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After finding some mold on the window sills, I decided to research how to get rid of mold naturally and try out all the natural methods to see what worked.
This past week I was helping my brother clean an apartment he just moved into and when I was moving furniture, I noticed that one of the window sills in a bedroom had some discoloration on it. At first, I wasn’t sure what it was and began to just wipe it with a cloth. But, then I realized it wasn’t coming off, so I shined a bright light on it and realized it was mold! Yuck! Mold can be toxic, something that you don’t want to be near, touch or breath in!
Dangers of Mold
Health problems from mold exposure are becoming more well known. One problem with being exposed to mold is that many people suffer with symptoms and they never find out that it’s due to the mold. Often times many are unaware of the health implications surrounding mold exposure. Symptoms can range from runny nose, headaches, rashes, fatigue, depression and memory problems to more serious health problems such as respiratory or neurological conditions. Mold exposure has been found to be associated with pulmonary fibrosis, which is scaring of the lungs. Exposure to mold is also particularly harmful for those with lung cancer as it can exacerbate respiratory function. This why it is important to remove mold in your home as soon as possible when you find it. When I first came across mold in my home, I decided to try some of these suggestions for how to get rid of mold naturally before using chemicals.
Non-toxic Solutions to Get Rid of Mold Naturally
I wanted to find out how to get rid of mold naturally and I didn’t want to use anything toxic that I may breathe or get on my skin, so I started looking up some natural options for removing mold. I found three main options that sounded good. One was using essential oils such as tea tree oil and the other ones were using vinegar or hydrogen peroxide. I like using all of these options because not only are they very effective in getting rid of mold, but they are natural ingredients I am comfortable with using. Of course there is the option of using bleach and many people say they have good results with it. That is definitely a good option to consider if needed. However, I was hoping that I wouldn’t have to use bleach and one of these natural methods might work.
3 Methods for How to Get Rid of Mold Naturally:
1. Tea Tree Oil Mixture
Mix about 10 drops tea tree essential oil or a teaspoon with a cup of water. Put the mixture in a spray bottle (I use this small glass one). Spray the tea tree oil mixture on to mold or dampen mold with a cloth if no spray bottle is available. Leave on for a few hours or overnight to kill mold. Once this is done, scrub area with solution to remove any mold and spray again. Leave on surface to prevent mold from coming back. Optional: Finish by wiping area with baking soda.
How does this work?
Tea tree oil has been found to be a very effective mold killer, it is anti-fungal, anti-microbial and anti-bacterial. It’s powerful anti-fungal and antimicrobial properties help kill the mold.
2. Vinegar
Use vinegar straight from bottle, spray on and scrub or apply with cloth. Use the baking soda mixture (below) to finish the job. This helps make sure you get all the mold. It also prevents mold from returning.
How does this work?
The pH of vinegar is around 2.5 and because it is acidic, it breaks up the structure of the mold.
3. Hydrogen Peroxide Mixture
Mix one teaspoon of hydrogen peroxide with one cup of water, put in a spray bottle or wet cloth with it and wipe on mold. Let the hydrogen peroxide stay on the surface for ten minutes or so. Wipe off with more hydrogen peroxide then use baking soda mixture to kill any remaining mold and help prevent more from returning.
How does this work?
The hydrogen peroxide releases oxygen, which breaks up the mold by oxidizing it’s surface. Hydrogen peroxide also has anti-fungal properties, which help eliminate the mold. Several studies have found it effective for killing fungi.
Bonus Baking Soda Finish:
When you’re done using any of these solutions for how to remove mold naturally, you may want to finish up with baking soda, a natural disinfectant. Spray the area with a mixture of 1/2 tsp baking soda and a cup of water. Scrub the area clean and rinse with water. If you use vinegar or hydrogen peroxide then finish with baking soda you’ll be sure to get all the mold with this double attack on it!
*To prevent mold from returning use a dehumidifier or try to reduce dampness in your room. I’ve been trying to prevent mold in my basement during the summertime when it is really humid and using a powerful dehumidifier has really helped. Dehumidifiers are really effective for preventing mold from forming.
Do These Natural Solutions Really Work? – My Results with Each
Tea Tree Oil
- I tried the tea tree essential oil first and I was very happy with it as this killed the mold right away. The only drawback to using this is it can be a little expensive although a few drops does quite a good area. Tea tree oil does have a strong smell that you have to get used to, but the smell will go away in an hour or so.
