Safe and Natural Ways to Get Rid of Mold

As with vinegar, grapefruit seed extract can be used to prevent mold growth. Simply cleaning surfaces with the mixture will prevent mold from growing.

• By R. S. Hall
• Jun 14, 2016

Have you recently found a mold growth inside your home? Do not run to the store to buy bleach or purchase a chemical mold remover just yet. There are a few natural and non-toxic methods you can use to approach this problem. Their effectiveness will be determined by the type of mold, the material it is growing on, and how large the growth has become.

Prevent and Kill Mold with Vinegar
Vinegar may be one of the most useful substances on the planet. It can keep bugs away, clean up tough stains, marinate meats before cooking and can even kill around 82 percent of the known mold species. Few other natural products can make such claims.

Vinegar is a completely natural and non-toxic acid. The only bad thing about vinegar is its smell and that is a small price to pay for safe mold removal. If you are really bothered by the smell, you can either add a few small drops of essential oils to the vinegar or just leave the house for a couple of hours and the smell will be gone.

Using vinegar to kill mold is extremely simple: Just spray it on the mold growth and then wait for about two hours. Take a cloth and wipe the area clean. You may also add some baking soda to the mixture. Baking soda can kill some types of mold on its own. It is even more potent when mixed with vinegar. The baking soda has the added benefit of absorbing moisture in the area that the mold needs to survive.

Vinegar can also be used for mold prevention. If you spray vinegar on surfaces that are susceptible to mold growth, it will greatly reduce the risk of the problem occurring. You need to reapply the spray about once a week.

Grapefruit Seed Extract
Grapefruit seed extract is also commonly used to combat mold growth. It works as an all-natural fungicide. The citric acid in the extract is the main ingredient when it comes to fighting mold.

Grapefruit seed extract will also clean and disinfect the area. It has no offensive odor like the vinegar. A slightly more common option is tea tree oil, but that oil is potentially toxic to humans if swallowed. Grapefruit seed extract, on the other hand, is not.

You must be careful when purchasing the extract. Some companies include synthetic chemicals in the processing phase. Ideally, you want a 100 percent organic and natural source of grapefruit seed extract. The additional chemical ingredients do not help fight mold at all. The extract is fairly potent and not much is needed to damage the mold. You can make a mixture in a spray bottle with about 1 cup of water and 10 drops of the extract. Mix the solution and spray the mold growth.

Give the solution an hour or two to work and then wipe the area clean with a cloth. You may need to repeat this process multiple time to get the best results.

As with vinegar, grapefruit seed extract can also be used to prevent mold growth. Simply cleaning surfaces with the same mixture above will prevent mold from growing. The smell is less offensive so you can use it on a daily basis without needing to leave the room every time you do.

Avoiding Harmful Chemicals
These two natural mold-killing solutions can replace the need for any potentially harmful chemical solutions. They are completely safe for humans, kids, and animals. Both of them are often used in the cooking process. Using them daily or weekly as a cleaning solution can prevent mold from ever growing in the first place.