Are you searching the web for mold killers? Good news! You can safely remove unhealthy and unsightly mold with a simple ingredient in your pantry: vinegar! If you’re looking for a natural alternative to harsh chemicals, you can rely on cleaning vinegar to kill mold in your house.
Over the years, cleaning vinegar earned its reputation as one of the most robust eliminators of molds and mildews. Studies show that the natural acidic component found in vinegar effectively eliminates all traces of mold and prevents its future growth.
Mold in homes is a scary and worrisome sight. Even though cleaning vinegar has the versatility and ability to clean various things and areas in your home, you might still ask – will cleaning vinegar kill mold in my home? Below we will discuss why cleaning vinegar eradicates mold and how you can use it in your home.
Why is Cleaning Vinegar Effective in Killing Mold?
Cleaning vinegar is the ultimate go-to formula for killing molds in every household. This solution has around six to eight percent acetic acid. Experts say that mild acid found in cleaning vinegar kills around 82% of molds.
Because of its vital acid component, cleaning vinegar can undeniably kill the growth of microorganisms and fungi like molds. Budget-wise, accessible, and environmental-friendly, cleaning vinegar is a recommended household cleanser for stains and dirty surfaces caused by mold.
Is Cleaning Vinegar Better than White Vinegar for Removing Mold?
White vinegar is the most commonly used formula for removing molds. But there’s no concrete answer where cleaning vinegar does better than white vinegar. The truth is cleaning vinegar, and white vinegar only differs in acidity level.
While distilled vinegar contains around five percent acetic acid, cleaning vinegar carries six to eight percent acetic acid. At first glance, it doesn’t seem like that much of a difference. However, experts say that cleaning vinegar proves to be 20% stronger for household cleaning.
Overall, both formulas have antibacterial properties, which makes them effective in killing molds at the roots. Cleaning and white vinegar are cheap but efficient solutions for removing many molds.
How to Use Cleaning Vinegar to Kill Mold?
Why does cleaning vinegar kill mold? Because of its good antifungal properties, one can quickly eliminate all the molds around the surface.
Now, let’s start! We’ll walk you through all the tools, materials, and steps to get rid of mold using cleaning vinegar.
Things You’ll Need
Here’s a quick rundown of materials and equipment you must keep on hand when using cleaning vinegar to remove mold.
Materials
- Cleaning Vinegar
Equipment
- Spray Bottle
- Rubber Gloves
- Eye Protection
- N-95 Mask
- Sponge
- Bucket
- Brush
To save you from the hassle, here are the six steps you must follow when removing mold using cleaning vinegar.
Instructions:
Step 1: Protect yourself and wear safety gear like safety glasses and an N-95 mask that can fully cover your nose and mouth.
Step 2: Put a sufficient amount of cleaning vinegar in an empty spray bottle.
Step 3: Spray the cleaning vinegar directly onto the surface containing the mold.
Step 4: Let the cleaning vinegar penetrate the mold for one hour.
Step 5: Scrub the remaining mold with rubber gloves, a sponge, or a brush.
Step 6: Give a final blow with one last spray of cleaning vinegar into the area.
How Often Should You Clean Away Mold with Vinegar?
The growth of molds can be persistent. No one-stop solution can 100% get rid of and blow away molds all at once. While cleaning vinegar can successfully removes mold on different surfaces of your home, there’s a high chance it can still grow back.
To keep your humble home mold-free, it’s always best to keep a spray bottle of cleaning vinegar on hand. Since it’s a safe solution, you can spray cleaning vinegar in the areas of the house every few days.
How Long Will It Take to Kill Mold with Vinegar?
Cleaning vinegar will take around one to two hours to kill all traces of mold completely. That’s because it takes this long to penetrate the mold’s membranous areas and destroy it entirely.
Afterward, the next step, brushing and scrubbing, will be much easier. Further, cleaning the area might take more than one cleaning vinegar application for large mold infestations.
What Types of Vinegar Can You Use to Clean Mold?
While vinegar has natural cleaning properties, not all types of vinegar can be used to clean mold. Although red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, champagne, and white wine vinegar are acidic, they are best kept and used in the kitchen.
So, what types of vinegar can you use to remove molds? Apple cider vinegar can kill mold, but standard white distilled vinegar will do better. With its five percent acidity, you can eliminate mold infestations. You can also rely on it for your cleaning chores!
On the other hand, you can always use cleaning vinegar with a high acidic content if you don’t have white distilled vinegar. Overall, the acidic components of cleaning and white distilled vinegar allow them to destroy molds and clean and shine your house’s surfaces.
How to Prevent Mold Growth with Vinegar
Cleaning vinegar has also established its reputation for effectively preventing molds. Cleaning vinegar can prevent mold growth on fruits and common household mold nests.
To prevent molds from forming, try spraying cleaning vinegar on hard surfaces. Give the cleaning vinegar time and allow it to dry. You can also mop your floor with water and vinegar to prevent mold from returning and reappearing. Or directly spray the cleaning vinegar in the problem areas every other day and wipe!
Where Should You Not Use Vinegar to Kill Mold and Mildew?
Undeniably, vinegar proves to be a powerful treatment for molds. One can freely use it on different surfaces. However, because of vinegar’s acidity, it can damage specific areas in your house. So, it will be best not to use vinegar on the following:
Stone countertops
Vinegar has the potential to etch and dull stone surfaces of limestone and marble. Keep the vinegar away when removing mold from granite and natural stone countertops. On top of everything, while vinegar is unlikely to damage the concrete, it might damage the surrounding cement.
Electronic devices and screens
Vinegar can affect the anti-glare properties of electronic devices and damage their touchscreen properties. Even in its diluted form, never use vinegar in cleaning laptops, computers, televisions, and smartphones.
Metals
Vinegar can corrode metals like copper and aluminum. If used to clean mold, vinegar will cause pitting on the metals and stainless edges.
Wooden floors
It’s best not to use vinegar for cleaning molds and mildews on wooden floors. Vinegar can damage the protective finish of waxed wood surfaces. Constant use of vinegar on wooden floors will break their shine, cause swelling, and leave a dry appearance.
Conclusion
Now you know that cleaning vinegar can kill molds and mildews. On top of everything, it’s natural, environmental-friendly, and effective on different surfaces at home. Most importantly, it’s affordable, so you won’t have to break the bank to keep your humble home mold and fungus-free!
To learn what else you can clean with vinegar in your home, read our article – Can Vinegar Clean Carpets?
To learn other ways to clean mold in your home check out our article – Can You Remove Mold from Your House Naturally?