Mold and mildew (mold in early stages) grow on porous flooring surfaces limestone, concrete, traditional unglazed tile and grout (both tile and grout are porous). It may start growing on damp surfaces within 24-48 hours and can cause damage to the flooring surfaces because they digest them. Exposure to it may be harmful to people with allergies, but how do I kill mold on porous surfaces?
Common signs of mold include a musty or earthy odor, water damage and discoloration around infected areas, and visible mold that appears as a fuzzy growth or discoloration. Once you spot the mold using these methods, you need to control it by fixing the moisture problem, and killing the mold using vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, essential oils, lemon, or baking soda.
What kills mold on porous surfaces?
Detecting mold is easy and a quick investigation with your nose and eyes can help detect it. If you detect mold on your porous floor surfaces, you need to take steps to fix the moisture problem that is causing it. After, take the necessary steps to kill it with vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, essential oils, lemon, and baking soda.
1. Fix the moisture problem
Moisture control is the key to preventing mold. You can do this to fix moisture issues on your porous flooring surfaces:
- Fix plumbing leaks.
- Dry out overflow from sinks, tiles, and bathtubs.
- Use exhaust fans to vent out when bathing and cooking.
- Avoid leaky air conditioner and ventilate rooms by opening doors.
Once you fix the moisture problem you need to kill the mold. Here is a DIY mold elimination method using some commonly available home supplies. You need the following materials for the mold elimination job.
- Latex or rubber gloves.
- Mask.
- Trash bags.
- Scrub brush.
- Sponges.
- Broom, dust mop, or vacuum cleaner.
- Molds cleaner: Vinegar, or hydrogen peroxide, or essential oils, or lemon, or baking soda; use what readily available.
How to Kill Mold with Vinegar
Here are steps to follow when using vinegar in the mold and mildew infested porous floors:
1. Use Protective Equipment
- Wear protective gloves and a mask to protect yourself from direct exposure to the mold.
- Wear protective eyewear
2. Prepare the Work Area
- Cover doorways and air vents with plastic coverings.
- Turn off heating systems or central air in your working area to reduce the spread of mold spores.
3. Remove the Mold Infected Surfaces
- Discard mold infested surfaces in plastic bags.
- Wrap items that are too big to fit into a plastic bag with sealed tape.
4. Begin the Killing Process
- Pour pure white distilled vinegar into a spray bottle.
- Spray the vinegar onto the mold and wait for at least an hour before rinsing or scrubbing it to allow the mold to absorb the vinegar.
- Scrub the area vigorously.
- Rinse the area with warm clean water.
- Spray the vinegar on the infected surface again and let it dry to allow it to kill any pending mold.
How to Kill Mold With Hydrogen Peroxide
1. Use Protective Equipment
- Wear protective gloves and a mask to protect yourself from direct exposure to the mold.
- Wear protective eyewear.
2. Prepare the Work Area
- Cover doorways and air vents with plastic coverings.
- Turn off heating systems or central air in your working area to reduce the spread of mold spores.
3. Remove the Mold Infected Surfaces
- Discard mold infested surfaces in plastic bags.
- Wrap items that are too big to fit into a plastic bag with sealed tape.
4. Begin the cleaning process
- Use household peroxide that contains 3% hydrogen peroxide.
- Pour it into a spray bottle.
- Spray the moldy surface and wait for 10 minutes.
- Scrub the area vigorously to remove the mold.
How to Kill Mold with Essential Oils
Essential oils can help you to kill mold in your house. The most effective essential oils include cinnamon oil, thyme oil, clove oil, tea tree oil, and a blend of essential oils. Each of these oils has a unique advantage.
For example, cinnamon oil and tea tree oil fight mold and leave your house with a pleasant scent. Thyme oil is known to fight m, purify skin, and fight mold-related bacteria. Additionally, clove oil not only fights mold but also offers digestive relief, and contains antioxidants that help boost your immune system.
1. Use Protective Equipment
- Wear protective gloves and a mask to protect yourself from direct exposure to the mold.
