It really is possible to get rid of mold in our homes without resorting to toxic chlorine bleach and all the health risks that come with it.
And in this guide to bleach free mold removers, I’ll take you through the 8 best natural mold removers PLUS how to use them to get rid of mold on key problem areas including :
I’ll also share simple tips that help prevent mold growing in our homes in the first place.
WARNING : Mold can have serious health risks. Always act promptly to get rid of it. Seek professional help for severe mold problems.
Health Risks Of Bleach
Bleach can be used to get rid of surface mold on hard surfaces but there are significant safety risks from cleaning with bleach including :
- Asthma & respiratory problems
- Skin allergies
- Headaches & migraines
- PLUS the danger of severe burns and poisoning for kids or pets stumbling upon it.
What is more, we don’t need to use bleach for cleaning toilets, scrubbing ovens, lifting stains or clearing mold because there are much less toxic natural cleaners and plenty of these work as natural mold removers.
Natural Mold Removers
The best natural mold removers to get rid of mold on fabrics, walls, grout, shower curtains and washing machines easily and effectively are :
- Ventilation
- Hot Washes
- Sunlight
- Baking Soda (Bicarb)
- Tea Tree Oil
- Vinegar
- Lemon Juice
- Hydrogen Peroxide
Different mold removers work best in different situations, so I’ll take you through the basics of these mold removers and then how to use them on fabric, bathrooms, walls, grout and washing machines.
Ventilation
Many of our homes suffer with mold in bathrooms and on walls because they just can’t cope with the moisture in modern homes from :
- Power showers
- Washing machines
- Dish washers
- Big stoves
Even fancy fans often fail to expel the damp, especially if like me you live – hello London! – in a soggy climate.
So if you have mold in bathrooms or on any walls in your home or under window sills, the first thing to do is by a cheap basic hygrometer that can measure humidity levels.
Hygrometers
Use your hygrometer to make sure the humidity level comes down as you get the whole family to stick to the simple ventilation regime below. It is generally believed that the ideal humidity level in our homes is 40-60% but if your home has been prone to mold, keeping it below 50% can prevent recurrent mold.
Simple Ventilation Regime
Open a small window :
- Whilst cooking on stove
- For 15 minutes after cooking
- For 15 minutes after shower
- After laundry, leaving washing machine door open
- At the top of your home, if multi-storey, for 15 minutes daily.
I cleared wall mold under windows in my living room and bedrooms with this simple ventilation regime PLUS my cheap hygrometer.
I know opening windows in cooler weather has become a no-no whilst we are trying to save energy but like everything it is a balancing act.
Hot Wash
Hot washes at 140f / 60c are another great natural way to kill mold.
Many of us have switched to low temperatures to save energy on laundry but regular hot washes are key for staying on top of :
- Fungal problems : mold, dandruff, athlete’s foot, ringworm
- Bug eggs : nits, pinworm, moths.
A hot wash is the quickest, most reliable way to get rid of mold on any fabrics that can handle the temperature without damage.
Sunlight
The next simple mold remover is sunlight. It is a god-send for getting mold out of delicate fabrics that can’t go in a hot wash. Simply hang or lay out fabrics in direct bright sunlight to kill off the mold spore.
Baking Soda
Baking soda – also known as bicarbonate of soda – is a gentle but effective natural mold remover that can be used safely on most surfaces including fabrics and walls.
It is very helpful for getting rid of mold on grout as you can mix it into a paste with water or dish soap that will dry on top of the mold to kill it and can then be wiped off.
Tea Tree Oil
Tea tree oil is a potent way to treat all sorts of fungal infections from mold on grout to dandruff and athlete’s foot. You don’t need much to clear the mold and it mixes well with baking soda and vinegar.
I am not generally a big fan of essential oils – especially those big sets! – but I do always keep tea tree oil from a local supplier in stock.
Vinegar
Basic white cleaning vinegar is one of the best quick ways to get rid of mold on many fabrics, grout and washing machines. This quick DIY shower cleaner with vinegar is a great way to stop mold building up.
If like me you are in the UK, Yorkshire based Minml have a refill scheme for high quality cleaning vinegar.
Lemon Juice
Lemon juice, as an acid, can be used as a natural mold remover. It is not as powerful as vinegar but is very useful for getting rid of mold on more delicate fabrics and combined with vinegar in the bathroom.
