A lot of essential oils are effective fungicides. It’s no surprise since the plants need to protect themselves from fungi all around them.
You could mix up the oils yourself, but having a calculated mix of oils in a blend can help kill a wider variety of molds.
You can mix the oil blends into a liquid cleaner or use the products that come pre-mixed in a surfactant to kill mold on hard and porous surfaces in the home.
You can also fog to kill mold spores in the air.
We will go over all of these methods in detail.
This article contains affiliate links, upon purchase I earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Essential Oils That Kill Mold
1. Fir Oil
Essential oil from Pinus sibirica (Siberian pine) and Аbies sibirica (Siberian fir) are effective against Candida albicans (source).
2. Lemon Oil
Citrus limon (lemon) essential oil showed inhibitory anti-fungal activity against Aspergillus flavus, Fusarium spp., Aspergillus niger (source), Aspergillus parasiticus, Cladosporium cladosporioides, Eurotium herbariorum, Penicillium chrysogenum, Aspergillus carbonarius (source) and Penicillium verrucosum (source).
Similar: Other citrus oils like mandarin (Citrus reticulata L.), grapefruit (Citrus paradisi L.) and orange (Citrus sinensis L.) showed anti-fungal activity against the molds Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Penicillium chrysogenum and Penicillium verrucosum (source).
3. Cinnamon Oil
Cinnamon oil proved to be a potent fungitoxicant against: Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus nidulans, Aspergillus flavus, Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis, Candida pseudotropicalis (Candida kefyr), Histoplasma capsulatum (source), Coriolus versicolor, Laetiporus sulphureus (Source), Eurotium spp., Aspergillus spp., Penicillium spp. (source), and Botrytis cinerea (source).
4. Rosemary Oil
Rosemary essential oil exhibited anti-fungal activity against Eurotium spp., Aspergillus spp., and Penicillium spp. (source). Other studies show Rosemary’s anti-fungal activity (source).
5. Clove Oil
Clove essential oil exhibited anti-fungal activity against Eurotium spp., Aspergillus spp., Penicillium spp (Source), and Botrytis cinerea (source).
6. Copaiba Oil
Copaiba oil displays anti-microbial action against fungi, such as Candida spp (source and source), Candida parapsilosis, Aspergillus flavus, and A tamarii (source).
7. Tea Tree Oil
Tea Tree Oil is effective against Candida albicans, as well as a range of yeasts, dermatophytes, and other filamentous fungi (source).
8. Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is a potent antifungal agent against C. albicans and its biofilm (source) and Penicillium funiculosum, Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus (source).
9. Thyme
Thyme oil (which contains Thymol) exhibited antifungal properties against Aspergillus spp, such as A. flavus, A. ochraceus and Fusarium spp, for example F. oxysporum, Candida spp, for example Candida albicans and Candida tropicalis, Penicillium spp and Cladosporium spp, Botrytis cinerea, Alternaria brassicae, and Dermatophytes (source and source).
10. Peppermint
Peppermint essential oil has been studied as a fungicide to prevent mold on fruits (source and source) and rice (source).
*Please note that spp means multiple species.
Essential oils can also work well to degrade mycotoxins (sources 1, 2, 3).
Essential Oil Blends That are Anti-Fungal
Germ Fighter by Plant Therapy – Cinnamon Cassia, Lemon, Eucalyptus, Clove, Rosemary. This is a well-priced non-MLM brand that is high-quality and legit (they produce GC-MS testing by several third-party laboratories).
On Guard by doTerra – Wild Orange Peel, Clove Bud, Cinnamon Leaf, Cinnamon Bark, Eucalyptus Leaf, and Rosemary Leaf/Flower.
Thieves Oil by Young Living – Clove bud oil, Lemon peel oil, Cinnamon bark oil, Eucalyptus leaf oil, Rosemary leaf oil.
Diffusing/Fogging Essential Oils to Kill Mold in The Air
Diffusing/nebulizing essential oils is the best way to deploy them to kill mold spores in a building.
I would do this when people and pets are out of the room because diffusing creates high levels of VOCs and PM2.5 particulates.
