Health-consciousness is steeply on the rise in 2025, there’s no doubt. Whether it’s labeled “crunchy”, “granola”, “hippie”, or just “all-natural”, people are becoming increasingly concerned with the potential toxins in their environment, from their food to their water to their cleaning products. Predictably, more and more people are interested in “all natural” and “non-toxic” house cleaners – including for problems like mold. Are you, too, searching for the best natural non-toxic cleaner for killing mold? Then you’re in the right place!
We’re Cleaner Guys, a team of professional mold removal experts with more than 20 years of experience cleaning mold. There are many opinions on the internet about what kills mold. But we highly recommend that you go with the advice of an expert who is actually experienced with mold. Most other articles you will find on the internet about naturally killing mold are not from mold experts.
With that being said, let’s dive into our professional take on the best natural non-toxic cleaner for killing mold.
Table of Contents
- What is the Best Natural Non-Toxic Cleaner for Killing Mold?
- Cleaning Mold vs Cleaning Mildew
- Why Don’t Most Cleaners Work On Mold?
- What is the Best Natural Method for Removing Mold?
What is the Best Natural Non-Toxic Cleaner for Killing Mold?
Unfortunately, in our 20 years of experience as professional mold removers, we have not found any natural non-toxic cleaning chemical that is strong enough to successfully remove mold of all amounts, in all situations. In fact, we have not found any cleaning chemical that is strong enough to successfully remove mold all of the time! The only solution to mold that works 100% of the time is completely removing the infested material. Drywall, wood, or textile – its got to be removed and replaced. This is usually what is required to completely get rid of a mold infestation.
Now, other sources on the internet often claim that vinegar is the best natural non-toxic cleaner for killing mold, and that it works well on mold. Unfortunately, they are not experienced professionals with mold, and they are largely misinformed. Vinegar is the most natural and non-toxic cleaner you can use in your home… but it only really works on one very specific type of mold, not most of it. We’ll talk about that next.
Cleaning Mold vs Cleaning Mildew
There is one kind of mold, in one specific kind of situation, that can usually be cleaned easily, with all-natural and non-toxic cleaners! This particular kind of mold is mildew, a subspecies of mold. Unlike most other types of mold, mildew is shallow-rooting and only likes to grow on the surface of things. Most molds need to root deep into an organic material to survive. Mildew is the only mold that grows on hard, inorganic, non-porous surfaces! This is the kind of mold you’ll find in showers, toilets, sinks, and on tile and plastic.
Since mildew grows just on the surface of hard and non-porous materials, you can successfully clean it off with any natural cleaning detergent and some elbow grease! If your mold is just mildew on a hard, non-porous surface, we recommend cleaning it with vinegar or hydrogen peroxide, as these are the best natural cleaning solutions that are still strong enough to kill mold.
Wear gloves, a mask, and safety glasses. Spray the vinegar or peroxide on the mold with a spray bottle, leave it to soak for about 10 minutes, and then scrub it off with an abrasive sponge or brush. Repeat until the mildew is gone. Then read this article to learn how to prevent mildew in places like bathrooms in the future!
Why Don’t Most Cleaners Work On Mold?
Most cleaning chemicals, including natural and non-toxic ones, do not truly eradicate mold because mold is much stronger and more serious than most people realize. Most mold species (that are not mildew) root deep into the material they grow on. This is the kind of mold you will find on drywall, wood, and textiles. This means that you can’t just wipe it off the surface, because its roots will still be there, deep beneath the surface.
Once mold has grown beyond about 1 square foot of area, we know of no cleaning chemical that will penetrate deeply enough into drywall or wood to kill all of it, down to the root. A natural nontoxic cleaner like vinegar could clean it off the surface, and it would look like it’s gone, but the roots would still likely be there. This is why many other unprofessional sources on the internet will tell you that you can use vinegar successfully to clean mold naturally. Because it will no longer be visible. But it will almost certainly still be there. That’s why in our professional experience, the only way to truly remove 100% of mold is to completely remove and replace whatever drywall or wood it’s on.
What is the Best Natural Method for Removing Mold?
The best natural method for removing mold is to completely take out the drywall, wood, or flooring it’s growing on, and replace the material entirely. Those who are not mold experts may advise that you can use vinegar or baking soda to completely remove mold naturally, but in our experience as professional mold cleaners, those methods will not remove 100% of mold successfully, because mold roots too deeply.
If you want to remove toxic mold from your home, and you want to do it in as natural and non-toxic a way as possible, then your answer is to have the infested materials removed by professionals.
WARNING: We strongly advise against attempting to remove mold-infested materials yourself!! It should only be handled by a professional mold removal team. Some species of molds are highly toxic and very dangerous, and even a trained professional can hardly tell the difference between a toxic species and a less dangerous one.
Furthermore, if you rip out mold-infested drywall and flooring yourself, you will agitate and stir up microscopic mold spores, which will float around the rest of the building, and possibly cause MORE mold contamination elsewhere! It takes proper containment and equipment to make sure this doesn’t happen when removing mold.
More Mold Resources
Interested in more information about mold? Maybe the specific situation or room you’re finding it in, or the steps to handle it properly? We recommend you check out our full blog archive on mold, or jump to one of our other popular articles through the links below!
Who is Responsible for Mold In An Apartment? ➜
How to Prevent and Deal With Mold in the Laundry Room ➜
How to Clean Mold Off Of House Plants ➜
If you need mold removal in Mount Vernon, WA (or almost anywhere in Western Washington), Cleaner Guys is one of the best options around! We’re the only mold removal company around that boasts award-winning customer service, and a price-match guarantee! Call or message us today through the menu at the top of your screen.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. No part of this article is medical or legal advice, and may not be used as such. For all serious medical matters, consult your doctor. For all serious legal matters, consult your legal advisor. This article contains Cleaner Guys’ experience and opinions only.