You can combine lemon juice with salt to make a paste to apply to fabrics and grout.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide can be used as natural mold remover on fabrics and in bathrooms. It is not typically as effective as vinegar but isn’t as strong smelling so can be useful in tackling the first signs of mold.
You can buy different strengths of hydrogen peroxide in brown bottles. The standard 3% strength can be used to get rid of mold. Alternatively, you can use sodium percarbonate – a powdered form of hydrogen peroxide – which is useful for all sorts of natural laundry hacks including set in blood stains.
How To Get Rid Of Mold
It is always much easier to get rid of mold if we catch it early, so at the first sight of any mold use these simple tips to get rid of it fast onqqaqa :
WARNING : Always wear disposable gloves when cleaning mold and consider wearing goggles and a mask.
Removing Mold From Fabrics
It is tempting to ditch any fabrics with mold on them, but it is often possible to shift mold in fabrics. We just need to be sure to use the right mold remove for the right fabric :
Mold In Cotton
Hot wash 100% cotton fabrics that won’t shrink, e.g. towels, tea towels, bed linen, on 60c/140f to lift mold fast without soaking or scrubbing.
Mold should not survive a 60c hot wash but you can wash tea towels at 90c/194f to be sure the mold is gone.
Mold In Mixed Fabrics
Synthetic fabrics and cotton mixes won’t handle a hot wash and 30-40c/86-104f won’t kill mold.
So you need to spot test and then spray mixed fabrics with either :
- Vinegar : half a cup of vinegar and half a cup of water.
- Tea Tree Oil : 8 drops of tea tree oil added to a cup of water.
- Hydrogen Peroxide : 1 spoon of hydrogen peroxide to 4 of water.
Alternatively cover with a paste of :
- Baking Soda : 1 tablespoon mixed with 2 teaspoons of dish soap
- Lemon Juice : 1 tablespoon mixed with 1 tablespoon of salt.
Leave the fabric to soak for an hour, then rinse, wash and dry.
Mold In Delicate Fabrics
The best quick way to remove mold from delicate fabrics like silk, chiffon, lace, sheers and some synthetics that cannot be hot washed at heat is to hang them outside in direct sunlight for at least 2 hours.
If that’s not an option cover with a paste of baking soda and dish soap – as for mixed fabrics above – and leave for an hour before rinsing.
Failing that you can try vinegar, lemon juice or hydrogen peroxide – as for mixed fabrics – which used occasionally to remove mold should should not damage delicate fabrics. BUT carefully spot test first and don’t leave to soak for more than an hour.
Tea tree oil will remove mold from delicate fabrics but can leave oil stains so is best avoided.
Mold In Swimming Costumes
Soggy swimming costumes lurking in swim bags or dumped in the laundry are just asking for mold!!
But you can get rid of the mold with a half and half mix of white vinegar and water PLUS lemon juice. Either spray the swimming costume or soak it in the mixture in a bucket for 1 hour before washing out.
Soaking swimming costumes in vinegar can also help to prevent colours fading.
Mold In Upholstery
Mold from walls can spread onto curtains and other upholstery.
If at all possible get curtains or furniture out in direct sunlight to kill mold. But if that is not option :
- Spray or soak washable curtains and removable covers for an hour with vinegar or tea tree oil before washing as we did mixed fabrics.
- OR press in a thin paste of baking soda and water or baking soda and castile soap and rub off after an hour. You may need to reapply a few times to get through the mold.
Mold In Bathrooms
Modern bathrooms with power showers and poor ventilation are always going to struggle with mold. So we need to tackle problem areas thoroughly but also keep on top of the mold routinely week in – week out as quickly as we can.
The easiest way to get rid of mold all over the bathroom is this simple DIY shower cleaner which is basically just vinegar, dish soap and lemon juice. Simply spray it all over and leave for 15 minutes before splashing and wiping off.
Do this once a week or at least a fortnight to stay on top of mold easily before it gets established.
But to tackle established mold in problem areas use these quick tips:
- Grout
- Shower Curtains
Mold On Grout
Initial growths of mold on grout can be easily wiped off with the DIY shower cleaner so don’t put it off!!