- Wear protective eyewear.
2. Prepare the Work Area
- Cover doorways and air vents with plastic coverings.
- Turn off heating systems or central air in your working area to reduce the spread of mold spores.
3. Remove the Mold Infected Surfaces
- Discard mold infested surfaces in plastic bags.
- Wrap items that are too big to fit into a plastic bag with sealed tape.
4. The Killing Process
- Add two to three drops of the essential oil of your choice to a spray bottle filled with vinegar.
- Shake the spray bottle to mix.
- Spray the solution on the affected area and wait for an hour.
- Wipe away with a sponge or cloth.
Use Lemon to Kill Mold
Lemon juice is a non-toxic mold cleaner that leaves behind a refreshing scent. Its 5% acid concentration makes it effective for killing mold. You can squeeze fresh lemon juice at home or buy it from a convenient store. You may apply it on infected surfaces using a spray bottle or a sponge.
1. Use Protective Equipment
- Wear protective gloves and a mask to protect yourself from direct exposure to the mold.
- Wear protective eyewear.
2. Prepare the Work Area
- Cover doorways and air vents with plastic coverings.
- Turn off heating systems or central air in your working area to reduce the spread of mold spores.
3. Remove the Mold Infected Surfaces
- discard mold infested surfaces in plastic bags
- wrap items that are too big to fit into a plastic bag with sealed tape
4. The Elimination Process
- Squeeze lemon juice or purchase it.
- Pour it into a spray bottle or a sponge.
- Clean the surface with simple water and soap, rinse and dry it.
- Apply the lemon juice directly onto the affected area.
- Scrub the area immediately with a brush or a sponge.
- Rinse in and reapply the lemon juice and leave it to dry.
How to Kill Mold with Baking Soda
Baking soda is an alkene product that when combined with acids such as vinegar produces carbon dioxide. To succeed in using baking soda to eliminate mold, you need to use fresh baking soda.
You can test the freshness by adding a pinch of it inside vinegar. It should work if bubbles appear vigorously after this experiment. Baking soda provides three basic methods of eliminating mold namely:
A. Create and Apply Liquid Treatment
Step 1: wear a protective gear
- Wear protective gloves and a mask to protect yourself from direct exposure to the mold.
- Wear protective eyewear.
Step 2: Prepare the Work Area
- Cover doorways and air vents with plastic coverings.
- Turn off heating systems or central air in your working area to reduce the spread of mold spore.
Step 3: Remove the Mold Infected Surfaces
- Discard mold-infested surfaces in plastic bags
- Wrap items that are too big to fit into a plastic bag with sealed tape
Step 4: Eliminating Mold
- Combine 2 tablespoon of baking soda with two cups of water in a spray bottle
- Shake the spray bottle until the two combines.
- Spray the solution on the moldy surface.
- Use a brush to scrub the area vigorously.
- Rinse the area and spray it again.
- Allow it to dry without cleaning it again.
Mix a 50/50 combination of water and baking soda in a bowl to form a paste. Apply the paste on the moldy area and scrub the surface. If this doesn’t work, you may follow it up with the spray method.
Tips: Things to Note
- Avoid scrubbing too vigorously, you may damage your floor, it is advisable to use a sponge or a cloth instead of a brush.
- Be careful not to discolor your floors when using hydrogen peroxide. You can avoid discoloration by testing the peroxide on a surface to see if it causes discoloration. dilute it with water if it does cause discoloration.
Will hydrogen peroxide kill mold on porous surfaces?
No. Unfortunately, hydrogen peroxide cannot penetrate through porous materials, therefore, it cannot come into contact with mold that is growing underneath surfaces such as drywall and wood.
Does borax kill mold on porous surfaces?
Yes. combining 1 cup of borax and 1 gallon of water can help clear mold on porous surfaces. However, we should be careful not to use too much borax on porous surfaces like wood because the surfaces absorb water which will feed the mold and keep it growing.
