http://www.care2.com/greenliving/vinegar-with-essential-oils-for-mold-and-mildew.html
Mold and Mildew Eliminator: Vinegar with Essential Oils
I live in the humid Hudson Valley in New York, and I’ll never forget one of my first summers here when a green-like mildew grew inside of closets and over and inside of shoes. Being sensitive to mold I was very alarmed that the thick humidity would make such colonies flourish in my bedroom.
I have a number of tricks up my sleeve to kill mildew and mold, three of which are written about in 3 Ways to Kill Mold Naturally. These three are tea tree oil, vinegar, and grapefruit seed extract. Grapefruit seed extract is good for those who want no odor for the few days after spraying the mildew. I’ve used them all very successfully.
I’d like to add more about vinegar and essential oils. Studies by Heinz and others have shown that straight household white distilled vinegar kills 82 percent of mold when used straight up. (This means straight 7 percent acid solution from a bottle of vinegar that you buy in the supermarket.) This is a very good kill rate. And you can’t beat the price.
The problem is that many people write to me saying that they hate the smell of vinegar. What to do? I’ve been experimenting with adding a few drops of essential oil to straight white distilled vinegar and the results for smell are remarkable and unexpected. The essential oils seem to mellow out the bite of the smell of vinegar, leaving a vibrant essence that is mostly the smell of the essential oil with a bit of a sharp almost resinous touch, which would be the transformed vinegar.
A boon is that essential oils are very antimicrobial and will work to kill mold, too.
To try this yourself, place about 1/2 cup straight white distilled vinegar in a spray bottle. Add about 10 drops of essential oil, to start, shake, and smell. How do you like it? Do you need more essential oil? Just make sure not to add more than 15 drops of oil as it can be strong. I personally love lavender in this.
Spray this concoction directly on mold and mildew. Don’t rinse. The smell will dissipate.
Note: Make sure to avoid your eyes!
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15 comments
add your comment »This sounds like a great idea. Is there an essential oil that has a more masculine scent that would work for this application?
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Just wondering, if you can mix essential oils w/ vinegar then couldn't you just mix grapefruit seed extract, tea tree oil AND vinegar all together to make a super good mold killer?
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Just wondering, if you can mix essential oils w/ vinegar then couldn't you just mix grapefruit seed extract, tea tree oil AND vinegar all together to make a super good mold killer?
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How can anyone complain about the smell of vinegar in comparison with bleach! And think of the harm that bleach does. Drip it on the carpet or your sleeve and it is a permanent reminder of poison.
Also, did you know that vinegar is great in the garden too? If you spray under the plants where your slugs congregate it not only rids you of the slugs but amends the soil!
How's that for magic.
And nothing shines brighter than a window cleaned with vinegar and polished with yesterday's news.
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Karen, found 3 sites on killing the mold in books. I may give these a try and post how well they work.
http://www.antiqueweb.com/articles/antiquebookspreservation.html#three
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview/id/713621.html
http://www.bookthink.com/0059/59rep.htm
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Karen -- try this website for dealing with book mold
Or this one:
This one has a couple of q&a on the subject
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Just so you know I came across this info about greapefruit seed extract..http://www.terressentials.com/truthaboutgse.html
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This sounds like a good idea but does the concoction work on books. I have mold in my libray and my books are treasures. What can i do to get rid of the mold there?
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I will have to try this the next time I refill my shower sprayer, which I had been filling with half alcohol and half water +15 drops lavender EO and 10 drops peppermint EO, a formula which worked to keep the shower clean/mold gone until a few weeks ago--when it simply became unbearably hot for weeks without a break.
I hope this works, as I hate having to scrub the black goo off every other day (yes, it's gotten that bad).
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I but aloe at Walmart made here in the u.s.a.
If you could get this essential oil mfg to relable itself and sell it as a no name braand at walmart i could afford possibly to buy and use it.
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