Healthy Home

Mold sometimes forms in places where you would least expect it. Today, I want to address one, or should I say two of those places: cutting boards—both the plastic and the wood variety and butcher blocks.

Now, before I begin with the steps to take to get rid of the mold, I want to talk about how and why mold would grow there in the first place. Because butcher blocks, and wooden cutting boards naturally have divots and grooves on their surfaces, moisture can penetrate and become trapped in these grooves. The food residue and sometimes mold and bacteria from whatever you were cutting, then clings to this moisture and starts to grow mold and bacteria of its own. It’s a rather icky process.

On plastic cutting boards, the issue is usually caused by the sandpaper-like surface of the cutting board not being cleaned thoroughly enough between uses.  Many of the foods that we eat have mold and bacteria on their surfaces naturally. If they are not mold- and bacteria-free prior to setting them on the cutting board, both substances can get ground into the cutting board’s surface, only to grow even more bacteria and mold as time goes on. Combine this with moisture, and you can really have a problem on your hands. Wood is also a porous material, so mold can grow into the mold, using the natural substance as its food. Thus, a soap and water cleaning, or a harsh chemical, like bleach or ammonia will not fully penetrate it.

Today’s post is short and sweet. It comes as an answer to a friend’s email, asking me if there is any product she can spray inside her shower after daily use to just leave on, without scrubbing or anything to prevent mold/mildew formation.

Well, as a matter of fact, yes! Yes, there is a homemade product that you can use, that actually works better for me than most store-bought products.

The beauty of this “shower spray,” is that it is safe for natural stone and granite alike, since many folks now have those materials in their bathrooms. That’s actually why I created it in the first place. I was cleaning our new shower, and needed a solution, other than the products that I had been using, since now, our shower tiles are stone.

Today I want to tell you about my most recent and wonderful concoction: wood-safe mold cleaner for all of your wood and wood laminate furniture.

The reason I decided to come up with something other than just the EC3 Ready-to-Use Spray that I had been using on our wood furnishings is that, if you are using the EC3 on a daily basis, it can take some moisture out of your wood. My wood needed something a little more lubricating to help it keep that shiny look that I like.  Of course, if you are using the EC3 Spray for more of a weekly, monthly, or one-time mold cleaning treatment, then this doesn’t apply, but when you are interested in adding cleaning for mold to your daily regimen, or want to clean your wood furnishings on a daily basis with something that will also clean for mold, then this concoction will be your hero—or maybe I’ll be your heroine? I can dream, right?

The true beauty of this “dusting spray” is that it is whipped up with ingredients that you likely already have in your home. Also, there is much literature and testing out there to show that dry dusting doesn’t actually help you or your allergies, if the goal is to clean for the mold particulates that could be in the dust and potentially get into the air. (Note: Here is a link to a really good, informative article on dust, how and why it can be toxic and how best to dust your home to limit exposure to the toxins, including mold that can be in dust, on the Environmental Working Group’s website). And furthermore, EC3 Spray isn’t exactly cheap, so this is a way of making a product with the EC3 Mold Concentrate that uses less product to accomplish the same goal of cleaning for mold.

Well, anyway, here you go!

Homemade Dusting and Mold-Cleaning Spray

Ingredients:

Everything you need to make your own dusting spray that also fights mold and bacteria.

1 clean, empty spray bottle (I use Dr. Bronner’s Pure Castile Soap to clean mine with to make sure it doesn’t leave any chemical residue.)

Optional: 15 drops of essential oil of your choice (I prefer to use tangerine oil, because it reminds me of the orange-scented Pledge Wood Furniture Polish, which is what I grew up with my mom using, and thus the smell that I associate with clean wood. It is purely a personal preference, though. Also, essential oils do contain VOCs, so if you are highly allergic to scent, or are worried about the VOCs found in essential oils, you would just leave it out. Here’s a link to an article on LiveScience.com about essential oils and VOCs, if you are curious. My rule of thumb is to only buy essential oils that have been distilled without the use of toxic or harmful chemicals. Buy them from a reputable source and with a reputable brand name to make sure you are getting the purest oils. I prefer NOW Foods essential oils.)

2 cups distilled water

1 heaping capful of EC3 Mold Solution Concentrate (This ingredient is the powerhouse. It cleans the mold and mold spores away, and also has antibacterial properties. So, unlike your typical wood cleaner, it isn’t just greasing things up or moving the dust, it is CLEANING for you as well. It any residue left on the furniture will continue to prohibit mold and bacteria growth until your next cleaning. In a word, it is AWESOME stuff.)

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil or Grapeseed Oil (I prefer to use the grapeseed, because it has less of a fruity scent than the olive oil.)

2 tablespoons Vodka or rubbing alcohol (This ingredient is included to cut and grime or grease that may linger on your wood surfaces. It also has an evaporation property that makes it seem more like an aerosol cleaner, without being one.)

Optional: ¼ teaspoon guar gum (You can purchase this in any grocery store in the natural food section or the gluten-free baking section. I use it to thicken the spray, so that it feels more like the Pledge consistency. If you don’t use it, just make sure to give your bottle a good shake before you use it each time.)

Method:

Get out your blender. Pour all of the ingredients into the blender, except the guar gum. Put the lid on and turn the motor on low, to get everything mixed together nicely, but not too frothy.

With the blender still going, remove the center plastic piece and pour the guar gum in slowly, if using. When the guar gum powder is fully incorporated, turn off the blender.

I add the guar gum after all of the other ingredients are blended together.

I allow the blender to keep running while I pour the guar gum in. Now my mixture is ready!

Remove the blender lid and pour your mixture into your clean, dry spray bottle. Label the bottle accordingly, so you know it is your dusting spray. I also sometimes write the date on the bottle too, so that you know when to discard it.

Before I took this picture, my dusting spray had settled a bit, so the tangerine oil had risen to the top. This is a natural settling process, so just shake it up before each use.

Now, go find your dustiest piece of wood furniture and either spray your dusting spray directly onto it in a fine mist and wipe it off with a clean, dry soft dusting cloth, or spray the dusting spray directly onto your clean, dry dusting cloth, and wipe the furniture down that way. It’s entirely up to you.

My sweet son cleaning our kitchen table for me with the dusting spray.

I don't worry about chemicals, because I made it myself.

Store your filled spray bottle in a cool, dark place, like your linen closet, or cleaning products closet. Realizing that this dusting spray does contain food ingredients, I would remake a new bottle every 3 months to make certain that it doesn’t go rancid or take on an unfavorable smell.

I hope you enjoy this spray as much as I do. Happy cleaning!