Aside from packing up and moving to a cooler climate – which is tempting in the middle of July – what can you do to eliminate mold in the house?
Despite your best cleaning efforts, sometimes mold creeps into your house. Some people have strong allergic reactions to mold but even those who don’t probably aren’t thrilled with black growth in the shower.
Especially if you live in hot and humid temperatures, those are a breeding ground for mold. So, aside from packing up and moving to a cooler climate – which is tempting in the middle of July – what can you do to eliminate mold in the house?
If you have a basement or another area of your house that tends to be damp, use a humidifier to dry the air. And keep an eye out for dampness or standing water in any area of your home. You might even find you have mold growing on the outside of your house – particularly in a shady area where dampness tends to linger. (Might be time for a pressure wash, folks.)
This article from Care2.com offers some tips for using natural products to kill mold: tea tree oil (found in most health food stores), grapefruit seed extract and vinegar. The cheapest of these is vinegar, which can kill up to 82 percent of mold.
If you opt to use something stronger, such as bleach cleaner, be sure the area is well ventilated and don a pair of gloves for good measure. When cleaning a particularly moldy mess, wear a mask to avoid breathing in airborne mold spores.
For an intense mold situation, consider calling in the big guns. A certified professional can help with a mold infestation or any problem bigger than mold in the corner of the shower stall.
