caulk doesn’t cost that much, and you get WAY more of it when you buy the tube. the gun isn’t that much either. normally, i like stuff like this, and i can see buying it if you were only going to use caulk once in your entire life. otherwise…just get a gun.
Posted by Mark - 11/20/2008
Part of your problem might be the silicone caulk. Once a surface has been contaminated with silicone, its difficult for any product – even many silicones – to adhere. I avoid silicone caulks for almost every use.
Try cleaning the surface well and using the acrylic next time. The alcohol might be a good place to start. There are also product available to help remove old silicone residue.
Posted by Sarah - 01/04/2009
Excellent! I just had quite the caulking disaster about an hour ago when the caulk decided to erupt out of the back of the bottle instead of through the hole in front (and yes I did cut one!) I’m heading to Lowe’s tomorrow to pick some of this up. Thank you!
Posted by Jacob - 11/09/2009
I bought some of this for use around our 1/2 bath sink. It is not worth the money and I wish i would’ve bought the gun. The idea is great, but the execution is sloppy. The top tears off, but the caulk is thicker than the tube caulk, which caused it to just rupture out the side. And clean up (my fault for using silicone) is a mess as well. I agree that this is a great idea, it’s just executed very poorly unfortunately.
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