Fogging to Kill Mold Spores
Dr. Edward R. Close, PhD in Environmental Engineering, diffused Thieves Oil blend (a blend of Clove (Syzygium aromaticum) bud oil, Lemon (Citrus limon) peel oil, Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) bark oil, Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus radiata) leaf oil, and Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) leaf oil) in the Aroma-Ace Atomizing Diffuser in homes for a 24-hour period.
(You could also use the mix by Plant Therapy, which is made with the same plants but is less expensive).
Dr. Close and his wife, Jacquelyn Close, discovered that diffusing essential oils with a waterless cold air nebulizer was the best solution to address mold spores in buildings.
The results of their case studies showed a huge reduction in mold spores and it had a residual effect (i.e. the spores did not come back quickly).
His research showed that the essential oils digest the mold spores that they come in contact with and don’t leave dead mold spores behind.
NOTE! If you have mold growing in the wall this does not address that underlying problem and the mycotoxins and mold VOCs being produced. Putting a bandaid on the situation could cause a false sense of security.
They recommend that you place one diffuser in each room (one for every 1000 sq ft) and diffuse continuously for a minimum of 24 hours.
How long you have to diffuse (24-48 hours or longer) is determined by air sampling or tape-lift sampling. Use a glass plate under the diffuser to protect surfaces from the oil.
This book by Dr Close and his wife goes into more detail.
If you prefer to watch a seminar about Dr Close’s methods, this masterclass will be helpful. He is talking with mold-preventative architect Cheryl Ciecko.
The other classes in the series will also be helpful in making sure you properly identify the source of the mold and safely clean mold (as you could do a lot of harm cleaning it yourself). Don’t just put a bandaid over it!
Cleaning Surface Mold With Essential Oils
“The surface mold is usually being caused by moisture and mold spores somewhere else that is causing the ‘surface mold’ to appear in the first place.
If the surface is porous (wood, drywall, grout, brick, concrete, or other materials) then cleaning the surface mold can be like cutting down a plant while leaving the roots below the surface.
The plant and the mold will grow back.” says Cheryl Ciecko, mold preventative architect.
Make sure you have identified the source of the problem, corrected the problem, and dried out the area.
Many moldy materials need to be totally removed – like moldy drywall and most moldy wood.
But if you truly have a superficial mold problem you can clean it with essential oil-based cleaners then dry out the area again with dehumidifiers, says Cheryl Ciecko.
If you are cleaning your items from a moldy house essential oils should not be your first or only step. Please see professional guidelines for that here.
Cleaners for mold on surfaces:
Thieves Cleaner – is made with Clove bud oil, Lemon peel oil, Cinnamon bark oil, Eucalyptus leaf oil, Rosemary leaf oil, and surfactants.
Benefect Decon 30 is an EPA-approved fungicide.
The product’s active ingredient is natural Thymol (from Thyme) which kills Trichophyton Mentagrophytes which is the representative organism over the entire category of mold/fungi/yeast; ie, the hardest to kill as per the EPA.
It is also effective against Candida Albicans and Aspergillus Niger.
Cleaning Mold Off Concrete With Essential Oils
Make sure you diagnose the cause and correct the problem first says Cheryl.
Next up make sure to dry out the concrete before cleaning (if it’s interior concrete, like basement walls).
To clean use diluted Thieves Cleaner with a scrub brush.
You can see Dr Close show his experiment with a moldy patio in Cheryl’s recorded webinar with him (I do consider this webinar series essential if you want to learn how to safely clean mold yourself).
You can also use Benefect Decon 30. Wet the surface by sprayer (high or low pressure, hand or power operated), cloth, sponge, or mop.
The dwell time is from 30 seconds to 10 minutes, depending on the organism. They say “in those places that you are more concerned may have mold, make sure you keep the surface wet for 10 minutes”. Allow to air-dry. No rinsing or wiping is required.
Make sure you’re using PPE (respirator, goggles, Tyvek suites) as required by mold remediation best practices (not all of which are covered in this article). You may want to use a HEPA vacuum as well first to pick up spores.
Dry again after cleaning using dehumidifiers (for indoor concrete).
Cleaning Mold Off Wood With Essential Oils
Make sure you have identified the source of the problem and corrected it.
Moldy wood usually needs to be wet sanded or removed.
Test it with a moisture meter to make sure the problem is resolved.
