DIY Mold Cleaners Work Just As Well As Commercial Ones
Despite everything that's been said to the contrary, homemade mold cleaners have become very popular as part of the DIY lifestyle.
More and more people are realizing that they can definitely do things on their own and not rely on the professional unless it's a really dire situation.
A plus is that the homemade mold cleaners are definitely gentler on the environment in general compared to the more toxic cleaners licensed to the professionals.
But care must still be taken when working with any kind of chemical.
For example, I had once used some bleach to clean up some mold near the toilet area.
Well, with three males in my house, the toilet gets splashed with urine, which in chemical terms, is ammonia.
When that bleach hit the urine, it created really noxious fumes that I found out only later was chlorine gas! I had to run the exhaust fan in the bathroom and have another fan blowing in the doorway to get rid of all those gases.
My burning lungs and eyes were a terrific reminder to me not to mix that up again! Homemade mold cleaners usually use the same types of ingredients: acids like vinegar and ammonia and alkalyd bleaches like household (chlorine) bleach and hydrogen peroxide.
Using these as a base and adding a few other ingredients, you get pretty strong cleaners.
And as with any home remedy, a bit of hard work like scrubbing is essential to make them work.
In any case, the dosed mold is scoured off with hot water and a mild cleansing agent.
Household bleach and hot water is the commonest combination for black mold removal items.
In a ratio of 1:4 and sprayed onto the moldy area, it kills and bleaches the mold.
Scrub this off, since dead mold is just as bothersome.
Be sure to use this combo in a well-ventilated room.
Hydrogen peroxide mixed with vinegar and alcohol actually makes a pretty strong mold cleaner.
The ratio is 1:1:1 to 4 parts water.
This is the combination that is most agreed upon to be the most effective.
Vinegar is actually one of the most longtime chemicals used for mold remover.
Used straight, it's not the best for ceramics since it corrodes the finish after prolonged use but it's great on cement and wood when sprayed on and left to dry.
After a thorough scrub, there are some things you can do to deter mold in your home for a while longer.
Wet surfaces attract mold spores so the easiest bit of prevention is keeping surfaces dry.
Squeegeeing the walls after a shower is one way to do it but the best all-around prevention is spraying straight ethyl or isopropyl alcohol on.
It's even a great mold cleaner/prevention agent when it's diluted in a ratio of 1:2 with water.
More and more people are realizing that they can definitely do things on their own and not rely on the professional unless it's a really dire situation.
A plus is that the homemade mold cleaners are definitely gentler on the environment in general compared to the more toxic cleaners licensed to the professionals.
But care must still be taken when working with any kind of chemical.
For example, I had once used some bleach to clean up some mold near the toilet area.
Well, with three males in my house, the toilet gets splashed with urine, which in chemical terms, is ammonia.
When that bleach hit the urine, it created really noxious fumes that I found out only later was chlorine gas! I had to run the exhaust fan in the bathroom and have another fan blowing in the doorway to get rid of all those gases.
My burning lungs and eyes were a terrific reminder to me not to mix that up again! Homemade mold cleaners usually use the same types of ingredients: acids like vinegar and ammonia and alkalyd bleaches like household (chlorine) bleach and hydrogen peroxide.
Using these as a base and adding a few other ingredients, you get pretty strong cleaners.
And as with any home remedy, a bit of hard work like scrubbing is essential to make them work.
In any case, the dosed mold is scoured off with hot water and a mild cleansing agent.
Household bleach and hot water is the commonest combination for black mold removal items.
In a ratio of 1:4 and sprayed onto the moldy area, it kills and bleaches the mold.
Scrub this off, since dead mold is just as bothersome.
Be sure to use this combo in a well-ventilated room.
Hydrogen peroxide mixed with vinegar and alcohol actually makes a pretty strong mold cleaner.
The ratio is 1:1:1 to 4 parts water.
This is the combination that is most agreed upon to be the most effective.
Vinegar is actually one of the most longtime chemicals used for mold remover.
Used straight, it's not the best for ceramics since it corrodes the finish after prolonged use but it's great on cement and wood when sprayed on and left to dry.
After a thorough scrub, there are some things you can do to deter mold in your home for a while longer.
Wet surfaces attract mold spores so the easiest bit of prevention is keeping surfaces dry.
Squeegeeing the walls after a shower is one way to do it but the best all-around prevention is spraying straight ethyl or isopropyl alcohol on.
It's even a great mold cleaner/prevention agent when it's diluted in a ratio of 1:2 with water.
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