To clear established grout mold :
- Mix 3-4 tablespoons of baking soda into a soft but not runny paste
- With a half to 1 tablespoons of dish soap or castile soap
- PLUS 8 drops of tea tree oil*
- Rub thickly into grout with old tooth or nail brush
- Ensure mold is all covered
- Leave the baking soda paste on for at least an hour and up to 12
- Rub and wipe away.
*The tea tree oil is not essential but as mentioned it is a very useful anti-fungal for all sorts of infections from dandruff to athlete’s foot!
If you don’t have baking soda, you can make a paste instead with:
- Lemon juice and salt
- OR sodium percarbonate (hydrogen peroxide in a powder form) and dish soap.
Mold On Shower Curtains
To shift mold on shower curtains use either vinegar or baking soda:
- Vinegar : soak shower curtain in 1 cup of vinegar / 1 cup of water for 1 hour before washing.
- Baking Soda : mix 2-3 tablespoons of baking soda with 1/2 tablespoon of dish or castile soap and rub all over shower curtain, leave for at least an hour but all day or over night if you like and then rinse well before washing.
Removing Mold From Walls
Mold on walls often builds up due to poor ventilation, leaking gutters or roofing issues. To get rid of the mold for good it is essential to tackle the underlying problem.
Do use a hygrometer to check on excess humidity and look out for small leaks. The mold above was caused by a dripping connection from the washing machine on the other side of the wall.
You can remove mold on walls quickly and easily with natural mold removers. All you need to do is :
- Mix into a paste in a bowl :
- 5-10 tablespoons of baking soda
- 1-2 tablespoon of dish soap or ideally castile soap (less bubbly)
- 12 drops of tea tree oil*
- The paste needs to be soft enough to stay on the wall but not runny.
- Spread paste thickly over mold.
- Leave paste on wall for at least an hour and up to 24 hours.
- Wipe off the paste, rubbing mold away as you do.
The tea tree oil is not essential but it really can help to kill the mold.
REMEMBER : Extensive mold on walls should be tackled by professionals.
Mold On Window Frames
Mold on window frames can be caused by leaks and structural problems but is often just the result of excess humidity in our homes. Before jumping down the rabbit hole of expensive structural fixes put a hygrometer by the windows to check levels and if it is a problem, use the ventilation tips to fix it.
You can get rid of mold on window frames easily without bleach using the same DIY paste of
- Baking soda
- Dish or castile soap
- Tea tree oil
Mold In Washing Machines
Mold commonly builds up in the dispenser tray and piping of washing machines. This is due to the residue of laundry liquid and fabric conditioner PLUS trapped moist air in the machine after washing.
How To Prevent Mold In Washing Machines
The best ways to prevent mold in your washing machine are to :
- Stop using fabric conditioner – it is one of over a hundred little things you can stop buying easily to save a small fortune and actually damages fabric long term!!
- Put laundry liquid directly into drum with a wash ball or try a zero waste laundry egg.
- Run an empty 90c/194f hot wash once a month.
- Leave the door open after washes.
- Leave the dispensing tray open after washes to dry out.
How To Get Rid Of Mold In Washing Machines
To remove mold that has built up in your washing machine :
- Remove dispenser tray and wipe down with vinegar.
- Spray inside dispenser tray socket and wipe around.
- If build up of mold in socket is bad:
- Mix 2 spoons of baking soda & a little water into paste
- Spread around socket
- Leave on for an hour
- Rub off well.
- Run a 90c/194f hot wash and once finished open washing machine door, remove tray and open a window in laundry room so all the hot moist air clears.
And there you go, everything you need to know about natural mold removers and how to get rid of mold quickly and easily on :
- Bathrooms
- Cotton Fabrics
- Delicates
- Grout
- Mixed Fabrics
- Shower Curtains
- Swimming Costumes
- Upholstery
- Walls
- Window Frames
- Washing Machines
For more non-toxic cleaning tips check out these posts :
- 10 Natural Cleaning Recipes
- Brighten Whites Without Bleach
- Get Rid Of Flies Naturally
- Get Rid Of Ants Naturally
- Get Rid Of Clothes Moths Fast
- Get Rid Of Mice Easily
And follow me on Pinterest for quick natural cleaning hacks …
Original Images : Baking Soda under Creative Commons.
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