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How do I know if my Lemon essential oil is still good?

Experiences with essential oil to get rid of mold?

  • Our wooden baseboards and wooden furniture have mold on them from being too close to the outside walls of a 1913 house. It's not the nasty black mold- just the green stuff that wipes right off. I'd like to know the best way to get it off, and keep it off, if that's even possible. The internet is giving me conflicting advice. (Vinegar works. No it doesn't. Tea tree oil kills mold. Tea tree oil eats furniture finish.) Do you have any suggestions? I was thinking of trying out a diluted cedar or pine or lemon oil solution. Has anyone tried that? So far I've only used this stuff called http://www.whink.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=cEcommerce.Product&ProductID=4444 that I got at the local Ace Hardware. It seems to work but it's supposed to just be for floors, so maybe it's a bad idea to use it on baseboards and furniture? And if mold is on the painted walls at all, any suggestions for that? Thank you!

  • Answer:

    I can't speak to the cleaning part but the prevention angle definitely revolves around moisture. Once you address your moisture problem, then you are preventing the opportunity for moisture to return.

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It isn't as natural of a solution as what you're talking about here, but bleach is certainly good at killing mold. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure the only way to keep it from returning is to address the moisture problem. Good luck!

orme

White vinegar will kill it. So will lotsa salt. Salt will also help prevent its return but then you'll have a salty house so proceed with caution.

windykites

I had a vehicle which was in a flood (without my knowledge, long story). I had a terrible time getting rid of mold in the interior. Tried bleach, vinegar, dehumidifier.... The thing which finally worked was a mix of Simple Green (diluted from concentrate) and denatured alcohol. Worked like a charm.

cat_link

Some people are allergic to cedar oil, so use sparingly! What you need is something that will kill it, but won't be too harsh on the furniture and won't provide food for the mold to grow on. Oils aren't going to give you that. White vinegar will kill it, but might fuel its return. Bleach is going to be too harsh on the furniture. Perhaps you need a little vinegar and baking soda diluted in water?

The 10th Regiment of Foot

If the furniture is in the same environment, you probably need a dehumidifier, permanently. I would use mild bleach, as a cleaner and to sanitize. You could also try a blow dryer afterwards to get any latent moisture out.

wongcorgi

I just removed some black mold from cedar window frames. The first step was to scrub the moldy bits with powdered laundry soap and hot water (using an old tooth brush works really well for grooved areas/corners). The second step was to use a little bleach in hot water to wipe the cleaned areas down, and let them air dry. It made a significant difference, but it is a relatively short term solution.

sassy mae

What about borax? I have a lot of that.

small_ruminant

And I discovered in the shower that hydrogen peroxide gets rid of mold longer than bleach does. For some reason peroxide sounds really harsh to furniture. Am I wrong?

small_ruminant

Borax can bleach some materials so give it a test first. Also it can oxidize metals so be careful there. Bonus - its toxic to insects!

The 10th Regiment of Foot

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