Do these Natural Home Remedies Actually Kill Mold?
Home remedies, or naturopathic medicines, have been around for centuries, but not all of it is effective. You may have heard that olive oil and lemon juice can be used to clean wood furniture, but in reality, olive oil leaves behind a sticky residue that can collect lint, making more of a mess.
We’re going to discuss common questions around home mold remedies including:
Does colloidal silver kill mold?
Does honey kill mold?
Does salt kill mold?
Does colloidal silver kill mold?
Colloidal Silver has been lauded for its antifungal properties since nearly the dawn of humanity. Hippocrates first described its antimicrobial properties in 400 BC. Colloidal silver has been used in burn wards for centuries, but does it work against mold?
Although the research does not definitively suggest that colloidal silver kills indoor mold, there are several off-the-shelf mold treatments that are infused with silver nanoparticles. Industry experts seem to believe that colloidal silver kills mold, but the science doesn’t explicitly support that view.
Does honey kill mold?
The idea behind honey being an effective treatment for indoor mold stems from the fact that honey is made up of two different types of sugars—glucose, and fructose. These sugars work to absorb moisture, and the hypothesis is that if the sugars absorb moisture from mold spores, there wouldn’t be enough moisture for the spore to take root and survive.
Additionally, honey is slightly acidic, which is why it doesn’t spoil. When glucose oxidase breaks down, it converts into hydrogen peroxide, which has also proven to be effective at killing mold.
Do we think that smearing honey on a mold infestation is a good idea?
No. The perceived antifungal benefits of honey are more closely related to fungal infections in the body. Using it on indoor mold probably won’t be as effective as an off-the-shelf antifungal cleaner, and even if it was, you would be left with a sticky mess to clean up afterwards.
Does salt kill mold?
Salt has been used to preserve food for millenia. The reason being that salt kills many single cell organisms, including mold spores, by dehydrating them.
Salt is therefore thought to be an effective mold killer, for the same reason honey is thought to be an effective mold killer—salt absorbs moisture. Again the theory is that if the mold spores lack the necessary moisture to take root and thrive, they won’t be able to grow in the first place.
The primary method through which salt has been used to kill mold is by creating a salt-water solution, and soaking the mold-infested item in it. This is problematic because the introduction of water actually promotes mold growth. Used incorrectly, this could create more mold, rather than kill it.
Using salt without water is not effective, unless the surrounding environment is moist enough to keep the salt in solution. Just sprinkling salt on a mold colony probably won’t kill it. It’s also corrosive to wood and metals, meaning salt is far from the best natural mold killer.
Looking for a safe and effective mold-killing method?
At My Pure Environment, we use a combination of peracetic acid and hydrogen peroxide. Disbursed in microdroplets using our dry fog technology, we can treat an entire room at one time. The fine mist of sterilant blankets the room and kills mold spores on contact. And the tiny particles mean that there’s no added moisture, and no residue left behind.
Natural home remedies are popular because many perceive them to be less harmful or less dangerous. Our extremely effective mold-killing method is completely safe and won’t harm you, your children, or your pets. Call us for a free consultation, or visit our website for a free online quote.
Image used under creative commons license - commercial use (3/30/2021) cenczi (Pixabay)