Vinegar
- I found that vinegar is also good and it is less expensive. It is antimicrobial and will kill mold. If you’re not a fan of the smell you can add some essential oils to it to leave a more pleasing scent. Studies have found that vinegar (straight 5%) kills 82 percent of mold. So, this is my favorite solution for how to remove mold naturally! When you finish with baking soda this is a great way to make sure you’ll get all the mold.
Hydrogen Peroxide
- This is a good option and it is a common household item that you may already have in your bathroom cabinet. It is anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and anti-viral. I like to use the baking soda scrub after using all these methods as it will be sure to get any leftover mold.
What would be the best thing for black mold on plywood?
You can use all of these on plywood. I would use a rough bristle brush when scrubbing to make sure you get in the grain of the wood.
What are you using to scrub the Vinegar sprayed areas & then the baking soda areas?
Tx
I usually use a thick bristle cleaning brush for removing mold on wood and tough to remove spots. For my basement wall, I used paper towels and a rough sponge.
Where do you find zeolite
There are probably numerous sources for Zeolite. I have used ZeoForce by Health Force, but only to cleanse heavy metals from the body (taken internally), not to kill mold — maybe that is the next experiment.
I would STRONGLY encourage everyone to check out ZEOLITE, this is a volcanic rock that ABSORBS molds and heavy metals from EVERYTHING, nothing can block it, nothing. I would strongly encourage EVERYONE to place zeolite under your beds, in every room of your house especially your spice and baking drawers, under your pets bed, in your car, in your refrigerator as it absorbs the crap out of your FOOD including the freezer. How is it that no one knows about this gift from our Creator? EVERY SINGLE MOTHER SHOULD KNOW THIS.
My garden I place zeolite on top of the soil so my fruit does not mold, ALL FOODS MOLD think about the foods coming in via trucks…2 to 3 days is all it takes to grow spores. This is the truth. Mycotoxin – mold spores are the bullets – water is the gun. They are on tattoos, piercings, concrete, if a house is sealed because of water damage, you go back months later, EVERYTHING in the house is dead, all bugs including the cockroach. Zeolite should be in EVERY SINGLE HOME, every single child should have it on them.
I wear shungite (volcanic stone) as it alters the bad frequencies, there are negative ion bracelets that puts a shield around your body it surges the body, a indoor waterfall spews negative ions, I have one in our main rooms, it is one of the best things ANYONE could do for the ones they love. I like to think that waterfalls are kisses to the earth.
I refuse to be a victim, don’t you?
I’ve never heard of that before. Interesting though. I will research more into it.
Deborah, where did you get your Zeolite? Which brand did you get and where can I buy it?
Kind regards
Arvid
My bathroom sink has black mold in the pipes..I can smell it. How do I get rid of it since I can’t scrub it??
Inside the pipes or on the outside of the pipes?
Can I use these on a mattress
Yes, you can use these tips for how to get rid of mold naturally on beds and furniture.
mold has to be removed from any porous material. it cannot be killed. you are only removing the stain. it will come back. wood, drywall, paint, fabric.. All mentioned above will clean mold off hard surfaces. metal, gkass, tile, formica ,.non porous
This is true. If you have mold all over your walls , it is more than likely in your drywall and that must be removes. There is some green stain that is sold at Home Depot to paint on to your beams to stop it. Or you would have to rebuild your whole house. They do sell paint called Killz most places. I’m not sure if it’s used to seal mold in or prevent future mold. Mold is very toxic so a pair of rubber gloves and a filter mask is a good idea when cleaning. Someone mentioned not directly spraying mold and that is a good point. I’m not sure but it makes a lot of sense. I’m curious if rubbing something
like athletes foot cream would work.
