[T]here’s no denying that household mold and mildew can be dangerous to our health. In fact, it has been proven to promote asthma, allergies, and colds. Likewise, it is thought to increase the occurrence of mood swings and depression.
Generally speaking, prevention is the best way to eradicate the problem; however, that seems to be the issue with mold — we often don’t know it forming until it rears it’s nasty head.
Staying alert to the appearance of mold and treating it quickly is the only way to win!
Unfortunately, many of commercially-prepared products in the stores — created to solve the problem — can also cause the same problems they intend to fix. So the question becomes…how can we do this without the use of harsh chemicals?
Start with the Basics
Here are a few things you must do to start treating the mold problem:
1. Dry out dampness. Moisture is the number one cause of mold. Drying out damp areas of the home will help to prevent the rate of incidence. This can be done most commonly by using a dehumidifier. One can also sprinkle arrowroot powder or cornstarch over the moldy area, as this will help to absorb the extra moisture. Find organic arrowroot powder here…
2. Fix the leak. Fixing those leaky pipes, or that leak in the roof, will help to eliminate the water source and prevent the conditions for which mold loves to grow.
3. Establish good air circulation. The best way to do this is to use fans throughout the home.
4. Let the sun shine in. Let the natural light of the sun into your home as much as possible. However, in areas such as the basement, consider using a UV light if things get really bad. They’ve been known to kill nearly 100% of the mold present.
Natural Recipes that Kill Household Mold
When mold is present and you need to kill it, here are a few tried and true remedies:
Tea Tree Spray
*Tea tree oil is one of the best ways to kill mold naturally.
To make this spray, simply mix 1 teaspoon of tea tree oil per 1 cup of water. Load mixture into a spray bottle, shake well to combine, and spray directly on to areas of mold. Do NOT rinse. I get tea tree oil here for a good price…
Vinegar
After cleaning the mold with a mixture of castile soap and hot water. Spray a generous amount of straight white vinegar on to the problem areas. In the shower, I keep a spray bottle full of vinegar to spray on the tub and tile after each use. Works like a charm in the prevention department! Read more here…
Grapefruit Seed Extract Spray
In a spray bottle combine 20 drops of grapefruit seed extract and 1 cup of water. Shake well to combine. Spray the problem areas. Do NOT rinse and allow to dry. Find grapefruit seed extract here…
Hydrogen Peroxide Spray
Mix 1 part 3% hydrogen peroxide and 2 parts water. Spray directly on to mold and allow it to dry. Note: Be sure only to make as large a batch as you will need for one application at a time.
Learn More
Are you interested in learning more about effective homemade solutions for toxin-free living? Check out these books:
- Simply Clean: DIY Solutions for a Naturally Clean Home
- Better Basics for the Home: Simple Solutions for Less Toxic Living
- The Naturally Clean Home: 150 Super-Easy Herbal Formulas for Green Cleaning
- Make Your Place: Affordable & Sustainable Nesting Skills
What do you do to kill household mold and mildew?
And as always…if you really enjoyed this post I would be so honored if you’d click this link and subscribe to the blog! To those of you who have been committed readers, thank you.
Hi-I really like your blog so far!, and I read how to get rid of mold with great interest as it is an ongoing problem in my shower. Can I ask you which of the remedies do you think is the MOST effective?
Thanks,
Maria @ JuicyGreenGirl
Hi Maria! Definitely go with the tea tree spray…I think it’s the most effective!
Hi Maria, The tea tree spray is the most effective thing I have tried. I even was able to kill mold in carpet that was on a concrete floor in a 6th floor apt as well as on the walls without the problems that chemicals and bleaching agents have. I use tea tree regularly in the shower as a preventative. Did you know you can use tea tree directly on skin [can't do that with most essential oils]? It is wonderful for the foot and nail fungus. It is great on even deep cuts and scrapes. We are never without it. Dr Jill
This post could not come at a better time for me! I was going to tackle mold in our bathroom around the ceiling fan and hadn’t quite decided how I was going to do it yet. So far just wiping it away with a sponge and water hasn’t been very effective. LOL Thanks so for much this post and the others linked to it for cleaning the shower/tub with vinegar.
