This is a bigger problem than window spray could handle. Full strength ammonia might work but I don't want to leave it because of our 7 cats. They are always in the windows! Thanks for the suggestion though.
I clean mine with Windex when I clean the windows. If you have mold/mildew you could clean them with bleach water to help with staining. Follow with a good spray of full strength vinegar to kill any mold/mildew spores that cleaning didn't remove. Vinegar is one of the best antibacterial and antifungal agents that there is, and super cheap, too. I keep a spray bottle of vinegar in the kitchen all the time for cleaning everywhere in the house. Let the vinegar dry if you can, or at least let it set on the area for ten or fifteen minutes to do its work the best. I hope this helps you with your mold, Sarah, if there is a dampness problem, it may come back, but the vinegar will hopefully keep it away longer.
I do have an on going dampness problem. We heat with natural gas space heaters and they create moisture. We had single windows so we replaced them with double (insulated) windows thinking that would solve our problem but it didn't. We have seven cats so I can't use bleach the way I used to and I had read in Hometalk about baking soda and something. Now I am sure it was white vinegar!
The bleach water will be rinsed off by the vinegar, the bleach water does not have to be strong, it is only used to clean and remove some of the mold/mildew. The vinegar is what will help get rid of the mold/mildew by killing the spores. You can treat the window sills with vinegar when you clean to try to stave off the mold from taking hold. I have single pane windows, but in the past have had double pane Windows and you can still have moisture problems from humidity. Our house always has somewhat higher humidity due to all the large aquariums, so when I increase the humidity further by boiling water for potatoes or pasta, my kitchen and living room windows all fog up. I have had that happen sometimes even with double pane windows. When the windows fog up, try to keep the sills dry and that will help with the mold problem, too.
Hi Sarah - There are several ways to get rid of mold, but most importantly, you need to address the root cause to keep it from returning. This article focuses on the bathroom, but is an overall great article that covers methods of how to remove mold, if bleach is safe to use, and how to prevent it from coming back. Hope this helps! Hugs, Holly
You may have a defective sill plate, causing water to remain on the sill and be absorbed into the surrounding space. Have a carpenter check it out and see if replacement sills are needed.
Last I knew Ammonia Kills Mold, mainly So you can Spray your Window Cleanser on the Sill.
Baking soda and white vinegar.
Vinegar!
https://www.servicemasterrestore.com/blog/mold-damage/mold-myths-will-vinegar-kill-mold/
https://www.servicemaster-restoration-cleaning.com/2017/03/30/mold-myths/
https://nextdoor.com/for_sale_and_free/0ed99cc8-cd40-4db7-b626-2c3bc8745175?init_source=copy_link_share
I clean mine with Windex when I clean the windows. If you have mold/mildew you could clean them with bleach water to help with staining. Follow with a good spray of full strength vinegar to kill any mold/mildew spores that cleaning didn't remove. Vinegar is one of the best antibacterial and antifungal agents that there is, and super cheap, too. I keep a spray bottle of vinegar in the kitchen all the time for cleaning everywhere in the house. Let the vinegar dry if you can, or at least let it set on the area for ten or fifteen minutes to do its work the best. I hope this helps you with your mold, Sarah, if there is a dampness problem, it may come back, but the vinegar will hopefully keep it away longer.
Bleach and water
Hi Sarah - There are several ways to get rid of mold, but most importantly, you need to address the root cause to keep it from returning. This article focuses on the bathroom, but is an overall great article that covers methods of how to remove mold, if bleach is safe to use, and how to prevent it from coming back. Hope this helps! Hugs, Holly
https://pinkfortitude.com/mold-in-the-shower/
You may have a defective sill plate, causing water to remain on the sill and be absorbed into the surrounding space. Have a carpenter check it out and see if replacement sills are needed.
Vinegar kills the mold spores and is safe around animals.