Well I hope & 🙏 pray if anyone has a mold issue or issues of any kind in their home they will please read my reply. I am no expert by no means. But I do know that I suffer from Sarcoidosis and also sever asthmatic. I was diagnosed in 2008 when a Dr. from a ER called me back to the hospital not long after I had got back home (about a 45-hour drive one way) and he ask me if I could please come back to the hospital to redue a test. I told him sure I would try in the next few days. He told me no I needed to come back that day if at all possible. He understood I was so very sick & didn’t feel like the ride again. But he was almost to what I felt for a Dr. begging, and I said we would be back before his shift was over. We were roomed as soon as we arrived in a ER room. The Dr. Came right in. He apologized to me for having to tell me what he did to get me back up there. He said “Ms. D. Your lympnodes are swollen ALL THROUGH your body, severly. I’m going to get you to a Pulmonologist STAT” Of course I feared the worst. I seen her very soon seems like the first of the next week. They wanted to make sure it wasn’t lymphoma. Dr. K. diagnosed me with Sarcoidosis & a severe Asthmatic. If you know what it’s like to have asthma, then you know what it’s like to…umm. loose your breath. But if you’ve got Sarcoidosis & severe asthma on top of it, I will have you in my prayers. It’s a incurable disease and it has it’s stages also. Mold will speed up your life expectancy of 10 yrs. My home was flooded by a hot water tank 6/2017 my insurance company hired P.D.M.R. in Oklahoma and I begged and pleaded the supervisor of the job to please don’t cut any corners please don’t miss any nook or cranny. This is my life and I will die. I will not be able to live in my home. It is 12/2018 I’m in a lawsuit now with this mediation/restoration co. and my home is not livable at all. I’m not able to go on the porch it’s too close to the mold. I start locking up and cant breath. And they 1st tried sueing me for Breach of contract and I had never signed it. They forged my name. But then I was finally blessed and a Attorney took my case and they want to sue me for fraud. But the point is MOLD CAN NOT BE CLEANED UP OR SPAYED TO KILL IT I DON’T CARE IF YOU BRING SOMETHING FROM MARS LIKE A ACID. MOLD HAS TO BE REMOVED! Blessings to All.
Great thread!!! I’m in Oz too…and yeah, clove oil is tops 👍 Run my own cleaning business and only use essential oiIs to clean. Clean off the mould with vinegar and tea tree…then when it’s dry, just spritz it lightly with a spray bottle of water and a few drops of clove oil. Then leave it to dry….but make sure it’s a very light spray.
That’s great!
Excellent thread,many thanks Lori and others.
What about clove oil?My sister in Oz swears by it and I must ask her exactly what % and name of other ingredient,the name of which escapes me at the moment.
Cheapo supermarket vinegar here in UK is brown and sticky,but a mate orders gallon plastic containers(careful,I`ve found vinegar will eat through some plastics), of white vinegar to use as a weed killer along with salt and Ecover washing up liquid.I will purchase some of that vinegar,I believe it`s from a company that serves the Chinese restaurant chains?
I live in an ancient cottage and really need to get on top of the mold as it`s already impacting on my health.
I haven’t tried clove oil myself. Let us know how it works if you give a try.
Bleach is often mistaken as the best warrior against mold, but it won’t go deep into the wood to prevent mold growth. Disinfectants can kill molds but do not prevent new growth on damp wood or other materials. Many people are beginning to understand that bleach and other chemicals are harmful, even aggravating asthma and the respiratory tract. Its full negative impact on the environment is not fully known.
Mold and mildew are natural byproducts of summer. That doesn’t mean that you want to share your house with the spores, however. Rather than turning to harsh chemicals, such as bleach or borax, to banish mold, there are eco-friendly, natural ways to kill mold at home that won’t hurt your family, pets or the environment.
Interesting. Thanks for sharing!
A great way to make your vinegar stronger and less smelly is to add some zest from lemon or oranges. It will add citric acid and make the smell go away. For the best results put the rind in the vinegar about 2 to 4 weeks then take the zest out. This cleaner is amazing.
Great suggestion!
Regularly cleaning your home with vinegar helps to prevent mold growing.
You can mop your floor with vinegar each week. Regularly rinsing your bathroom walls with vinegar is also good. Vinegar is also effective for cleaning the kitchen.
If you have a spray bottle of vinegar in the bathroom you can prevent mold by using it every now and again after a shower. Spray the shower curtain, walls, tiles, basin and bathtub after you finish showering.
Regularly cleaning your home with vinegar helps to prevent mold growing. You can mop your floor with vinegar each week. Regularly rinsing your bathroom walls with vinegar is also good. Vinegar is also effective for cleaning the kitchen. If you have a spray bottle of vinegar in the bathroom you can prevent mold by using it every now and again after a shower. Spray the shower curtain, walls, tiles, basin and bathtub after you finish showering.
The main problem I have with mold is in the caulk around the shower against the stainless steel glass door frame, and around the sink.. Do you need to rinse the vinegar off once you spray these areas down? Will the vinegar corrode the stainless steel if left on too long?
I also have a problem with old aluminum window frames that have mold in the tracks . How long should the vinegar be left on aluminum? Does it corrode the metal if left too long?
When using baking soda, do you make it into a paste before using it to scrub areas with, or do you use the baking soda dry?
