Can You Kill Mold With Lysol?

If there’s one guest no one wants to invite into their home, it’s mold. Unfortunately, mold doesn’t much care whether you want it or not. If your home has even the smallest amount of damp or humidity, there’s a good chance mold has already got one foot in the door and is planning on putting down roots. If it succeeds, you’re looking at a major problem. Mold isn’t just unsightly, it’s downright dangerous. Once it starts releasing spores into the air, those spores can enter your airways and settle on your lungs. From there, you’re looking at inflammation, irritation, wheezing, coughing, and a whole host of other very unpleasant health conditions. The problem is, killing it is no easy matter. You can’t simply wipe it down with some water and expect to be done with it. If you try, the mold will simply rejoice at having an even damper wall to play with and come back twice as strong. If you want to get rid of it once and for all, you’ll need to bring out the big guns. For some people, that means a bottle of Lysol, that all-purpose cleaning and disinfecting product that’s been keeping our surfaces germ-free for over 100 years. But does it work?

Does Lysol Kill Mold?

Not to keep you in suspense any longer, the simple answer to the question of ‘Does Lysol Kill Mold’ is yes. And very effectively too. It won’t stop it coming back if you don’t treat the root cause of the damp and humidity that caused it to grow in the first place, but it will at least keep your home free from mold and mildew in the meantime. If you’re not familiar with Lysol, it’s a disinfectant that was developed in 1889 by Reckitt and Benckiser. Thanks to its antimicrobial qualities, it can kill 99.9 percent of the viruses and bacteria found on surfaces such as toilets, sinks, floors, kitchen surfaces, fridges, and floors. Despite the growing fashion for people to favor natural and DIY home cleaning products over the chemical kind, most of us still keep a bottle or two of Lysol kicking around. Why? Because it’s effective. Fortunately for homeowners with a mold problem, it’s just as effective against mold as it is against stubborn stains.

How Does Lysol Work?

If you’ve done any research already, you’ll know that everyone has an opinion on the best way to kill mold. Just some of the suggestions you’re likely to run into include ammonia, baking soda, vinegar, borax, and even detergent. The problem is, not all of them work. And those that do come with certain disadvantages. Not all will be suitable for every kind of surface, and while some may do a great job of removing the superficial problem caused by mold spots, they’ll do nothing to kill the mold itself. Lysol, on the other hand, can be used on a broad range of surfaces – safely, effectively, and lethally. It removes the unpleasant musty odor that so often comes with mold, eliminates the unsightly discoloration caused by mold spots, and kills the spores at the source. How does it do it? Simply put, bleach. Bleach and a long list of unpronounceable ingredients that work in harmony to rid your home of all those sinister black and green spots.

How to Use Lysol to Kill Mold

According to BreatheBetterAir.org, this is how to use Lysol to tackle your home’s mold problem:

• Step 1: Start by cleaning the mold-affected area with warm water and detergent. Use a hard brush to work the solution into the surface.
• Step 2. Apply the Lysol directly to the mold. Be generous – the idea is to soak the area, not just moisten it.
• Step 3. Find something to do for 2 minutes while the Lysol gets to work. If the mold is particularly severe, give it at least 10 minutes.
• Step 4. Use a heavy brush to scrub the area and loosen any lingering mold from the surface.
• Step 5. Use a clean washcloth to wipe the area down before rinsing it thoroughly with clean water.
• Step 6. Leave to air dry.

Remember to Apply Safety Precautions

Breathing in mold spores might be dangerous, but breathing in big lungfuls of chemicals is unlikely to do you any good either. To keep safe while you’re treating the mold with Lysol, take the advice of Mold Homes and apply some basic safety precautions. This includes: Lysol contains bleach which can cause skin irritation on contact: wear a long-sleeved shirt and protect your hands with gloves. As bleach stains can be difficult to remove, be sure to wear old clothes that you don’t mind getting damaged. Wear goggles to protect your eyes from both the Lysol and the mold spores that will be released into the air when you scrub the surface. Wear a face mask. Neither Lysol nor mold spores are the kind of thing you want to inhale in any quantity. Be sure to wear a face mask or respirator to minimize the risk. Open a window: the better ventilated the room is, the less chance the Lysol will cause any irritation or respiratory issues.

How to Stop the Mold Returning

Lysol is a great product to use to kill mold, but it won’t stop the problem from returning unless you take preventative measures. Mold loves low light, moisture, and humidity: if you live somewhere that’s plagued by all three, there’s a good chance you’ll be paid a follow-up call by Mr. Mold if you don’t take action now. The best way to protect your home from mold is to minimize moisture levels. If you have any drips or leaky pipes that are allowing moisture to gather behind walls, get them fixed. Make sure the exhaust fans in your bathroom and kitchen are efficient enough to cope with the demands the household places on them, and are in full working order. As homeairadvisor.com recommends, it’s vital to keep any mold and mildew-prone surfaces clean and dry at all times. Adequate heating and ventilation are also important, so don’t forget to crack a window and give the central heating a workout from time to time. If you live in a basement apartment or an area of high humidity, you might even want to consider investing in a good dehumidifier.