The mould was out of control in the bedroom.
I couldn't see it but I could smell it.
And it was giving me allergic asthma every night.
So today I pulled everything out of the built in cupboards, sorted a pile for the op shop and swept out a few cobwebs.
Lots of homeless Daddy Long Legs tonight.
All the surfaces got a spray with my oil of cloves mixture.
It is 1.25ml of clove bud oil in one litre of water into a spray bottle.
It can be purchased at many chemists ( I purchased mine from Gould's Naturopathy in Hobart $15.50 for 50ml). This is enough for half a lifetime of use as it is very powerful stuff but you are also getting the idea how thrifty this cleaning is too.
Mould grows in nice damp conditions and from spores. The beauty of oil of cloves is that it kills the spores giving a longer lasting and more effective clean.
I got onto this method from Shannon Lush and I cannot recommend her books "Spotless" and "Stainless" enough.
Oil of Cloves also kills moss and lichen and is an insect repellent against many hard shelled insects like silverfish. You have probably already heard that it is also a good remedy for toothache acting like a local anaesthetic in the mouth.
I lightly misted the interior of the cupboards and allowed to dry with plenty of fresh air and sunshine pouring into the bedroom today.
Then everything was stacked neatly back in ensuring that there was adequate room around piles for air flow.
The ports (you probably call them suitcases in your neck of the woods) were also sprayed and put in the sunshine and I gave the window frames and sills a really good wipe down too as this is where that black mouldy line can also be seen from condensation wet windows over winter.
It all feels much fresher and I should breathe easier tonight.
Oil of cloves is also effective on mould on tile grout, mildewed blinds, sailing canvases, in fact anywhere you find mould.
Another tip from Shannon's book "Stainless" for moisture in cupboards is to tie a bundle of six sticks of ordinary white school chalk and hang it in the cupboard. Once it has become quite wet from absorbing moisture, hang it on the clothesline in the sun till dry again and then back into the cupboard.
As Shannon says, "20 cents for life vs. $180.00 for 12 months using an equivalent commercial preparation"
Tanya thank you for this wonderful post. I'll look for some 'oil of cloves' tomorrow and get into the mould here. The hint about the use of chalk is great because I spent heaps after the wet summer here, on a product called 'Hippo' which can't be refilled and the label says to throw it in the bin even the liquid. this felt so wrong. I'll wipe out the cupboards where the hippo's been with the oil of cloves too! Thank you again! :-)
ReplyDeleteOH this is good to know... I want to tackle the mould around the windows as well... and it probably will also do the mould in the shower grout... That stuff is so damn hard to get rid off in old bathrooms and I don't want to get bleach but I am feeling desperate!
ReplyDeleteMust get me some oil of cloves.
ReplyDeleteI love that word "port"...it sounds so much nicer than boring old suitcase, I haven't heard it in ages...I think I'll start refering to cases as ports from now on.
That's great, I will be making this. I suffer allergies from dust,and I don't even want to think what else. I recently became asthmatic again, so thank you for this preperation.
ReplyDeleteI love her books and I bought some oil of clothes a while back for the very same reason, I bought my online which easy and didn't cost too muc. I love winter but the mould really does depress me
ReplyDeleteThankyou Tanya for this great hint.. We are very lucky to not have a lot of mould, even in this old farm house.. But I know what I will be doing if I see some and will pass this hint on..
ReplyDeleteI too love Shannon Lush. I keep her book Spotless in my laundry and love dipping into it, and take a peculiar pleasure from being the stain removal mistress of my household! I love that she uses a lot of bicarb of soda too, and that if you follow her tips you can clean most things with bicarb and white vinegar. They don't smell, they're not toxic and they're cheap as chips! I put white vinegar in my dishwasher instead of rinse aid, does exactly the same job, and use it instead of toxic fabric softener in my washing machine. I could go on, but it's your blog.... I feel a post coming on myself.
ReplyDeleteGreat tips, Tanya. I haven't really heard of using oil of cloves before and I can smell a mouldy smell from behind my bedhead. I think I'll wipe down the wall with oil of cloves and see if it makes a difference.
ReplyDeleteI bet this works GREAT! Will have to try it soon. We've had humid weather (unusual here) and the tub drain smells moldy to me. I know this is a key ingredient in my dogs natural flea/tick ointment. She smells so good when it's been applied.
ReplyDeleteThose cloves can cure toothache.
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