Sometimes, despite your best cleaning efforts, mold and mildew can appear on painted walls and especially on bathroom surfaces. Mold accumulates in window sills and spreads quickly to moist areas of your home. If left untreated, it can lead to many health problems; needless to say it looks unsightly as well. Let us study some ways to remove and prevent mold on walls and bathroom surfaces.
1. Keep the surfaces dry
To start with, wear disposable gloves. Use a scrubbing pad, paper towel or old toothbrush to scrub the surfaces. In case of painted walls, you must only use paper towels or tissue paper. Remove the blackened mold and lightly scrub where needed. You may also dampen the toothbrush if needed to get the job done easily. Now, use a dry rag or paper towel and pat the surfaces dry. You must ensure that the surface is completely dry at the end of cleaning. Discard all cleaning rags and gloves after use. This is very important to prevent mildew on walls from coming back.
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2. Use mold inhibitor spray
Many nontoxic mold inhibitor products are available in the market. You can spray them on walls, painted walls, bathroom surfaces, backpacks, hammocks, clothing, laundry machines, hiking gear like tents and pretty much everywhere where mold is a concern. Some of these products are also UV protective and many have a mild fragrance that masks odors. Note that these products are not mold killers; they will only inhibit mold but may not be able to get rid of mould on walls permanently.
3. Bleach
Bleach is one of the best products to clean mold off walls in bathrooms. You can even use it to eliminate mold spores inside wooden furniture. Use one quart bleach in one gallon of hot water and spray the solution on bathroom walls, tubs, tiles, sink, taps and faucets. You can also spray bleach solution on tiles and let it sit for 20 minutes before wiping dry. If you have a pressure washer, spray the solution deep inside the furniture to eliminate spores. Bleach can also remove fungus inside washing machines, dishwashers, etc. Wherever needed, use old toothbrushes or scrubbing pads to eliminate mildew before using bleach. It is essential you wear hand gloves and work in a well ventilated area.
4. Hydrogen peroxide
Thoroughly saturate the moldy area with 3% hydrogen peroxide and scrub gently using a non metallic scrub. Wipe down the surfaces dry. This is a wonderful way to clean mold off walls without bleach. A mixture of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda can also effectively clean mildew and prevent the spores from spreading to other areas. (Caution: Hydrogen peroxide has a bleaching action. So always test it on small section of colored walls to prevent discoloration).
5. Sodium percolate
Mix sodium percolate with a bit of water to make a paste. Saturate the moldy areas with the paste and let it stand for a few hours before rinsing clean. Dry the surface completely. You can also soak shower curtains in sodium percolate solution to kill fungal spores and prevent them from spreading.
6. Borax
A natural way to clean walls off mold without bleach is with borax and water. Dip a scrub or old toothbrush in a solution of borax and water. If the mildew is very stubborn, allow the borax paste to remain on the walls for a few days. Once it is dry, vacuum the surface. To prevent mildew from coming back, use a coat of stain-sealing paint after using this method of cleaning mold permanently.
7. White vinegar
In order to remove mold from walls with vinegar, soak a copper wire in white vinegar taken in a glass bowl. Let the assembly stand for a few days. Spray the coppery vinegar on the walls to deter fungal growth. In case you do not have a copper wire, you can simply spray full strength vinegar on the walls or wipe down bathroom surfaces with a vinegary rag to deter stubborn mildew.
8. Prevent mold with tea tree oil
Use a preventive spray of tea tree oil in hot water and spray it all over the clean surfaces to prevent the fungus from coming back.
9. Mold prevention tips
- Keep your bathroom as dry as possible.
- Wipe down bathroom surfaces like walls and ceilings weekly with vinegar solution. Vinegar deters mold and mildew.
- Soak shower curtains in hot water to eliminate fungal spores.
- Fix leakages in walls and seal and caulk cracks to prevent rain water from entering your rooms.
We hope these tips will help you keep your walls free from mold.