I had been travelling for a few weeks and on my return, I was devastated to find that a pipe had leaked and flooded my house.
By the time I got home, the water had evaporated (a benefit of a hot climate) but mould had set in. In fact, it seemed quite determined to take over the whole house.
I eyed it warily as I instantly started sneezing and coughing – a common reaction to mould, as I later found out.
Luckily, I knew how to win the war. I reached for my secret weapon.
Vinegar.
Vinegar in water was the perfect solution for non-porous surfaces such as floors and walls – vinegar kills the mould.
Clothes, towels etc. were steeped in vinegar water then washed twice.
Some things didn’t survive the mould attack – sadly, they’re contained in bags in the rubbish pile now (they need to be contained so the mould spores don’t spread).
It was hard work, but it was really effective.
Some citrus fruit, cinnamon boiling on the stovetop, and fresh lilies soon sorted out the nasty damp smell, and the house is almost back to normal again. (And I’m not sneezing any more).
And not a chemical in sight!
The use of vinegar for eco cleaning is fairly common but now we know we can use it for disposing of mold on clothes. Thanks for the tip.
[…] out how I removed mould from my home after a water leak while I was away on […]
You may not have had to discard some of your items. I was given a nice rain jacket that had been left out in the rain, with a banana peel in it, no less. The jacket was covered in red and black mold. I put it through a wash with vinegar first, then soaked it for several days in an eco friendly non chlorine “bleach” but still had some faint pink mold on it. While it was still wet, I put it out in the sunshine and within 20 minutes the remainder of the mold was gone. Amazing, and it saved a pricey jacket from the landfill.
That was a great way to save a pricey jacket from ruin – well worth the effort!
What I lost was mainly paper – books, filed documents and a whole pile of hand-written study notes. The paper swelled up in the water, and the humidity and the mould rendered them unusable, sadly. But the rest was fine.
Thanks so much Heather for sharing how you saved your jacket – that’s great to know!
[…] out how I removed mould from my home after a water leak while I was away on […]
[…] out how I removed mould from my home after a water leak while I was away on […]