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Kill that mould once and for all

I’ve written about using clove oil to kill mould before when I cleaned the rubber seal in my washing machine. There is some science in that blog post.

You could use bleach (which I would have normally used), but I did learn it is only making the mould “white” for a period of time. The spores are still there and will reappear.

Why is clove oil so good at killing mould?

Clove is by far the best antioxidant of all the essential oils. And antioxidants kill mould. Not mask it.

If you spray directly on to the affected area, leave for half an hour and then go back and give it some elbow grease you’ll be able to help rid your mould problem. You may need to do this a couple of times.

For example, the bathroom is always the most common place to get patches of mould. The most obvious thing we’d do is to throw bleach at it. But that won’t actually kill the spores permanently. It’ll solve the problem only temporarily.

How to

  • 250ml Glass spray bottle (it needs to be glass or even aluminium because the oils in contact with plastic can leach chemicals over time)
  • 30 drops clove essential oil (only use 100% pure)
  • Teaspoon of witch hazel water (essential oils won’t distribute into the water on its own, but when diluted in the witch hazel or vodka, it will mix into the water).
  • Boiled and cooled water (tap water can harness bacteria, so make sure it’s distilled water).
  • Spray over area, leave for half an hour
  • Use elbow grease to actually remove the mould (scouring pad)
  • Repeat a couple of times

If you want to get started with essential oils, here’s how!

♥ KC.

5 comments

  • Matt

    Thanks for recipe

  • Kazzie

    Thank you Katrina, I need that for those pesky moulds in the bathroom and little bit around the kitchen sink!

  • Leah

    How much water? To fill up 250ml bottle?

  • Margaret

    Hi Katrina
    Thanks for the great recipes. I am in the process of going low-tox and made the surface spray, glass cleaner, OMFG cleaner and the mould killer for my cleaner to try last Wednesday. She loved them (so much so, I printed her the recipes). The only one she wasn’t fussy on was the mould killer, but I suspect it’s because the mould is in the silicon, rather than the grout. Do you have any tips for built-in mould in the silicon?
    Keep the recipes coming. I am about to make the fabric softener and try the laundry soaker soon.

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