Effective homemade mold cleaner spray and other DIY tips for cleaning the bathtub and tile in the shower, using natural ingredients like vinegar, baking soda and essential oils. Includes a recipe for a DIY natural shower cleaner for mold prevention.
The gleaming tile. The shiny new fixtures. The spotless shower. When you spend good money redecorating a bathroom, you can get a little obsessive about keeping it clean.
I know because I’ve been there.
We did a partial remodel in our bathroom by putting in new tile in the shower and new porcelain over the old bathtub. I’m bound and determined to make sure that mold and mildew don’t take residence in there!
Not only is mold ugly and embarrassing, it can be a health hazard, causing asthma attacks, nasal congestion and headaches.
So how do you keep mold and mildew from growing in your shower?
The best place to start is prevention. Mold prevention in the bathroom is tricky but use the tips below to try to keep mold from growing in your shower in the first place. If mold does show up in the shower, attack it immediately using the natural mold cleaning tips I outline below.
Natural Mold Cleaning Tips
Here are a few of my favorite natural mold cleaning tips – using only non-toxic ingredients like vinegar and baking soda.
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Natural mold prevention:
- Make sure the shower area is well-ventilated – turn on the fan and open the windows and doors!
- Use a squeegee to take excess water off of the shower walls.
- Wipe down problem areas like corners and ledges with a dry cloth. Mold needs a wet environment to grow so keep things dry!
- Shake out shower curtain after each shower. Wash or replace shower curtain frequently.
- Make your own homemade bathroom cleaner spray using vinegar and the essential oils to prevent mold (see DIY shower cleaner recipe below)
Natural mold cleaning:
- Spray mold with straight vinegar to kill spores.
- Mix up a paste of baking soda or borax (a naturally occurring mineral) and scrub with a toothbrush. Use caution if you use borax – it can be harmful if ingested.
- To bleach mold and mildew stains, mix 1/4 cup hydrogen peroxide with 1/2 cup water in a spray bottle. Spray stains with solution, scrub it in a bit and then leave to dry.
- Once mold has taken hold in your shower, it may not be possible to scrub it away. Replacing mold stained caulk or grout may be your only option in some cases.
Note: if you think you have a serious mold problem, I highly recommend this website: Mold Help For You
Homemade Mold Cleaner Spray
Use this spray regularly to help prevent mold from taking hold in your shower.
2 cups water
1/2 cup vinegar
1 big squirt (approx 2 tablespoons) liquid castile soap (like Dr. Bronner’s) or eco-friendly dish soap
20 drops of antiseptic essential oil like tea tree or grapefruit
Mix all ingredients together in a spray bottle. Spray liberally over entire shower area. Leave for 3 to 5 minutes, then wipe area dry.
Do you have any tips for dealing with mold and mildew in the bathroom?
tami says
since switching to homemade cleaning products, i think my house hasn’t been cleaner! because I don’t mind cleaning. we love dr. bronner
Caroline says
Great recipes, thank you for your advices !
Caroline Motte
Find Green Eco-Friendly Products Here
Condo Blues says
My newest Do It Yourself Honey project is to replace our way too small for the bathroom ceiling fan with a larger one to keep the ick at bay.
Micaela says
Yes, tea tree oil works great on mold! You can use it in the shower spray that I mention in the post.
Nez says
Thanks, I will try.
Lisa says
I wanted to post another tip for killing mold, tea tree oil! Kill even toxic mold. Don’t remember the amount so would need to google it but we are currently living with my in-laws while my hubby finishes school so we don’t have to rent and I help take care of my disabled MIL and we are helping them fix the house up a bit and they had a mold issue. This is a common problem in Oklahoma and this house was built poorly. We got rid of the mold with tea tree oil and lots of cleaning.
Natural Alternative Remedy says
Could not agree more. Tea tree oil rocks for cleaning. Even Trader Joe’s puts it in their natural cleaning products. Good stuff, that, and smells nice too!
-Joshua
Sheila V. Flores says
Fantastic recipes, thank you for this great post!
-EcoGlamourista
http://www.ecoglamourista.blogspot.com
onedeepblue says
my mother always makes her cleaning spray with citric acid. You can get it in the canning section or I think she got hers from a natural foods co op. Just use it instead of the vinegar and then you can spray it on the shower walls after each bath and it keeps the soap scum from building up. Works great in the kitchen too.
Micaela says
Great tip about the citric acid. I’ve used it for bath products (fizzy bath balls) but never in a cleaning product!
