Effective Solutions for Removing Mold from Your Home
Among the dust and other allergens, it is the mold that you need to take care of because they smell, are unsightly, and they can make you extremely sick. A lot of Emeryville cleaning services know the potential danger that molds can cause to people who have respiratory illnesses like asthma. Molds are not difficult to remove only if you catch them early. The early you remove molds, the easier it is for you to get rid of them. There are effective yet doable ways to remove it from the different parts of your house and prevent it from infesting your home again.
What is Mold?
Mold is definitely a fungus made up of tiny microorganisms that live and thrive in environments that are moist and damp and your basement, leaking walls, ceilings, and bathroom are the ideal environments. Molds come in a variety and every house has at least one kind of mold in their homes. Although they are harmless in general, they can incite allergic reactions when they grow in population. Moreover, they break down matter and can be harmful to your house’s structure.
Because they are living microorganisms, mold removal involves killing them completely to remove them and prevent them to come back.
Vinegar Vs. Bleach
Molds are relatively easy to kill, and you can use different cleaning solutions for their removal. Two of the most commonly used are vinegar (natural) and bleach (chemical). Of the two, vinegar is the more effective. Chemicals in bleach prevent the solution to permeate the porous surfaces, and therefore not killing the molds on their roots. On the flip side, vinegars are able to do this, which makes them kill the spores and prevent the molds to grow back.
Vinegar and Other Natural Solutions for Removing Molds
Bleach is effective in removing the molds on the surface but there are other green alternatives that guarantee effectivity. The following are the natural ingredients you can find in your home that are also usable in removing molds, as well as how to use them.
- Baking soda – baking soda is very popular when it comes to cleaning. Its mild compositions make it safe for children, pets, and other materials but effective in removing stains and even molds. All you need to do is to mix water and baking soda in a 1:1 ratio to create a paste or dissolve the baking soda in water for spray. Either paste or spray, you need to let the mixture sit overnight before scrubbing and rinsing.
- Hydrogen peroxide – hydrogen peroxide works like vinegar only that it is mostly composed of water molecules with an extra atom of oxygen. This composition makes it non-fragrant but effective in removing molds. All you need to do is to mix 3% hydrogen peroxide in a spray bottle with water and let it sit for 20 minutes on the moldy surface before scrubbing and rinsing.
- Tea tree oil – tea tee oil is a fungicide that is effective in killing molds. If you do not like the pungent smell of vinegar and the messy grains of baking soda, then the tea tree oil is the ideal alternative. Mix water with two teaspoons of the oil in a spray bottle and let it sit for the whole night before cleaning off the molds.