Homemade Anti Mold Spray & Bathroom Cleaner + 10 Ways to Reduce Moisture in Your Home and Clean Your Indoor Air

Published: Feb 3, 2014 · Modified: Jun 10, 2024 by Emily Criswell · I may receive commissions from purchases made through links in this article · 60 Comments

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Clean minor household mold with this Homemade Anti-Mold Spray & Bathroom Cleaner + 10 Ways to Reduce Moisture in Your Home and Clean Your Indoor Air.

Mold can be such a frustrating thing. I have lived in multiple rentals that had serious hidden mold problems - two had Stachybotrys (also known as "black mold") and others had massive amounts of Aspergillus penicillium and Cladosporium and extremely high levels of Wallemia sebi and Penicillium brevicompactum and a whole slew of other strains.

Please note, serious mold problems need to be dealt with by a licensed mold professional. Do not let anyone who is not a licensed mold professional (including you, a landlord, contractor, etc.) start removing anything (walls, flooring, carpet, wallpaper, etc.) or disturbing the mold - this will only further damage your home and your health.

If you suspect you have a mold problem and don't know where to start, check out Mold Help For You and Hybrid Rasta Mama for really helpful info - where to begin, mold 101, mold testing, mold remediation, symptoms of exposure, etc.

Pretty much all homes have small amounts of common household mold and surface mold from time to time, especially in bathrooms. It's important to keep bathrooms, sink areas in the kitchen and other areas in the home clean, especially as soon as you see any surface mold - before it becomes a problem.

Ways to Reduce Moisture in Your Home

We all know that extra moisture doesn't help when it comes to keeping mold at bay. There are proactive things that you can do to help keep moisture levels lower in your home.

If you have a water leak, fix it immediately.
After showering, use a squeegee to wipe down the shower walls. You can even use it to wipe the water down the tub to the drain.
Use dehumidifers and moisture absorbers in your home to help dry out dampness. Look for renewable dehumidifiers (I have used these dehumidifiers for many years in smaller spaces) or regular dehumidifiers for smaller spaces and larger capacity dehumidifiers for larger spaces.
Use fans and/or ceiling fans to keep air circulating in your home - cross ventilation is very important.
When possible, open your windows and let the light in! Sunshine helps dry out moisture and outdoor air almost always helps clean your indoor air.

To Help Clean Your Indoor Household Air

Using True HEPA Air Filtration Purifiers (not HEPA-Type) to help clean your indoor air. They are portable and can be moved from room to room. It's especially important to use air purifiers in the rooms that you sleep in. This is my favorite, high quality air purifier brand that is well known for how well they work. I have also used this air purifier in medium size rooms, these air purifiers in bedrooms and these independently tested certified B corporation air purifiers in bedrooms (they also carry larger space air purifiers). Look for models that work for the space you need from small to medium to large size rooms.
Change your indoor filters every 1-3 months (1-2 months is ideal) and always when the season changes. Replace with high quality filters that help filter mold, dander, allergens, viruses, etc. If you need to use less expensive filters, make sure to replace them more often, every 1-2 months.
Open your windows to get fresh air as much as possible. Outdoor air quality is usually better than indoor air quality.
Use waterless nebulizer diffusers with quality essential oils like lemon, peppermint, lavender, or lemon eucalyptus essential oils.
Use Himalayan salt lamps in your home. Not only are they absolutely beautiful, but they're known for helping clean the air and they're known for helping block harmful EMFs (electromagnetic fields). When heated, they release negative ions to help purify the air. Check your local natural foods stores, often they carry some in wellness sections.
Ditch the toxic scented laundry detergents and use fragrance free, perfume free, eco-friendly, quality laundry detergents. Laundry detergents can pollute your indoor air not only while washing - those chemicals stay in your linens and clothing after washing. This laundry detergent is great, especially if you suspect there is a mold issue in your home - or anytime you have been exposed to a moldy environment. I use both of the linked laundry detergents and alternate (weekly) using them.
Some indoor house plants can help clean the indoor air quality. Be careful about moisture though, watering indoor plants can add extra moisture to your home. If mold is an issue in your home, most certified mold professionals will advise against indoor house plants.

How to Clean Common Household Mold

Vinegar and tea tree essential oil are known for helping combat mold. Combining the two makes one powerful homemade anti-mold spray.

One simple way to help clean common household mold is by making a simple, homemade anti-mold cleaner spray. It's so easy to make!

I personally do NOT recommend the use of bleach and never use it. During my first experience with a toxic mold rental, I learned from certified toxic mold professionals that bleach should never be used to clean mold. They shared that it actually makes the problem worse, releasing the mold spores into the air for you then to breathe. Plus it's also known to be highly toxic and emits a gas that can cause damage to your lungs. Read more here to find out why chlorine bleach does not kill mold.