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The Best Natural Mold Cleaner Recipe
You might think the only way to banish mold growing in your bathroom shower is to break out the bleach. But that’s actually the last thing you want to do. Learn why you should never use bleach to kill mold and the natural mold cleaner recipe you should use instead.
The Dangers of Mold
Mold likes to grow in places where it’s warm, dark, and wet. That’s why you’ll often find it in bathrooms, kitchens, and basem*nts.
In addition to looking bad, mold is also very dangerous to have in your home. According to the CDC, mold exposure can lead to a stuffy nose, red or itchy eyes, wheezing, irritated skin, and other repository illnesses. For people with asthma or mold allergies, exposure can even lead to more serious reactions, including a fever and shortness of breath.
Since mold can cause so many health issues, it’s important to kill it as soon as you see it.
Why You Should Never Use Bleach to Kill Mold
When a lot of people see mold, they immediately reach for bleach to clean it up. After all, bleach kills pretty much everything, so it’s the best thing to get rid of mold, right? Unfortunately, no.
Not only does mold cause a variety of health issues, but bleach can also cause numerous problems. That’s why I use a homemade bleach alternative instead of real bleach when doing laundry.
First, exposure to bleach can cause nose, throat, eye, skin, and lung irritation. A study published in Occupational & Environmental Medicine also found that even passive exposure to bleach can give children a higher chance of respiratory illness and other infections.
Related: The Scary Toxins Hiding in Your Cleaning Products
If you have a septic tank, bleach can kill the beneficial bacteria you need to make the tank work properly. This is why you should use one of the best natural drain cleaners instead of chemical drain cleaners to clear clogged pipes.
Bleach can create dangerous and even deadly chemicals when mixed with other items. That’s why you should never mix bleach and these natural cleaning ingredients.
While all of these detriments are bad, the main reason why you should never use bleach to kill mold is because it simply does not work.
Bleach can only kill surface mold. However, mold grows deep roots on porous surfaces, such as wood, drywall, and tile grout. The chlorine in bleach can’t destroy the mold’s roots. While mold looks gone, it’s only bleached white.
Worse than that, bleach can actually contribute to mold growth. That’s because bleach contains 90% water. As we’ve already established, mold LOVES water. When you apply bleach, the chlorine quickly evaporates and leaves behind all that water.
Even though bleach can’t soak through porous surfaces, water will. And this gives mold all it needs to grow again and come back worse than before.
Testing the Best Natural Mold Cleaner Recipe
For the longest time, I struggled with mold in our master bathroom shower. Our bathroom doesn’t have a ventilation fan to help keep humidity down when the shower is on. We also live in Florida, so opening a window would simply let in MORE humidity.
When I started my journey toward a more sustainable life, I was determined to find a natural way to get rid mold that actually works. I scoured the internet, read a ton of articles, and tried countless natural mold cleaner recipes.
These are the natural mold cleaner remedies that worked best at eliminating mold in our bathroom shower.
1. White Vinegar
The natural mold cleaner recipe that I had the most success with contained a simple ingredient that you probably have in your kitchen right now: white vinegar.
While you should never use vinegar on certain items around the house since it can damage them, vinegar can clean a surprising number of things.
If you’re not sure what type of vinegar to use in your home, be sure to check out this guide on the best vinegar for natural cleaning.
Related: How to Make DIY Citrus-Infused Vinegar That Smells Amazing
I really shouldn’t have been amazed at how well vinegar kills mold. After all, it’s one of the main ingredients in this homemade tub and shower cleaner because it can remove mold and mildew, dissolve dirt and soap scum, and eliminate odors.
To Kill Mold: Pour distilled white vinegar into an empty glass spray bottle. Don’t dilute with water. Spray the vinegar onto the moldy surfaces, and let it sit for an hour. Afterwards, wipe the area clean with water.
2. Baking Soda
Baking soda is a mild natural cleaning product that’s safe for you, your family, and your pets. It’s also great at killing mold. That’s why it’s a main ingredient in this homemade soft scrub.
Not only does baking soda kill mold, but it also has drying properties that can absorb moisture and help prevent mold from growing.