Thanks for the info.
Vinegar works excellent to clean up small mold patches in the bathroom. Haven’t tried tea tree oil, though read many people claiming that it keeps the mold from coming back for many months.
Yes, vinegar is great 🙂
I have a daughter who lives in an apartment that has mold growing right outside the AV air ducts. How do we get the air ducts cleaned? The owners are a large corporation and all they did was paint over the old with kilz (sp?). She’s been unable to reach anybody who is willing to help because she isn’t the owner of the property. (I’ve used hot soapy water with about 1/3 white vinegar on mold growing in my house and scrubbed all of it off over a year ago and it still hasn’t come back!). So we know how to remove it from the walls, But how do we get it out of the ducts ? And how do we get the pros to return ou r calls?
Is there any way to be able to reach in to clean it yourself? Sorry, it’s hard for me to picture what it looks like.
Will the baking soda also take the mold discoloration out of bathroom and window grout?
Yes, it should remove all signs of the mold.
I have mold spots on my bathroom ceiling. We are in the process of redoing some of the paint in there and want to paint the ceiling, but I wanted to kill the mold first. I sprayed straight vinegar on there then left it for about 5 minutes then wiped with a rag, it lightened the spots but did not competely remove them. How long should I be leaving it on? Do I need to be scrubbing hard with a scrubber? Same with the baking soda? How long? Will the spots be completely gone?
The mold was completely removed for me. I would get more aggressive and scrub hard with the baking soda until it’s completely gone.
I have had incredible success with cinnamon oil! It works very well and supposedly kills the mold spores as well as the mold. I put it in a spray bottle with water and spray the whole RV. When we got the RV it was LOADED with mold but since I have done that, I haven’t had a problem. I tried tea tree oil first but didn’t feel it did the job very well. The mold kept coming back. But I haven’t had to respray the cinnamon in a very long time. 🙂 Kim
Wow, that’s great! I’ll have to try that sometime.
Kim,
On the Cinnamon Oil Solution could you give a ratio of oil to water, please. I have an RV that also needs tending to. Thanks.
Kim, what was your cinnamon oil : water ratio?
What’s the ratio Kim?
How would you use these to get rid of the mold and smell in the basement carpet. My basement flooded a littleit and I sucked it all up but the carpet stayed damp for a week and now I have this awful smell.
Hmm..carpet is tough. Maybe trying the vinegar, using a towel to dry it up, and having good ventilation, using a fan or opening the windows and doors. Or using a dehumidifier. I haven’t had any on carpet before so these are just guesses 🙂
Thanks for the article, I will definitley try out some of these things to get rid of the mold in my house. For several months I just had a slight cough, I didn’t think much of it at first, but when it didn’t stop I went to the doctor. After a while of taking medicine with no results, I decided to look for other causations, turns out there is mold behind my walls.
Hope they work for you!
How do you think a spray mixture of vinegar and baking soda would work to get rid of the mold?
I think that would work. Let us know if you give it a try.
Mixing an the vinegar, an acid with baking soda, an alkali will neutralize them both. It’s best to use one then the other
I plan on using your instructions today. My daughter has mold all over her bathroom walls and ceiling and small, stubborn mold stains along the caulk around her tub. I’ve got one heck of a project ahead of me. I plan on using a mixture of 1 part white distilled vinegar, 1 part 3% hydrogen peroxide, AND about 1 tsp of tea tree. I’ve got my fingers crossed. Will post my results. Oh, and thanks for this great info.
Hope it works for her 🙂
I to get mold i use a dehumidifer i put plastic onmy windows for the winter but still get mold on them under the plastic i have to put plastic on windows to keep out the cold but will try all these again and see if it works
Hope they work for you!
I would of never known you could use baking soda after, I really need to try that, we have a icky mold spot in the basement, that i keep spraying with vinegar and tea tree, but it just isn’t going away all the way.
The baking soda really helped to get rid of the tough to remove spots for me. 🙂
Try using a lemon, cut in half , rub on area that keeps coming back. Squeeze the juice out of the lemon on the area and let set for sometime. Take a clean steal wool scrub with baking soda, let dry. Wipe with clean cloth. Take normally three to four days to dry out.
Lori, I’ve had pretty good experience getting mold and mold stains out of fabrics using Buttermilk. Not sure why it works, but it does. We had a flood and some of the clothes set too long in containers and developed mold. Soaking them in a water/buttermilk bath really got them clean again.
How much buttermilk to water ratio?
