2010-01-07 - Cleaning mold with vinegar

This one is out of necessity. About a month ago I noticed a few black spots on the bathroom ceiling. I knew it was mold- but I was lazy. A couple of days ago I had to admit it had gotten pretty bad- imagine something that looks like an inverse Starry Night.

Originally I was just going to go to town on it with bleach and detergent and what ever chemicals the internet told me I should use. Then I went out for a few drinks with some people and got a better suggestion. I was discussing my exciting plans for the rest of the evening with them when someone recommended I use white vinegar and water. It's more of a 'green' approach to cleaning I guess and apparently works pretty well.

I mixed it 2 parts vinegar to 3 parts water. Sprayed the affected areas pretty thoroughly and started scrubbing. The mold came off with a little bit of work. I was impressed with how well it worked but didn't try anything else- so I can't really compare it to anything. I sprayed the area again and let it dry in hopes of preventing any regrowth. We'll see how it turns out- I'll have to make an update in a few days. Also- as expected it smelled like vinegar for a bit- still does.

So I got my vinegar and it seems to work pretty well - but why would you use it over any other cleaner or detergent or bleach? Well- most importantly it's effective. In addition to that it's cheap, and safe. Vinegar is a lot less harmful than bleach or other harsh chemicals- it's better for you and also the environment. It can be used on just about anything you need to clean. A quick search will give you tons of cleaning applications for vinegar.

I'm glad that I finally cleaned the ceiling but I really should have done it earlier. Mold is pretty gross- and it can cause all sorts of health problems if it gets bad enough. I suggest this quick, cheap and easy method of removing mold.