Helping to Prevent and Manage Mold, Bacteria, and Viruses
Cleaning is a top-level strategy for removing mold and bacteria. This work can be quite a chore, but is necessary to keep yourself and your family healthy. A few additional steps can be taken to reduce the possibility of these microbes causing a problem around your home.
Problems with microbes?
Mold, bacteria, and viruses can cause problems in any household. While not all microbes are bad, some are capable of compromising your health and causing disease. Mold and mildew can produce allergens that can exacerbate respiratory problems, and pathogenic bacteria and viruses are responsible for giving you everything from the common cold to food-borne illnesses.
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Helps remove mold, mildew and viruses, improving breathing conditions.
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Utilize natural light and circulating air
- Open a window or turn on a fan to move moist air out and reduce the likelihood of mildew forming in the bathroom. Mold and mildew are often a problem in bathrooms because of the moisture.
- Use the sun: UV rays can kill bacteria, and leaving items exposed to strong sunlight for several hours can help to disinfect them.
Practice clean kitchen techniques
- Ensure that raw foods such as meat are kept separate from other foods in the refrigerator to avoid intestinal problems caused by foodborne illnesses.
Wash Hands
- Wash hands frequently to help prevent transmission of pathogenic bacteria or viruses. Soap and water are a powerful tool and in most cases are just as effective as antibacterial soaps.
Low Impact Approaches
Natural Cleaners for Mold, Bacteria, and Viruses
Various combinations of household items such as vinegar, baking soda, and plain soap can be used as cleaning agents in the home and are just as effective as harsher chemical products for many applications. Whether you want to avoid using these harsh chemicals because of asthma or other sensitivities, or are just looking for a cost-effective set of cleaning tools, the following list highlights the most important cleaners.
Vinegar
- Vinegar works best at full strength (5% acetic acid) but the addition of several drops of essential oil will improve the smell for those that are sensitive. Vinegar is effective for cleaning mildew in the shower or can be used as an after-shower spray to prevent the growth of new mildew. Vinegar can also be used to kill some bacteria and viruses, including Salmonella and E. coli, and is useful for cleaning counters or cutting boards and removing smells.
- NEVER mix vinegar with bleach or ammonia because it forms harmful chlorine or chloramine gases. Be careful not to clean with vinegar and then with bleach after, as the residue may still react.
Baking soda
- Baking soda has antifungal properties and is registered by the US EPA as a biopesticide.
- Mix baking soda with water to make a paste that is effective at removing mold or mildew in the grout between tiles. Baking soda has many properties that make it useful as an all-purpose cleaner and can be used as a scouring agent.
Tea tree oil
- Tea tree oil is more expensive than some other natural remedies but is effective at killing mold and mildew. After scrubbing off mildew using a tea tree oil solution, apply a little extra to prevent more mildew from growing back.
- Many bacterial species are susceptible to tea tree oil, including Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli.
Salt
- Salt is a microbial inhibitor. Many microorganisms need moist conditions to thrive, making salt an efficient way to reduce the amount of water available for microbes to grow.
- Salt also interferes with microbe enzyme activity and weakens the molecular structure of bacterial and fungal DNA.
Household hydrogen peroxide
- A 3% hydrogen peroxide solution can be use to remove and prevent the growth of mildew and mold.
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- Hydrogen peroxide is registered as a sterilizer and is effective against the HIV-1 virus, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and Norovirus. Higher concentrations of peroxide are available as cleaning products and are also effective against many pathogenic bacteria and viruses, but are corrosive to skin and eyes.
Lemon Juice
- Lemon juice is a versatile cleaner and can be used in combination with baking soda or salt to inhibit the growth of some bacteria.
- Using a stronger cleaner is advised for cleansing surfaces that come in contact with raw meat.
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