Experiences with essential oil to get rid of mold?
February 1, 2013 12:01 PM Subscribe
Our wooden baseboards and wooden furniture have mold on them from being too close to the outside walls of a 1913 house.
It's not the nasty black mold- just the green stuff that wipes right off. I'd like to know the best way to get it off, and keep it off, if that's even possible.
The internet is giving me conflicting advice. (Vinegar works. No it doesn't. Tea tree oil kills mold. Tea tree oil eats furniture finish.)
Do you have any suggestions?
I was thinking of trying out a diluted cedar or pine or lemon oil solution. Has anyone tried that?
So far I've only used this stuff called Kruckenberg's Gourmet Floor Care that I got at the local Ace Hardware. It seems to work but it's supposed to just be for floors, so maybe it's a bad idea to use it on baseboards and furniture?
And if mold is on the painted walls at all, any suggestions for that?
Thank you!
It's not the nasty black mold- just the green stuff that wipes right off. I'd like to know the best way to get it off, and keep it off, if that's even possible.
The internet is giving me conflicting advice. (Vinegar works. No it doesn't. Tea tree oil kills mold. Tea tree oil eats furniture finish.)
Do you have any suggestions?
I was thinking of trying out a diluted cedar or pine or lemon oil solution. Has anyone tried that?
So far I've only used this stuff called Kruckenberg's Gourmet Floor Care that I got at the local Ace Hardware. It seems to work but it's supposed to just be for floors, so maybe it's a bad idea to use it on baseboards and furniture?
And if mold is on the painted walls at all, any suggestions for that?
Thank you!
Some people are allergic to cedar oil, so use sparingly!
What you need is something that will kill it, but won't be too harsh on the furniture and won't provide food for the mold to grow on. Oils aren't going to give you that. White vinegar will kill it, but might fuel its return. Bleach is going to be too harsh on the furniture.
Perhaps you need a little vinegar and baking soda diluted in water?
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 12:17 PM on February 1, 2013
What you need is something that will kill it, but won't be too harsh on the furniture and won't provide food for the mold to grow on. Oils aren't going to give you that. White vinegar will kill it, but might fuel its return. Bleach is going to be too harsh on the furniture.
Perhaps you need a little vinegar and baking soda diluted in water?
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 12:17 PM on February 1, 2013
I can't speak to the cleaning part but the prevention angle definitely revolves around moisture. Once you address your moisture problem, then you are preventing the opportunity for moisture to return.
posted by mmascolino at 12:40 PM on February 1, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by mmascolino at 12:40 PM on February 1, 2013 [3 favorites]
White vinegar will kill it. So will lotsa salt. Salt will also help prevent its return but then you'll have a salty house so proceed with caution.
posted by windykites at 12:48 PM on February 1, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by windykites at 12:48 PM on February 1, 2013 [1 favorite]
If the furniture is in the same environment, you probably need a dehumidifier, permanently.
I would use mild bleach, as a cleaner and to sanitize. You could also try a blow dryer afterwards to get any latent moisture out.
posted by wongcorgi at 12:52 PM on February 1, 2013
I would use mild bleach, as a cleaner and to sanitize. You could also try a blow dryer afterwards to get any latent moisture out.
posted by wongcorgi at 12:52 PM on February 1, 2013
I just removed some black mold from cedar window frames. The first step was to scrub the moldy bits with powdered laundry soap and hot water (using an old tooth brush works really well for grooved areas/corners). The second step was to use a little bleach in hot water to wipe the cleaned areas down, and let them air dry. It made a significant difference, but it is a relatively short term solution.
posted by sassy mae at 12:54 PM on February 1, 2013
posted by sassy mae at 12:54 PM on February 1, 2013
Response by poster: What about borax? I have a lot of that.
posted by small_ruminant at 1:03 PM on February 1, 2013
posted by small_ruminant at 1:03 PM on February 1, 2013
Response by poster: And I discovered in the shower that hydrogen peroxide gets rid of mold longer than bleach does. For some reason peroxide sounds really harsh to furniture. Am I wrong?
posted by small_ruminant at 1:04 PM on February 1, 2013
posted by small_ruminant at 1:04 PM on February 1, 2013
Borax can bleach some materials so give it a test first. Also it can oxidize metals so be careful there. Bonus - its toxic to insects!