I love natural ways over chemicals any day, thank you so much!
This is great information. Do you have any tips on removing mildew stains? I have a fabric shower curtain that has been stained but have not found a way to remove them. I did get a formula from the natural food aisle for mold and mildew but the stains remain.
Thanks!
Hi Rebecca! I would try soaking it in the hygrogen peroxide/water mixture for up to 24 hours, wash, then put it out in the sun to dry. The combination of the peroxide and UV rays from the sun should help significantly!
I have found that washing the item with white vinegar in the washing machine and then letting it dry in the sun kills most mildew and gets rid of the black spots. Peroxide can fade some items and only has worked somewhat for me. Hope that helps!
Try lemon juice and sunlight. My mom swore by this, and I have found that it works well when I am concerned about using Bleach
Soak in 1-5 amonia:water for about 3-4 hours and then wash.. Dont leave it in longer than that because it breaks down thread fibers quickly.
Me too
Because they work!
Thanks for the tips. I’m going to see if this works on the pink stuff, too. Maybe just the vinegar spray will help.
I get that in the toilet a lot. Vinegar and baking soda is really good add the baking soda first then add vinegar it foams, let it sit for 10 or more minutes then scrub as usual.
Living in the Pacific Northwest, moisture is always an issue at our house, and allergies are particularly bad this season. Thank you for sharing your remedies, Andrea! I’m looking forward to giving the house a great clean this weekend using your tips.
Do you have a recipe for using Oil of Clove for treating mould and mildew?
I would try the same as the t tree oil Vinni……
Hi, i was wondering if you knew of a way to get rid of mildew in the faucets and also i cleaned my basement carpet and went on vacation, while i was gone a family member informed me that the carpet had mold but when i got back it was gone… do i need to follow up and how?
Tea tree and vinegar work really well.
I live in the south so I’m always battling with mold and mildew! I have tried some of these ideas, but I will definitely try some of the other ones. Wanted to let you know I linked it up for my Weekend Wanderings post.
I have a scrub that is a mixture of baking soda, borax, salt and tea tree oil; was that your recipe from another post? I use it everywhere that needs deep cleaning once a month. It works great, but I still have occasional mold and mildew issues. I’m gonna try keeping a spray bottle of vinegar in the shower as that’s my biggest issue spot.
HOw do you get mold off the bathroom ceiling?
White Vinegar is a wonder cleaner for every room in the house. From Laundry, to coffee pot to refrigerator, and Bath. It pays to keep a gallon on hand always.
This is a great site for natural cleaning recipes…
http://www.auracacia.com/auracacia/aclearn/art_greenclean.html
This is great! We just recently started seeing the effects of water damage in the ceiling due to a faulty/worn chimney liner. I will definitely use the tea tree until we can do the demolition and repair after the snow melts!
Where do you buy tea tree ??
Janice, I get my tea tree (melaleuca) from doTERRA. I’ve found that it is the MOST pure and potent due to their Certified Pure Therapeutic Grading. I LOVE using it for the shower, especially (add clove oils for an extra bang). We would get some nasty mold before I found it. I can also use the same melaleuca (tea tree) for my kids’ earaches, cuts/scrapes, colds, pink eye, etc. I can also take it internally because it’s so pure! Here is the website to order it http://www.mydoterra.com/oilsofhope. With this brand, you don’t have to use quite as much mixed with water and/or vinegar in a spray bottle because of it’s potency (1 drop per every 1-2 oz water). Hope that helps =)!
I couldn’t find any Tea Tree Oil on that link.
K Sue,
I saw your post about not being able to find Tea Tree Oil on the doTerra website. They list it under it’s other name of Melaleuca instead of it’s more common name of Tea Tree.
Hope you find it ok. It’s fabulous, and personally I love it for cleaning and so many other things.
