Here are my best tips and ideas for using essential oils to get rid of mold. Living in Florida, mold is everywhere (we have almost 90% humidity a LOT of the time!) Includes recipes for your spray bottles and diffusers.
Mold is a nasty thing. It’s been proven to contribute to inflammatory health conditions, including learning disabilities, gastrointestinal disturbances, heart problems, cancer, Lyme Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Fibromyalgia, problems with thyroid regulation (both excess and deficiency), and several autoimmune diseases.
While harsh chemicals will stop and kill off mold, they too can also cause some of the same problems. Fortunately, there is something that can help that doesn’t have harsh chemicals, essential oils. They’ve been used for millennia.
You can use essential oils to remove mold problems if you have it in your home.
Please note… if you are fighting black mold or other dangerous mold, please contact a reputable company to remove it. This post is for normal, everyday mold that shows up in your bathrooms, kitchens and out by your porch!
My Mold Story
Okay, like I said, I live in Florida and it is is MOLDY here! It grow in the bathroom and the kitchen and out by our pool's “birdcage” (the screen around it).
I was researching for this post and I thought, “why not combine writing with cleaning… brilliant!” So I cleaned the mold in our shower and on the birdcage in like 5 minutes (I thought it would take SO MUCH longer!)
I made the mix in the recipe below, shot it onto the mold heavily and let it sit for 5 minutes. Then I used a paper towel to wipe it off… that was it!
Tea Tree Oil for Mold
One very powerful oil is tea tree oil. It is a natural fungicide, anti-viral and anti-bacterial. Combine tea tree with vinegar and mold doesn’t stand a chance. THIS IS WHAT I USED!!!
Just add around twenty drops of tea tree oil to a glass spray bottle filled with water or vinegar. Shake the bottle and spray onto the affected areas where mold and mildew are growing. Let it sit for a few minutes to kill and dissolve the fungus, then wipe away with a cloth or sponge.
Diffusing To Kill Mold
You can also prevent the growth of mold by diffusing essential oils. When diffused into the air, the oils are effective against the mold spores. Spores are the “seeds” mold needs to spread and the easily do that with even the slightest disturbance.
They’re also what we inhale that causes the physiological problems mold causes. Oils in the air help kill the spores. A few things, though, use a nebulizing diffuser, meaning a diffuser that doesn’t use water. Water helps the mold grow, despite the oils.
Just remember that cats can be hurt by diffusers if you do them in an enclosed space like the bathroom!
Additional Resource :: Oh Rats! Cats and essential oils don't mix!
Which Essential Oils Work Best For Mold?
Ok so which oils work best? Here are a few that I use:
Oregano
Oregano essential oil is a very potent essential oil. It’s been used for centuries for cleansing and immune-enhancing benefits. Oregano oil is a wonderful purifying agent and immune booster.
Thyme
Thyme essential oil is one of the best oils for mold. Thyme is a powerful cleansing and purifying oil.
Cinnamon Oil
Cinnamon oil has been shown to be one of the strongest oils for use in battling mold. It has been proved to have the best inhibitory effect against mold growing on food.
A study by the International Journal of Food Microbiology showed that a combination of essential oils, including cinnamon oil, suppressed bacterial growth for 60 days. The study suggests that cinnamon oil could be considered an alternative to other food preservatives.
For mold it has a very strong cleansing and immune enhancing properties. Plus it smells great!
Clove Oil
Clove essential oil is great for dealing with fungal growth. It’s a strong antioxidant helping your immune system and is especially effective against Aspergillus niger (also known as black mold). Used together with cinnamon and you’ll think it’s Thanksgiving (think apple and pumpkin pies!)
Essential Oils For Mold Wrapup
Tea Tree is, hands down, the one oil you should have in your medicine cabinet. It’s rather effective against everything, bacteria, viruses and fungus. It works great on moldy areas AND can help keep your teeth clean!
You can add any or all of these oils to your air or cleaning products solutions to help keep mold out of your home and your family healthy.