Does Baking Soda Kill Mold? A Complete Guide

Mold growth in your home can be both unsightly and potentially harmful to your health. That is why it is important to get rid of them as soon as you find out. But which is the easiest way to do that? Baking soda. If you have baking soda at home, it can prove to be a valuable tool in your mold-fighting arsenal with some limitations. 

In this blog, we will be talking about baking soda as an ingredient to kill mold, their limitations, and some long-term removal tips.

Does Baking Soda Kill Mold?

Yes, baking soda does kill mold, but only in a very limited way.

It works on non-porous surfaces, and it only deals with mold you can actually see. It doesn’t go deep. It doesn’t reach the roots of the mold. And it definitely doesn’t do anything to airborne mold spores.

What baking soda really does is:

• Dry out some moisture (mold loves moisture)
• Make the surface less friendly for mold growth
• Help scrub off visible mold marks

So if you are cleaning tiles or a sink, it can help. But if mold is inside walls, wood, carpets, or under flooring, baking soda won’t reach there. That’s why mold often comes back even after cleaning.

How to Clean Mold With Baking Soda

Cleaning mold with baking soda isn’t complicated. Get yourself a spray bottle and mix about one tablespoon of baking soda into 500ml of water. Shake it up good so everything dissolves properly.

Spray the moldy spot until it’s pretty wet. Then grab a scrub brush or sponge and really work at it. You want to put some elbow grease into this part. After you’ve scrubbed everything, rinse it off with clean water and dry the area completely with a towel or cloth. If you want, spray a thin layer of the baking soda mix one more time but don’t rinse it, this leaves behind a bit of protection against new mold.

When you are dealing with stubborn mold that won’t budge, make a paste instead. Just mix baking soda with a little water until it’s thick like toothpaste. Smear that on the mold, wait maybe 10-15 minutes, then scrub and rinse like before.

Seven Mould Reduction Tips

If you want mold to stop coming back, Deep Cleaning alone won’t help much. You need to reduce the conditions that allow mold to grow.

Here are seven mould reduction tips that actually matter:

1. Fix leaks as soon as you notice them
2. Use exhaust fans in bathrooms and kitchens
3. Keep humidity levels low, especially in closed rooms
4. Dry wet surfaces within a day or two
5. Clean mold early before it spreads
6. Avoid carpets in damp areas
7. Improve ventilation wherever possible

These steps help, but they only go so far.

Long-Term Mould Removal: The Reality

This is the part people don’t like hearing. Baking soda is fine for cleaning. It’s not enough for long-term mould removal.

Mold does not exist on surfaces only. It develops within walls, between tiles, beneath floors and even in roof cavities. Baking soda is unable to access those spaces. It also does not have an impact on any floating mold spores in the air.

When mold continues to be a problem, or when you still smell dampness after cleaning, the trouble is more than can be addressed with DIY solution. The only way out from here is a professional mold treatment.

In case you are determined to get the entire house molded, even its corners, there could be no genuine solution other than using professional services. This is where professional services such as Home Cleaning Services in Redwood City come in whereby they clean out all the mold not only what one can see.

FAQs

What types of surfaces is baking soda effective against for mold removal?

Baking soda is used on non-porous surfaces, such as tiles, sinks, glass, and sealed countertops. It does not apply very well on wood, dry wall, fabric, or carpets.

Tell me more about how the baking soda paste is made and applied

You combine the baking soda with a small amount of water until it is in the form of a thick paste. Use it directly on the mold and leave it a short time and scratch lightly and rinse. Vinegar can be sprayed over it to enhance the cleaning of the surface.

What are some other ways to clean with baking soda?

You can clean greasy pans, the smells in the fridge, freshen carpets, deodorise bins as well as clean sinks using baking soda. It works, but it is not the answer to it all.