Killing mould naturally

Mould commonly appears where walls / surfaces are cool and damp

How to treat mould? Well it is commonly assumed that the best way of doing this is using bleach. However, if you do use bleach you will experience several things:

• The mould will return quite soon (bleach only works on hard surfaces and so will not kill the mould 'roots' in any porous material)
• It will smell terribly
• You will have to get out the gloves to protect your hands
• You will have to be very careful to ensure that you don't bleach anything else

So are there any better and safer alternatives? Thankfully the answer is a resounding YES.

You can buy products like the Auro Anti-Mould System (that we supply) or you can make some mixes yourself.

Systems that actually work and are safe include:

• Hydrogen Peroxide (this is the main ingredient in the Auro product)
• Tea Tree Oil
• Borax
• Baking Soda
• Vinegar
• Grapefruit Seed Extract

The best are those that are not just alkaline (Baking Soda and Vinegar) but also naturally antisceptic, antifungal and antibacterial. So the Hydrogen Peroxide, Borax, Grapefruit Seed and Tea Tree Oil (ensuring that it is from Melaleuca Alternifolia) provide the best solutions. These work on porous surfaces as well and so kill the 'roots' as well as surface mould.

• Tea Tree Oil use a spray in a 2% solution
• Hydrogen Peroxide use a spray in 3% solution
• Borax use a spray in 6-7% solution
• Grapefruit Seed Extract use a spray in 0.5-1% solution

I would recommend that Hydrogen Peroxide is sprayed on and then left for around 10 mins before being wiped off. The rest can be sprayed and left on to act as a longer term inhibitor.

I would also suggest that you need to deal with the root cause of the mould in the first place. This might be making the surface warmer (potentially by using insulation), making the material drier (by increasing ventilation around the area, using correct materials, eliminating water ingress etc).