Asked on Feb 14, 2015

Quickest way to get mold odor out of house

Kalsti
by Kalsti
After moving some items into my home from a storage unit there is a smell of mold that is strong on some items (wood cabinet, scrapbooks, photo albums, some clothing, bed box frame, etc.) What is the quickest way to remove mold smell? I can see powdery grayish mold on some things but not on others. Please advise?
This old wooden cabinet had white "spots" that did not improve after using Clorox Cleanup or 50:50 bleach and water.
  15 answers
  • Tabby Tabby on Feb 14, 2015
    A strong blacklight (UV) light aimed for a couple of days, move it around so the light hits everything. Hospitals in Europe use UV light to kill mold and fungus in operating rooms.
  • Terrie Neudorf Terrie Neudorf on Feb 14, 2015
    I use vinegar and baking soda . It's safe on wood and fabric . Vancumm up baking soda off fabric and smell is gone . Use both on my wood surfaces and then use whatever polish you normally would . Let it sit awhile for best results .
  • Marion Nesbitt Marion Nesbitt on Feb 15, 2015
    Be very careful. Mold can cause serious health problems. Take what you can wipe off/wash outside with wipe with a chorine bleach solution. Throw out what you can. The baking soda idea from Terrie Neudorf will work to absorb smell. And Tabby has a good idea about the blacklight to kill the mold on items such as photo albums. I just don't know where you would get/rent one.
  • Joan Leahy Joan Leahy on Feb 15, 2015
    Make a slurry from borax and water and apply it to the mold and let sit for 20 minutes. Later reapply and scrub the area well to remove all mold and rinse. This recommendation comes from a professional mold re-mediator. She also recommends a special paint to apply to the area to prevent it from coming back. I have tried clorox but it constantly comes back and give me terrible headaches while working with it and after until the smell fades.
  • Kkg Kkg on Feb 15, 2015
    brush straight vodka on it, the cheap stuff, let it dry in the sun. it may take two times but it always works for me
  • Lana Lana on Feb 15, 2015
    apple cider vinegar and baking soda,brush on ,let it sit for about 30 minutes and vccume
    • Terrie Neudorf Terrie Neudorf on Feb 16, 2015
      You use regular vinegar , Apple cider can dis color some surfaces and smells gross mixed with hot water .
  • Sharon Sharon on Feb 15, 2015
    Borax is supposed to be better than bleach because bleach doesn't penetrate the surface while Borax does. Learned that when having to get rid of mold recently.
  • Kalsti Kalsti on Feb 15, 2015
    Terrie Neudorf or anyone do you have the proportions of baking soda to vinegar?
    • See 2 previous
    • Kalsti Kalsti on Feb 16, 2015
      @Terrie Neudorf Thanks very much!
  • Marlene Marlene on Feb 15, 2015
    Steam, will knock it right out.
  • Gypsiwoman Gypsiwoman on Feb 15, 2015
    Whatever method you eventually use, please take care to cover your nose and mouth to avoid breathing in any mold. Also, wash the clothes you wear when treating the mold immediately afterwards or as soon as possible. I can attest from first hand experience that exposure can cause health problems.
  • Cheryl Kohl Cheryl Kohl on Feb 16, 2015
    How about dry wall? Can mold be removed or must it be replaced?
  • Terrie Neudorf Terrie Neudorf on Feb 16, 2015
    I've cleaned drywall that can be saved if it's grey mold and not black . Or if the surface is dry and doesn't stay wet . We bought and old farm house . Some of this can just be a musty smell from age and a closed up hose or room . It really works . Then when completely dry and we knew it wasn't coming back we used a stain killer , broker primer before we painted and no more smell , mold or stains . Everything is just like new .
  • Terrie Neudorf Terrie Neudorf on Feb 18, 2015
    Yes steam works on fabric but not all other surfaces . If there is excess moisture it will come back .
  • Letty Letty on Feb 22, 2015
    I've started using SCOE 10X for removing every unwanted smell. It might help you. I ordered mine online.
  • Deirdre Sullivan Deirdre Sullivan on Feb 27, 2015
    This is a tough one because mold is difficult to remove from porous surfaces. You can try using Hydrogen Peroxide. It kills mold more effectively than vinegar. Here are a few articles you should read: http://goo.gl/NO06Tz and this article explains how long it takes hydrogen peroxide to work: http://goo.gl/xsU3XO