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Mindful Momma

Simple Inspired Natural Living


Homemade Mold Cleaner Spray and Other Tips To Clean the Tub & Tile in the Shower

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Natural ways to treat and prevent mold in the shower. Tips for preventing mold, including a homemade mold-busting shower cleaning spray for tub and tiles, plus how to get rid of mold when it does take hold in your bathroom. | #mold #cleaning #homemadecleaning #naturalcleaning #DIY #moldprevention via @MindfulMommaNatural ways to treat and prevent mold in the shower. Tips for preventing mold, including a homemade mold-busting shower cleaning spray for tub and tiles, plus how to get rid of mold when it does take hold in your bathroom. | #mold #cleaning #homemadecleaning #naturalcleaning #DIY #moldprevention via @MindfulMomma

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.


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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.

I may receive commissions from purchases made through links in this article. Full Disclosure

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


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Non-Toxic Cleaning Spray

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?

How to clean mold in the shower - infographic
green & healthy wishes Micaela signature


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Filed Under: DIY Cleaning, Do It Yourself, Green Cleaning, Green Living, Health, Healthy Home, Natural Living, Non-Toxic Cleaning, Non-Toxic Products, Top Posts Tagged With: bathroom, DIY, green, green cleaning, healthy home, homemade cleaning products, mildew, mold, non-toxic cleaning, vinegar

About Mindful Momma

Micaela Preston is natural living educator and safe and sustainable product activist. She has spoken at conferences and events, has lobbied for safer chemical laws, and has consulted with many brands and businesses. Her book, Practically Green: Your Guide to Eco Friendly Decision Making was published in 2009.

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Comments

  1. tami says

    September 11, 2009 at 3:40 am

    since switching to homemade cleaning products, i think my house hasn’t been cleaner! because I don’t mind cleaning. we love dr. bronner

    Reply
  2. Caroline says

    September 14, 2009 at 8:15 am

    Great recipes, thank you for your advices !

    Caroline Motte
    Find Green Eco-Friendly Products Here

    Reply
  3. Condo Blues says

    September 14, 2009 at 7:47 pm

    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.

    Reply
  4. Micaela says

    September 15, 2009 at 11:23 am

    Yes, tea tree oil works great on mold! You can use it in the shower spray that I mention in the post.

    Reply
    • Nez says

      May 30, 2020 at 10:19 am

      Thanks, I will try.

      Reply
  5. Lisa says

    September 15, 2009 at 11:15 am

    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.

    Reply
    • Natural Alternative Remedy says

      September 27, 2013 at 2:56 am

      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

      Reply
  6. Sheila V. Flores says

    September 21, 2009 at 11:30 am

    Fantastic recipes, thank you for this great post!

    -EcoGlamourista

    http://www.ecoglamourista.blogspot.com

    Reply
  7. onedeepblue says

    October 12, 2009 at 3:19 am

    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.

    Reply
  8. Micaela says

    October 20, 2009 at 6:30 am

    Great tip about the citric acid. I’ve used it for bath products (fizzy bath balls) but never in a cleaning product!

    Reply
  9. Heather Prenger says

    November 8, 2009 at 8:57 pm

    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.

    Reply
  10. Tile Cleaning says

    January 27, 2010 at 2:45 am

    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.

    Reply
  11. Alok Singh says

    May 18, 2010 at 11:06 am

    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.

    Reply
  12. Joey "Mold And Mildew Removal" Carlson says

    September 29, 2010 at 7:12 pm

    Nice post, This is very helpful, A Nice way of preventing and removing molds in your bathroom.

    Reply
  13. mold inspections five boros says

    November 21, 2010 at 7:01 am

    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.

    Reply
  14. Carpet Cleaners Brisbane says

    June 15, 2011 at 2:43 am

    My mother uses vinegar while cleaning It give a great results thanks now i use your tips of easy cleaning. Thanks for your blog…

    Reply
  15. Phoebe Clarke says

    June 18, 2012 at 1:56 pm

    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.

    Reply
  16. Charisma says

    July 18, 2012 at 12:53 am

    Very informative! Thank you so much for sharing it. I really, really appreciated it.

    Reply
  17. House Cleaning Red Bank says

    January 28, 2013 at 10:41 pm

    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.

    Reply
  18. Cheri Harp says

    February 16, 2013 at 8:11 am

    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..

    Reply
  19. CelloMom says

    September 26, 2013 at 1:32 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • Micaela says

      September 26, 2013 at 6:48 pm

      So glad it worked for you! Cleaning is fun? LOL!!

      Reply
  20. Patricia says

    December 11, 2014 at 8:43 am

    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.

    Reply
  21. Ginny says

    January 9, 2015 at 5:42 pm

    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.

    Reply
  22. Norm Brown says

    October 3, 2015 at 1:45 pm

    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.

    Reply
  23. Judy B says

    March 28, 2020 at 10:57 pm

    I’m trying to stay away from toxic chemicals & love your natural cleaning recipes & tips! Thanks

    Reply
    • Micaela says

      March 30, 2020 at 4:13 pm

      Oh good – happy to help!

      Reply
  24. Amber says

    June 28, 2020 at 3:38 am

    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.

    Reply
    • Micaela says

      July 13, 2020 at 10:16 am

      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!

      Reply
  25. Anna McCaslin says

    June 28, 2020 at 8:45 am

    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?

    Reply
    • Micaela says

      July 13, 2020 at 10:14 am

      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!

      Reply
  26. Penny says

    July 7, 2021 at 10:08 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • Micaela says

      July 13, 2021 at 4:20 pm

      That sounds like a good tip!

      Reply
  27. Sarah says

    November 5, 2021 at 1:44 pm

    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?

    Reply
    • Micaela says

      November 16, 2021 at 3:33 pm

      Yes, you can definitely add some lavender essential oil.

      Reply

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Hi there – I’m Micaela!

Micaela Preston I'm here to help you make lifestyle and product choices that are better for your health & the planet!
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