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 1:04 PM on February 1, 2013
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 1:04 PM on February 1, 2013
You can't get it off and keep it off unless you remove the source of the moisture that is causing the mold to grow. Mold spores will always be present, and using bleach or other biocides to clean up does nothing to prevent those from landing and re-growing.
From the EPA:
The use of a biocide, such as chlorine bleach, is not recommended as a routine practice during mold remediation, although there may be instances where professional judgment may indicate its use (for example, when immune-compromised individuals are present). In most cases, it is not possible or desirable to sterilize an area; a background level of mold spores will remain in the air (roughly equivalent to or lower than the level in outside air). These spores will not grow if the moisture problem in the building has been resolved.
So I would clean the mold with whatever furniture-appropriate detergent you have, and resign yourself to doing so until the dampness issue is resolved. If you want to try tea tree, dilute it to 5% (this is a guess based on the amount used for fungicidal action on humans) in some furniture oil. The Kruckenberg's is fine, it's probably no different from their furniture oil. It may work until the tea tree volatilizes, which is probably only a few days at best.
Painted surfaces, you could try a few drops of tea tree emulsified with soem dish detergent, with a lot of water in a spray bottle.
posted by oneirodynia at 1:06 PM on February 1, 2013
From the EPA:
The use of a biocide, such as chlorine bleach, is not recommended as a routine practice during mold remediation, although there may be instances where professional judgment may indicate its use (for example, when immune-compromised individuals are present). In most cases, it is not possible or desirable to sterilize an area; a background level of mold spores will remain in the air (roughly equivalent to or lower than the level in outside air). These spores will not grow if the moisture problem in the building has been resolved.
So I would clean the mold with whatever furniture-appropriate detergent you have, and resign yourself to doing so until the dampness issue is resolved. If you want to try tea tree, dilute it to 5% (this is a guess based on the amount used for fungicidal action on humans) in some furniture oil. The Kruckenberg's is fine, it's probably no different from their furniture oil. It may work until the tea tree volatilizes, which is probably only a few days at best.
Painted surfaces, you could try a few drops of tea tree emulsified with soem dish detergent, with a lot of water in a spray bottle.
posted by oneirodynia at 1:06 PM on February 1, 2013
The accepted wisdom for removing and preventing mould regrowth is oil of cloves.
posted by taff at 2:02 PM on February 1, 2013
posted by taff at 2:02 PM on February 1, 2013
Kruckenberg's can go on your wood furniture and your baseboards if they're not painted.
Have you ruled out rising damp?
posted by DarlingBri at 3:01 PM on February 1, 2013
Have you ruled out rising damp?
posted by DarlingBri at 3:01 PM on February 1, 2013
Response by poster: They aren't painted.
I have not ruled out rising damp because I haven't heard of it.
posted by small_ruminant at 3:27 PM on February 1, 2013
I have not ruled out rising damp because I haven't heard of it.
posted by small_ruminant at 3:27 PM on February 1, 2013
Well you obviously have a damp problem in your house and it should be addressed beyond the cosmetic issues. Are you the home owner? What is the house constructed of?
posted by DarlingBri at 5:08 PM on February 1, 2013
posted by DarlingBri at 5:08 PM on February 1, 2013
Baseboards and furniture? How often does this come back? Do your cushions and pillows get it too? The clothes near the wall in the closet?
posted by slidell at 5:27 PM on February 1, 2013
posted by slidell at 5:27 PM on February 1, 2013
I had a vehicle which was in a flood (without my knowledge, long story). I had a terrible time getting rid of mold in the interior. Tried bleach, vinegar, dehumidifier....
The thing which finally worked was a mix of Simple Green (diluted from concentrate) and denatured alcohol. Worked like a charm.
posted by cat_link at 5:27 PM on February 1, 2013 [1 favorite]
The thing which finally worked was a mix of Simple Green (diluted from concentrate) and denatured alcohol. Worked like a charm.
posted by cat_link at 5:27 PM on February 1, 2013 [1 favorite]
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posted by orme at 12:07 PM on February 1, 2013 [1 favorite]