How to Get Rid of Mold In Your Home

Mold is a fungus that grows in the form of multicellular filaments. Too scientific for you? It’s a harmful bacteria that can grow in and around surfaces if they aren’t well taken care of. So how do you get rid of mold in your home? Oh, that’s easy, just follow the steps below.

How Do I Get Rid Of Mold?

There are many different ways to get rid of mold in your home. You can kill mold with household supplies like bleach, vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, and even ammonia. It’s important to know that If you have mold in your home, you need to keep a good flow of air circulation. Mold lives and feeds off of humid, moist, environments. So when attempting to get rid of the mold growing in your home, you’ll want to open the windows if the weather permits. All that airflow to come in and out easily, especially since you’re about to use cleaning chemicals. If it’s not so nice outside, make sure you have a fan running and that it’s not too hot inside your house.

When getting rid of household mold, there are a few things you’ll need. Go to the dollar store and grab a spray bottle and a pack of washcloths you can throw away afterward. You’ll throw away the washcloths, not the spray bottle.

Some other things you’ll need to pick up are:

• Bleach
• Disposable gloves
• Mask
• Tea Tree Oil, Lemon Oil, and/or Grapefruit Oil

After you gather all your supplies you can start the mold removal process by washing your hands and putting on your gloves and mask. Breathing in the mold can cause direct illness such as TB, asthma attacks, pneumonia, and in some cases it cancer. This is not to scare you, but to inform you of the importance of doing this task properly. You don’t want to expose your body to the mold more than it already has been. Prepare yourself properly.

Once you’ve got all your gear on you can begin to fill your spray bottle with water about three-quarters of the way full. Make sure the water is cold. Take your bleach and dilute the water according to the instructions on the label. If you are removing mold from the wall simple spray the solution on the surface and let it soak it. While that’s working its magic you can move to other surfaces you are trying to remove mold from. It’s not necessary to wipe off the solution after spraying it although after you give it time to kill the mold you may need to take one of your washcloths and wipe the mold away. If you have to do this, spray the surface again after your done without wiping it.

Although you can remove mold from carpet, If you are trying to remove mold from carpet, you might want to think about replacing it. It’s not completely necessary, but if you can do it I recommend it. Moving from the wall to the floor, you can repeat the same process on hardwood or laminate floors. The same principle also applies to other surfaces such as sinks, faucets, countertops, bathrooms, etc.

Note: Depending on the amount of mold, you may have to repeat this process several times before the mold is completely removed from your home. Check out our guide on how to clean black mold.

Other Tricks

Use Tea Tree Oil

Tea tree oil is a natural bacteria killing oil that’s really good at fighting away mold in your home. Get an empty spray bottle and fill it with water then add one drop of tea tree oil. This essential oil is one of the strongest acting essential oils so it’s very important that you use it wisely. You don’t need a lot. One drop will do just fine for this method.

Let the solution settle for a while. You can work on other tasks while you are waiting. And when you come back you can spray the solution on the moldy surface. If the surface is a wall there is no need to rinse or wipe the solution off. The tea tree oil will kill the mold and prevent it from returning. If you’re removing mold from a countertop or your refrigerator you’ll want to let it sit for several minutes before wiping away the mold with your washcloth.

Helpful Hint: You can also add one drop of tea tree oil to your household cleaners to help prevent bacteria and mold from growing in other places around the house, like the bathroom. Spraying your shower walls with a solution that has tea tree oil is great for mold and mildew. Do this in and around the toilet and get the same results.

Use Lemon Oil

Having a diffuser in your home is a good way to prevent mold in your home. It’s also a good way to kill mold that is already growing in your home. Letting the diffuser run with several drops of lemon oil will not only make your house smell amazing it will help you get rid of mold in your home. You can also use grapefruit oil, but lemon oil is recommended.