That’s great! I haven’t heard of using buttermilk. I’ll have to give that a try, thanks for sharing!
It most likely works because of the vinegar in the buttermilk.
You can also use lemon juice and baking soda made into a paste then brush onto clothes . It works great on towels that have molded, rub it on then wash in warm to hot water. Hang out in direct sunlight!! It helps to kill the mold.
Thank you for these instructions. I will be using the vinegar for sure! We had some wood removed from our roof that had mold on it. The roof had been leaking for a while. I showed the mold guy our window gaskets which have mold on them, too. He said to never spray the mold since it will automatically open the spores and spread through the air. The safest way is to spray a cloth and then wipe the surface down.
Hope it works for you!
Lori-
I intend to store a counter-top humidifier for the off-season and have never reopened the unit for use and found mold, despite wrapping it in plastic in its original packing over the off-season. I clean it with Clorox clean-up spray and rinse it well during use, and often (weekly to every other week!), and cleaned it the same way before I intend to re-pack/store it, and I let it dry out completely. Is there ANY safe, proper, natural mold-preventative method to put in the box/unit whilst storing it, please? Thanks. JJ
Clorox clean-up – is made up of mostly bleach. Bleach does not kill the mold. This is a myth. What bleach does is to literally bleach the color of the mold, making it hard to see after the mold has been sprayed and it dries. Unfortunately the mold is still there. That’s why you may notice the mold comes right back in most cases in the same exact place. Again, bleach is not effect on mold.
Try Pure Non-Scents charcoal. It removes moisture . You can get it from Buy Activated charcoal.com
I saw a pin on Pinterest some time back that also recommended using tea tree oil on mold/mildew, but it didn’t have as detailed instructions as you’ve provided. This is probably why I haven’t had any luck in my bathroom (lol!). You mentioned you like to use all 3 options. Do you mean on the same area? If so, how do you space each treatment apart?
Most of the mold came off the window with the tea tree oil, but for a few stubborn spots I used the vinegar right after the tea tree oil mixture and then lastly used the baking soda to scrub it. So, I do use them all on the same spots but, for the most part, the tea tree oil mixture removes almost all of the mold. 🙂
You can also use Young Living Thieves household cleaner. Works on black mold too! 🙂
Borax works amazingly for me
I used a trial area of borax and baking soda. The borax treated area had even better results. I did this a few years ago and the borax treated area is still almost mould free, whilst the area I treated with baking soda has some mould on it again. However both are better than vinegar only or clove oil, and much better than using bleach. I tested it all out, as there is so much conflicting information out there. Must add, that I live in a humid tropical climate in the rain forest.
Frank, what was the formula for borax/soda/water mixture, if you don’t mind. Thanks
It was borax water ratio 1 cup borax to 1 gallon of water. The baking soda you had to make as a paste scrub after treatment with borax. using gloves, sponge or cloth and mask. Scrubbing left over mold.
Hi Frank,
Great imformation!!!
How much of the ingredient did you used, and is it safe to use on carpet?
Thank you much
Cora
how exactly did you use the borax? did you wipe it off or rinse?
I recently had a bad build up of mildew on my bathroom ceiling. Previously we had tried terrible concoctions of ammonia cleaner/ bleach and the like which left us all feeling rather ill!
This time I used vinegar and a few drops of Tea tree Oil in a spray bottle, left it for 2 hours and VOILA it wiped off so easily I was actually amazed! Its been two months since and not a spot of mildew has returned. It truly works.
Yikes, Helen! You’re very lucky you weren’t seriously injured. Chlorine and ammonia form a deadly gas when mixed together…the mixture was actually used for chemical warfare during WWI. Yet another reason to stick to natural cleaners!!!
Yay, that’s amazing that vinegar and tea tree oil worked! It’s such a relief to know that the natural methods work even better than the harmful chemical ones. 🙂
Do these work on carpet and upholstery in a car that was in a flood?
It should help. I’ve used them on my carpet.
NEVER mix ammonia and bleach..makes a toxic gas..
Mold got into all vents in my home. This was due to incorrect heat air installment. I had to call the pros to eliminate it. All items removed from my home and being away while my floors and walls replaced. Being wide awake in the middle of a nightmare is no cup of tea.
ammonia and chlorine bleach create phosgene gas. Breathing phosgene gas will cause your lungs to fill with water causing you to essentially drown.
Another way of making sure it doesnt return in some cases cut it all out and dispose of it in the right garbage bags.