Cindy
I use a mixture of both Tea Tree oil & Clove oil a few drops of each in a spray bottle & off I go it has worked really well, as I live in a very humid, wet enviroment even though my house has good air flow & sunlight, last year after a very wet season (summer) in SE Queensland for the first time in 20 years I had a mould problem & this certainly fixed it. Good Luck
Hi…do you have any ideas about how to get rid of the mold/mildew that is under the caulking around the tub…I have tried everything I can think of. Wondering if it will be necessary to replace caulking. It was already there when we moved in and it drives me crazy. Also what is the amount of peroxide you would use in the washer to clean a shower curtain. Thank you for your help.
Pamela Duffey
Pamela, I had the same situation with mold under the caucking. This is what worked like a charm for me…no scrubbing either. Take a cup of cotton balls and pour straight bleach over them. Let the cotton balls absord bleach completely. Put on rubber gloves and line the cotton balls along the edge where the mold is right next to each other. Leave them there for about an hour and half (longer if really bad) go back and remove cotton balls and voila… it will be bright white again.
Pamela, I had the same situation with mold under the caucking. This is what worked like a charm for me…no scrubbing either. Take a cup of cotton balls and pour straight bleach over them. Let the cotton balls absord bleach completely. Put on rubber gloves and line the cotton balls along the edge where the mold is right next to each other. Leave them there for about an hour and half (longer if really bad) go back and remove cotton balls and voila… it will be bright white again.
We have always had good luck with borax too, as far as mold as I too live in the pacific northwest. And before anyone flips out about it safety, read this. http://www.crunchybetty.com/getting-to-the-bottom-of-borax-is-it-safe-or-not
I read on a professional mold & mildew removing site that you should NEVER spray anything on mold or mildew since it scatters the spores that are water-proof in the first place. They said to take a hand towel, or paper towels and dip them into your solution and gently lay your cloth on top of where the mold is and swipe it to remove mold & spores without making your problems worse.
I’ve used this method and it has slowed down my mold growth in my bathroom. I think I’ll continue to use this method and then once I think its “clean” use the spray then..
I would like to subscribe to your blog. When I clicked the link at the end of this article, I was taken to something called FeedBurner on Google. I have a google email account, so I signed in. Then FeedBurner wanted me to sign in, there was no option for creating an account.
Is FeedBurner the only way to get you blog other than someone sharing an article on FB?
Sorry I am so computer illiterate
Not one mention of clove oil? This is a potent mould killer and you only need a few drops in a litre of water!
I too use clove oil in water, it’s very effective. I live in the tropics and it kills the inevitable mould off, easily! 10 drops to 500mls is what I use, using clove bud oil I bought quite cheaply at the local markets, $8 for a small container that seems to be lasting forever!
Pamela, I had the same situation with mold under the caucking. This is what worked like a charm for me…no scrubbing either. Take a cup of cotton balls and pour straight bleach over them. Let the cotton balls absord bleach completely. Put on rubber gloves and line the cotton balls along the edge where the mold is right next to each other. Leave them there for about an hour and half (longer if really bad) go back and remove cotton balls and voila… it will be bright white again.
What works well on outside mold? I have north facing brick stairs that don’t get the sun. I have used bleach in the past but want an effective alternative.
Yes, I would agree with Kim H about NOT SPRAYING your mold problem, especially an indoor problem as spraying will spread those nasty mold spores. I do love these ideas and especially since they are more natural than other chemicals was all use. Thanks so much! Tea Tree oil has a wonderful list of uses…great for your scalp also!
Great ideas, I will be trying them. Thanks!
Als, just a suggestion, but you should add a Google+ post to your options.
Great ideas, I will be trying them. Thanks!
Also, just a suggestion, but you should add a Google+ post to your options.
Please let me know if I can use the tea tree oil and water spray if I have cats? I was told that essential oils can harm cats.
where can you buy this products like the tea tree oils?
What should I use to clean the tile in my shower? Then after I clean spray with vinegar or tea tree oil? Or do you clean with the tea tree oil?
Can you put a few drops of tea tree oil in you vinegar?
Hi. Any ideas for cleaning fabric roman blinds of mould marks on the blackout lining?
Appreciate any help on this. Thanks