If you’re knee-deep in vinegar and clove oil, you’re not alone.
Looking for more ways to remove mould?
Watch: How to keep your home dry, warm and mould-free
With all the extra rain we’ve been having comes a lot of moisture – something mould thrives on.
Before donning your gloves and mask, there’s one thing you need to know about removing mould that most people get wrong.
Lucinda Curran is an Indoor Environmental Health Consultant. She says killing mould is not enough.
“The presence of mould, dead or alive, can be problematic for someone sensitive to it,” says Lucinda. “Like hay fever, the presence of the pollen triggers a response; it doesn’t matter whether or not the flowers are in a vase or growing.”
“This is why removing mould is essential.”
How to remove mould permanently
What’s the best way to remove mould? Lucinda says that a detergent-water solution will work to kill the mould, but it’s your technique that matters the most.
“I can’t emphasise enough the cleaning technique is what works best – not a product,” she says.
It turns out, the use of microfibre cloths is the key to properly removing mould.
“Microfibre cloths are designed to pick things up off a surface, as opposed to regular cloths which just smear them around,” she says.
“Always keep cross-contamination in mind – as it is easy to spread mould from one area to another, and cause it to release spores which will help it to spread.”
Step-by-step instructions for how to clean mould
Lucinda shares the best way to remove mould.
What you’ll need:
- dishwashing detergent
- two microfibre cloths – microfibre cloths are designed to pick things up off a surface, as opposed to regular cloths, which just smear them around.
- thyme or oregano essential oils (optional)
- water.
Instructions:
- To clean the surface, mix up dishwashing detergent with warm water.
- Lucinda recommends adding essential oils, like oregano and thyme, to the soapy water mix to “supercharge the effect”.
- Dip into the soapy solution using microfibre cloths square and wipe down the surface. After you have used each square on both sides to remove mould, Lucinda says to throw it out. This is to avoid cross-contamination and causing the mould to spread.
Shop microfibre cloths
MAID MADS” Extra large Microfiber Cleaning Cloths, $23
You might also like:
The best mould removal products
How to remove mould stains from common household surfaces
The top eight spots where mould is hiding in your house
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