Kill mould and mildew with these three awesome remedies

No one likes a home full of mould and mildew, and with winter gone, the outside days ahead of us, getting rid of mould on walls, railings and sills is the top priority for a fresh-looking house.  There’s three great natural remedies for mould and mildew removal I can personally attest to and not too hard to find the ingredients for.   They’re much safer, better smelling and more effective than bleach in that they actually kill the demon rather than just whitening it.

Three simple ingredients, used in spray bottles and you can get a surprising outcome.  First of all you’ll need a spray bottle to dilute into, then select your ingredient of choice.  Will you choose tea tree oil, grapefruit seed extract or vinegar?  There are pros and cons of each, but all three work to kill, clean and whiten. White vinegar is by far the cheapest and I think we all keep it in the cupboard for cleaning don’t we.  . Tea tree oil is expensive but it works wonders.  It is a broad spectrum fungicide and seems to kill all the mould families it comes into contact with, stopping it from growing and multiplying.  It smells strongly, but I kind of like the odour.   Grapefruit seed extract is also expensive, but has no smell.

Tea Tree Oil – My Favourite Mould Remover

This dilution has to be the best cure for mould I think.   I’ve used it on balustrades, railings, walls, even tiles, and a couple of teaspoons diluted goes a long long way.  It can be bought in chemists and sometimes the supermarket.  It’s a bit stinky, but if you like natural freshness it won’t offend for long.

2 teaspoons tea tree oil
2 cups water

Combine in a spray bottle, shake to blend, and spray on problem areas. Do not rinse off. Makes about 2 cups, and it doesn’t expire.  Label the bottle well and keep it on hand.

Grapefruit Seed Extract Potion

Grapefruit seed oil is a little harder to get.  From our research you can buy it online but its microbial properties sure sound interesting.  The advantage of using grapefruit seed extract instead of tea tree oil for killing mould is that it is apparently odourless.

20 drops grapefruit seed extract (note: very different to essential oil)
2 cups water

Combine in a spray bottle, shake to blend, and spray on problem areas. Do not rinse. Makes about 2 cups, and again it doesn’t expire.  Label the bottle well and keep it on hand.

Vinegar Spray

Doesn’t everyone have a diluted bottle of water and vinegar on hand for cleaning benches, walls and mould?  I certainly do and I encourage you to.  According to many health companies, straight vinegar kills 82% of mould, so for this purpose you won’t want to dilute it.  Instead, you’ll want to spray or wipe it on and let it set without rinsing.

So the instruction is to pour some white vinegar straight into a spray bottle, spray on the mouldy area, and let it set, and over a few hours the mould will dissipate.  Sounds compelling and cheap doesn’t it!

10 great uses for vinegar