To Kill Mold: Add a quarter tablespoon of baking soda to an 8-ounce glass spray bottle filled with water and shake until the baking soda dissolves. Spray the solution on the moldy areas and use a scrub brush to remove the mold. Rinse the area clean with water.
Spray the moldy area one last time with the solution and let it dry. This will kill any remaining mold and help prevent mold from returning.
3. Hydrogen Peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide is a natural cleaning product that can handle all types of messes. I absolutely love this homemade stain remover for clothes that uses hydrogen peroxide because it does a phenomenal job of removing every type of stain my husband and son manage to get on their clothes.
Plus, since this anti-fungal, antiviral, and antibacterial solution is so fizzy, it does a much better job at penetrating mold on bathroom walls than bleach.
To Kill Mold: Pour 3% concentration hydrogen peroxide into a glass spray bottle and saturate the moldy area. Let the solution sit for 10 minutes, and then use a scrub brush to remove the mold and mold stains.
Lastly, wipe the area clean with an organic cotton unpaper towel to remove any residual spores. Are you wondering why I only recommend cleaning with organic cotton unpaper towels? Then be sure to discover the important differences between microfiber and cotton.
4. Tea Tree Essential Oil
Tea tree oil is a natural essential oil that’s known for its anti-fungal and antibacterial properties. I often use it when I make these homemade toilet cleaning tablets because it can help clean and deodorize.
To Kill Mold: To use tea tree essential oil to kill mold, you must make sure it specifically states Melaleuca Alternifolia in its ingredients.
Add 1 teaspoon of tea tree oil and 1 cup of water in a glass spray bottle. Spray the solution on the moldy area and use a scrub brush to clean. Leave the solution on the wall so it can work to prevent mold from growing back.
5. Borax
Borax is a bit of a controversial mineral in the natural living world. I’m including it as a natural mold cleaner recipe so you can decide whether you want to use it.
While borax is a natural mineral, it can also be used as a pesticide. In fact, it’s one of the best ways to naturally get rid of ants. It doesn’t emit toxic chemicals or dangerous fumes like other products, but it is harmful if swallowed.
This is why I make my own homemade dishwasher detergent without borax. Since some brands of store-bought playdough also contain borax, it’s why I choose to make homemade natural playdough for my son.
To Kill Mold: Combine 1 gallon of water and 1 cup of borax into a pump sprayer. Spray the solution on the moldy area and use a scrub brush to remove the mold.
As the mold comes off, use an organic cotton unpaper towel to wipe it away. Allow the area to dry naturally. Don’t rinse the borax solution away since it can help prevent future mold from growing.
DIY Cleaning Products Recipe Cards and Labels
When I started to make the switch to natural cleaning products, I discovered one of the hardest parts was remembering how to make the different products. Each time I needed to make more, I had to pull out my laptop or phone, find the recipe, and gather up all of the ingredients. Then I was finally able to make my cleaning product.
I kept thinking about how nice it would be to have all of my recipes in one convenient spot. That’s why I created this DIY natural cleaning bundle!
This bundle includes 25 recipe cards and labels for DIY cleaning products that you can use to naturally clean every part of your house. It also includes a cheat sheet on natural cleaning ingredients you never want to mix together and a guide on my favorite essential oil cleaning blends.
Thanks to this bundle, you’ll have everything you need to get your house naturally clean without any of the hassles or headaches of trying to remember how to make your favorite cleaning products!
Kill Mold With a Natural Mold Cleaner Recipe
If you have mold in your house, you shouldn’t turn to bleach to make it go away. Instead, you can banish it quickly and completely when you use a natural mold cleaner recipe. Choose one of these top options to kill mold and protect the health of your family.
More Excellent Eco-Friendly Cleaning Tips
Now that you know the best natural mold cleaner recipe, are you ready to get your entire house naturally clean? Then be sure to check out some of our other popular eco-friendly cleaning posts:
- DIY Disinfectant Spray
- Homemade All-Purpose Cleaner
- Homemade Tile Floor Cleaner
- DIY Soap Nut Liquid Laundry Detergent
