A little dust on your blinds can create the perfect conditions. Mould on your blinds can then grow if the area around the window blind is moist or cold. It can create the perfect habitat for mould and mildew to grow when the sun hits it.
White vinegar is a top option because it's cheaper. They are sprayed undiluted onto the blind and left for one hour before scrubbing and then rinsing with water. For removing mildew, lemon is quite effective. For the same purpose of removing mould and mildew, there are so many essential oils that can be used too.
Rescuing Your Mouldy Shutters and Blinds
White vinegar is an excellent option for cleaning mould inside your home. A strong vinegar solution can be used to wipe hard surfaces, ensuring that you also clean your cloth regularly to avoid spreading mould spores.
The truth is that mould is a very common problem in our homes and especially with our blinds or curtains. When the sun pours through our windows and hits the cold surface of the glass this causes condensation to form on the inside of the window.
Our homes will often have a lot of humidity inside (especially homes with evaporative air-conditioning) which can create condensation on your windows. Your blinds absorb up this moisture and with the warmth of the sun, create an ideal growing environment for mould.
A little dust on your blinds can create the perfect conditions. Mould on your blinds can then grow if the area around the window blind is moist or cold. It can create the perfect habitat for mould and mildew to grow when the sun hits it. Keeping dust off your blinds is the first step.
If your blinds or window coverings are closed all the time, condensation can get "trapped" in between the window treatments and the windows, creating a damp environment that may encourage mold growth. Routinely open window coverings to increase ventilation near windows.
Mildew is a surface fungi identified as a patch of gray or white fungus lying on the surface of a moist area. Mildew is easily treated with a store-bought cleaner and a scrubbing brush. Mold, on the other hand, can have colors that range from black to green and is often the result of a much larger infestation.
Mold generally looks slimy or fuzzy, tends to have a raised texture, and can come in a rainbow of colors, including deep green and black. Mildew is powdery, looks white or gray, always appears flat, and grows on surfaces.
How Long Do Blinds Last? The average lifespan of window treatments is seven to eight years but homeowners may want to replace their blinds even before then. Otherwise, old and worn-out blinds in your Philadelphia home might become unsafe and unsightly.
Cleaning kitchen blinds
A mix of one part water, one part white vinegar can be used for extra grimy plastic and faux wooden blinds.
Use exhaust fans that vent outside your home in the kitchen and bathroom. Make sure your clothes dryer vents outside your home. Fix any leaks in your home's roof, walls, or plumbing so mold does not have moisture to grow. Clean up and dry out your home fully and quickly (within 24–48 hours) after a flood.
Fill a spray bottle with at least a 3% concentrate of hydrogen peroxide. For non-porous surfaces like glass, mix it with equal parts hot water and spray the mold and let it sit for 15 minutes. Then rinse and wipe away with your cloth.
Mould Cleaning
Mould thrives in damp, warm environments. If you have fabric roller blinds in your bathroom or kitchen, they may develop mould if they don't dry out properly. Window blinds can also grow mould if they get wet from constant condensation on the windows.
Mold needs to be entirely eradicated; otherwise, it will grow right back. This means that you have to clean far below the visible areas of growth with the right penetrating biocides. Simply wiping down your walls with some bleach or household cleaners might not be enough to get rid of a black mold problem permanently.
Mrs Hinch fan Amanda Boom shared their first-hand advice: "I sprayed mine with Astonish mould spray, left them for 20 minutes then dipped them in warm water and left them to drip dry - came out like new."
When searching for black mold, look for circular-shaped spots that are black, dark green or dark brown. Some black mold can also take on shades of orange or have flecks of white within it. Most of the time, black mold has a slightly furry appearance.
Mildew and mold are both fungi, but mildew is not as invasive or troublesome as other types of mold. Typically found in wet areas, mildew looks grayish-white and may turn brown. It's flat and powdery and it's an easier fungus to clean because it lives only on the surface of a material (such as bathroom tile).
However, it is quite risky living in a home with visible mold since you are exposed to mold spores that can become airborne when blown around by the gush of wind from your windows or HVAC systems. If mold is left unattended, it can spread to other areas of your home causing serious health problems.
White is actually the default spore-free color of most molds and the exploratory tendrils of a mold are almost always white before they produce and release spores. This means that both very new mold will almost always appear to be white while old post-spore mold may appear to be blue, black, or gray.
Breathing in its spores has been linked to breathing difficulties, allergic reactions and other serious health issues. Thus, if you notice any signs of black mold in your home, it is best to get an inspection from a professional mold remediator as soon as possible to determine if it is safe or not.
Additionally, those bacteria that were kept in the dark were also more closely related to respiratory diseases than those that stayed alive even with exposure to sunlight. So not only are you benefiting from the vitamin D that comes from the sun, but it could also be saving you from respiratory disease as well.
Summer is one of the ideal seasons for mold growth due to high levels of humidity. The condition may be worsened further with poor ventilation, which hinders free flow of air. Hot temperatures outside and cold temperatures in the indoors can lead to condensation around windowsills, and other insulation materials.
Keep blinds open during the day. Not only will this practice save you some money on energy bills during the winter, but it can also keep you and your family healthier. Read on to find out how sunlight can kill harmful bacteria present in the dust in your rooms.