Heather Prenger says
Great post! I haven’t yet tried an all a homemade cleaning product on mold. I have just been nervous that it wouldn’t do the trick but I need to get over that and just try out some recipes. Yours will be first on my list! Do you have a good recipe for drain cleaner? I have tried the vinigar and baking soda thing numerous times but it has never worked.
Tile Cleaning says
The information provided is immensely useful. Tile cleaning require good knowledge and thorough professionalism. Certain treatments like spraying mold with straight vinegar to kill spores are immensely useful. Thanks for providing an article which possess, magnificent information in such a coherent manner.
Alok Singh says
I need to deep clean my tile floors and was hoping anyone had any suggestions on something that isn’t too harsh but will clean it very well.
Joey "Mold And Mildew Removal" Carlson says
Nice post, This is very helpful, A Nice way of preventing and removing molds in your bathroom.
mold inspections five boros says
Vinegar is a lovely home remedy and it works like magic when sprayed on the necessary area.Thanks for the helpful tips here…really helps the cleaning process.
Carpet Cleaners Brisbane says
My mother uses vinegar while cleaning It give a great results thanks now i use your tips of easy cleaning. Thanks for your blog…
Phoebe Clarke says
Aside from the usual vinegar, there are other homemade products that can be used to remove molds and mildew in tiles like tea tree oil, baking soda, bleach, hydrogen peroxide, and lemon juice. Each of these can be applied alone or in a combination with any other product in the bunch, through a sprayer or a sponge for wiping the molds away.
Charisma says
Very informative! Thank you so much for sharing it. I really, really appreciated it.
House Cleaning Red Bank says
I mix a tbsp of dawn, a little baking soda, some vinegar and water to a spray bottle and that’s what I clean my bathroom with. If I have extra bad area I use extra dawn. I do love magic erasers tho. How do I part with them? I am careful to keep them locked away from my baby girl.
Cheri Harp says
I found that my floor was getting a build up although i did not wax buy once or twice a year. i used rubbing alcohol with a straight edge razor and it came right up. Floor looks great. So used on windows and grim around stove on floor, it was so nice. Cheap cheap. i just use it on a dry cloth and wipe..
CelloMom says
Okay. Used your shower cleaning recipe (with tea tree oil) just now. The EASIEST bath-tub cleaning EVER! There was just a bit of film left, so I chased it with a regular Dr Bronner soap cleaning, which left my tub absolutely sparkling. I didn’t know cleaning could be so much fun.
Micaela says
So glad it worked for you! Cleaning is fun? LOL!!
Patricia says
I tried baking soda on the chrome bumpers, mirrors and running boards on my pick em up truck. It does the same thing to chrome fixtures in the bathroom and kitchen. as a matter of fact I recently did a face lift in my bathroom. The shower fixtures were so old I couldn’t find one to replace it. I had no choice but to keep the old one. I rubbed some baking soda on the old one and it looks as good as the day it was new. Love vinegar AND baking soda.
Ginny says
Great tips! I’ll be using the peroxide and water recipe for mold tonite. I’ll add some tea tree because these mold stains are indeed stubborn. Nothing seems to clean them. Got my fingers crossed. Will let you know how it worked out.
Norm Brown says
So many people underestimate the power of vinegar. All I can figure is that people think it’s too easy to believe. That’s unfortunate because it works so well and in so many ways.
Judy B says
I’m trying to stay away from toxic chemicals & love your natural cleaning recipes & tips! Thanks
Micaela says
Oh good – happy to help!
Amber says
Once you spray liberally, do you just leave it or do you rinse it, or wipe it off? We are moving into a new house and I want to do this in all the bathrooms before we use them.
Micaela says
I recommend leaving the spray for a few minutes and then wiping the area dry. Mold grows in wet places, so keeping things dry is the best solution!
Anna McCaslin says
After your mold cleaning spray has been applied, how long do I let it set before scrubbing or wiping? How many applications are needed to resolve problem areas? Once cleaned, how often do I use for maintenance and keep mild from returning?
Micaela says
The mold prevention spray should be left on for 3 to 5 minutes – then wipe the area dry. This can be used as often as you need – every day or after every shower. If you already have a mold problem, scrub with borax as mentioned in the post. Hope that helps!
Penny says
I use alcohol in a spray bottle as an after shower treatment. We replaced molded caulking a few years ago and haven’t had it come back.
Micaela says
That sounds like a good tip!
Sarah says
I recently had a local tile cleaner deep clean my shower and bathroom floors and they commented that I could switch over to natural cleaners since all the storebought ones I use leave residue buildup. So, I’m excited to try this cleaner out and see how it compares. Could I use lavender essential oil in the recipe?
Micaela says
Yes, you can definitely add some lavender essential oil.