Emily Chan
At some point, you’ve probably noticed strange streaks of pink in your toilet or on your shower floor and walls.
Usually, when you see weird substances like that building up on surfaces—gathering in grout, collecting in corners, and growing in toilet bowls—that’s a telltale sign your bathroom needs to be cleaned.
This pink mold is common, and you can prevent it from ever showing up again by keeping your bathroom fresh, spotless, and sparkling.
In a TikTok video with over 3.2 million views, Dr. Karan Raj (@dr.karanr) discusses what exactly the pink residue is, why it shows up, what harmful effects it may cause, and how to get rid of it.
His video is stitched to another clip from the TikTok account @_annakirk05_, which showcased a man lying in a hospital bed.
The clip indicated that he had gotten sick from being exposed to the pink residue.
Then, the footage cut to a picture of a dirty sink drain as Dr. Raj launched into an explanation of the pink mold.
“If you’ve seen this pink slime lurking in your bathroom, it’s not mold—it’s bacteria, specifically one called Serratia marcescens, and it vomits hot pink all over your bathroom,” he said.
The bacteria thrives in damp, moist environments and likes to eat away at fat and mineral deposits from soaps and shampoos, which is how it continues to grow.
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