mold/mildew cleaning

[nofixedstars]

i'm asking for suggestions for a really good product that will truly kill mold and mildew in my shower. over the years i've tried baking soda, borax, lemon juice, tea tree oil, grapefruit seed extract, straight bleach, and a variety of off-the-shelf cleaners that run the gamut from insanely toxic bleach-containing to natural ones based on essential

Comments

[ladysilverlark]

This is what I was going to say. I finally put a dehumidifier in our bathroom and it made a huge difference.

Also as some one else said you need to make sure there is no water damage behind the shower walls. If you have mold growing behind the shower you may need to bring in professionals to clean up and repair the problems.

[rocza]

Have you checked to make sure the mold hasn't spored through the drywall and into the framing? You might have an infestation in the walls of the bathroom - if so, all the scrubbing in the world won't make it go away. (And if it's black mold, GET A PROFESSIONAL!)

Aside from that, when I had a humidity/mold issue in my last apartment (note to homeowners/landlords: when you replace old windows, you need to make sure there is some way for the apartment to vent, if you're in a humid climate. Otherwise, things get bad fast), I used Shoo Mold. It was non-toxic and okay around animals, and seemed to actually work. (I didn't have a mold recurrence, anyhow.)

[sunshadow]

Have you tried Vinegar? We use a towel and vinegar. Wipe down with a towel after your shower and then spray on vinegar and let it sit on there, no need to wipe it up.

[virtualannette]

This, this this... someone here suggested vinegar to me for the same shower problem and it cleared it up pretty well and really easily. You don't even need to scrub it with a scrub brush or anything... I just spray on the vinegar, give it a couple minutes, and wipe with a sponge (it wipes right off! so easy!)

[darkenedminds]

Clean and scrub off the mold - bleach would be good as a farewell cleaner since it'll really kill off whats there - and thereafter, spray down moist surfaces after showers with alcohol. Rubbing, isopropyl, or high proof vodka. It'll help the moisture evaporate quickly rather than stick around.

[bookofmirrors]

Food grade hydrogen peroxide (35%), I'm told, will do the trick. There was something else I heard once, from what I consider to a be reliable source, that if you used food-grade hydrogen peroxide AND [this other natural substance I can't remember for the life of me], one after the other, in either order, it's just as effective as bleach. Wish I could remember what the other thing is... hell, might have even been a baking soda/water mixture, or vinegar - no idea.

I'm not personally familiar, but what little I've read leads me to believe that NSF bleach (no idea what that stands for) is somehow different/better than your basic Clorox-type bleach, and might even be considered natural??? Not positive, but I put it out there so people can do their own research.

My understanding is that both are pricey, though.