Cost-effective and clean-effective products that kill mold
Mold could grow anywhere in the home – on bathroom walls and floors, in the kitchen, on windows and doors, and children’s toys. You will find mold loves basement walls, where the warm, damp conditions are ideal for the spores to multiply faster than rabbits. Knowing how to identify mold on walls is the first step to eliminating it. In this article, you’ll learn how to use household products to eliminate mold. You’ll also find which product you should keep on hand for emergency mold clean-up.
Four household products that kill mold
If your mold problem is extensive, or it constantly returns, you’ll need to call in the professionals. Porter’s Cleaning specializes in helping New Jersey residents detect the source of a mold problem, and eliminate mold that normal household cleaning can’t kill off.
Before calling in the pros, you could try one of these four household products to tackle your newly discovered mold. Often, they will do the trick.
1. Bleach
For a non-porous surface like tiles, mix a ¼ cup of household bleach in 1 gallon of hot water. Then:
- Pour into a spray bottle and spray the infected area
- Leave for a few minutes, and then use hot water to wipe the area clean
- Bag the cloths or paper towels that you use, and throw away
Whatever you do, don’t mix bleach with vinegar or ammonia – the fumes created are toxic.
2. White vinegar
White vinegar is also a good household product to use to kill mold:
- Mix in the ratio of 4 parts of vinegar to 1 part water
- Spray onto the affected surface
- Leave until dry
- Rinse with clean water, and wipe away
- Dispose of the cloths safely, as when using bleach
The downside of using vinegar is the strong smell it can leave behind. To get rid of this, open windows and allow air to circulate. Burning scented candles and using air freshener only masks the vinegar odor.
3. Tea tree oil
Tea tree oil can also be used to get rid of mold, too:
- Mix 1 tablespoon of tea tree oil with 1 cup of water
- Spray onto the mold
- Allow to dry
- Rinse and wipe
- Dispose of the cloths as before
- Mix ¼ of a tablespoon of baking soda into a 1-liter spray bottle of water
- Spray the moldy surface
- Scrub and rinse
4. Baking soda
An extra tip here is that baking soda can also be used to clean mold from carpets.
Hydrogen peroxide – your emergency mold eliminator
Hydrogen peroxide is one of the best products to use on small mold infections. It’s cheap and effective. It’s anti-bacterial and anti-fungal – which is why it’s used on cuts and grazes. This means it doesn’t only clean mold away, but also helps to keep further growth at bay.
Keep a spray bottle of hydrogen peroxide handy. If you notice a mold spot, follow this easy procedure:
- Spray the mold
- Leave for 10 minutes
- Scrub, rinse, and wipe dry
- Dispose of the cloth or paper towel you used to clean the surface of mold by placing it in a tied disposal bag
These four household products, used as outlined above, should be enough to eliminate most mold infections when they first appear. However, if the mold returns, you may have a more serious problem. Mold thrives in warm, damp conditions. Mold that reappears could be a sign that you have a leak, or that mold spores are growing behind your wall or in other hidden places.
If you have a mold problem that you can’t eliminate in NJ, contact Porter’s Cleaning. We’re the kill and cure experts!