Mold is a sneaky home invader. You may have it growing in your home and not even realize it. But when you do discover it, how do you get rid of it? Today we have tips for cleaning mold, and they don’t involve harsh chemicals like bleach.
Tips For Cleaning Mold
Why Not Bleach?
There are appropriate times to use bleach at home. But overall, bleach is incredibly harsh. Just breathing in the fumes is bad for your health. If you ever do need to kill mold spores with bleach, you should be extra careful and never use it full strength. And always make sure you have plenty of ventilation!
Tips For Cleaning Mold With Vinegar
This may be a surprise, but vinegar is actually more effective at killing mold than bleach on porous materials! Bleach only kills mold spores on the surface, but vinegar seeps inside and kills mold from the roots. By killing mold at the roots, there is less chance that the mold will return later.
Follow these tips to kill mold with vinegar:
- Wear protective gloves and a mask while working with straight vinegar.
- Fill a spray bottle with vinegar and nothing else.
- Spray mold with the vinegar.
- Allow the vinegar to soak for at least one hour.
- After soaking time, use a scrub brush to loosen mold from the surface.
- Rinse the area thoroughly with warm water.
- Spray the area once more with vinegar, then allow it to dry undisturbed. This ensures all the mold is killed.
Extra Tips For Cleaning Mold
For a really moldy area, add the power of baking soda to the vinegar. After spraying and soaking the area with vinegar, make a baking soda paste and apply it to the moldy surface. Baking soda helps loosen mold and also helps to kill mold spores.
These tips for cleaning mold are effective at cleaning small areas. If you notice a large area of mold inside your home, you are better off to call a specialist to help you. Visit Home Advisor for help locating a specialist near you.