Remember that structural wood needs to be evaluated by an engineer before removing it (that includes small areas of subfloors).
If you have superficial mold on wood, or after you have sanded it, Cheryl Ciecko recommends scrubbing with a stiff scrub brush using Thieves cleaner only slightly diluted or undiluted to not add much water. Then dry the area well.
The Thieves cleaner will result in some color changes to the wood (as do all essential oils in my experience).
You can also use Benefect Decon 30. Wet the surface by sprayer (high or low pressure, hand or power operated), cloth, sponge, or mop. Leave for 10 minutes. Allow to air-dry. No rinsing or wiping is required.
Use the required protection for yourself (respirator, goggles, Tyvek suites as required by mold remediation guidelines) and a HEPA vacuum as well to clean up spores.
Cleaning Mold Off Drywall Walls With Essential Oils
Cheryl Ciecko cautions cleaning mold off drywall.
Mold on drywall is often a sign of water damage behind it and if mold is in the paper layers or the gypsum layer it must be removed she says.
It is possible that you have superficial mold growing only on top of the paint. You still need to correct the source of this problem which is usually high humidity.
But you can clean mold off the paint with a gentle all-purpose cleaner, Thieves Oil cleaner, or Benefect Decon 30 (Benefect needs a dwell time of 10 minutes).
Cleaning Mold Off Shower Walls and Grout With Essential Oils
Two things to note first about mold in showers/grout.
Mold in grout is very common but not “normal”. Cheryl says about her well-built shower that she never has mold in the shower area.
Mold in grout is often a sign that there is mold behind the grout/tiles.
Keep in mind that the grout is not the water protection layer, there is a layer behind the mortar for water control (which is so often done wrong).
Use a moisture meter to test your tiles/grout for possible water damage behind.
Grout doesn’t need to be sealed to prevent mold and you don’t need this to be your water control area. (Cheryl Ciecko and Mike Holmes recommend using a breathable grout).
You can use a breathable grout sealer, outlined here, which makes it a little easier to clean.
Make sure to keep soap scum off the grout by regularly cleaning it and make sure your exhaust fan is adequate to dry out the room during and after each shower and bath.
You can clean your grout with Thieves oil cleaner, or Benefect Decon 30 (with a dwell time of 10 minutes).
You can use hydrogen peroxide with baking soda (mixed together) to remove the leftover mold stains. (Don’t mix essential oils with hydrogen peroxide).
Cleaning Mold Off Soft Items
Using Essential Oils in Laundry to Kill Mold
Those who are extremely sensitive to mold that gets on clothing from the home or workplace use a variety of methods to clean laundry, not all of these have any proven benefits.
The first steps you need to take to remove mold from clothing should not include essential oils.
Be sure to follow professional guidelines here.
After you have followed that protocol you could then use essential oils mixed into a detergent, borax, or methods proven to break down mVOCs.
Essential oil-based cleaning products for laundry that folks like include:
- EC3 laundry Additive – is made from Citrus Seed extracts, this is not technically an essential oil and has very little odor but it is a plant extract.
- Thieves Oil Laundry Soap – contains Clove bud oil, Lemon peel oil, Cinnamon bark oil, Eucalyptus leaf oil, Rosemary leaf oil, Jade Lemon, and Bergamot essential oils, enzyme cleaners, and surfactants.
- On Guard Laundry Detergent – contains Wild Orange Peel, Clove Bud, Cinnamon Leaf, Cinnamon Bark, Eucalyptus Leaf, and Rosemary Leaf/Flower essential oils, surfactants, and enzymes.
- Or add essential oils of your choice to your unscented liquid laundry detergent and mix together before adding it to the wash.
Using Essential Oils to Kill Mold on Carpet
For carpet in a car, Cheryl Ciecko recommends using diluted Thieves cleaner to clean and scrub, then blot out moisture with towels moving on to using paper towels until no more moisture comes out.
In terms of carpet in a house that is a different story. It depends on where the mold is and how it got there. If you have moisture rising from below then you need to remove the carpet. If a flood caused major mold then you likely need to remove it as well.
If the problem is smaller or more superficial, then you can first HEPA vacuum and then fog essential oils as described in the above section on fogging. You may need to do this every 3 months says Dr Close.
Cheryl Ciecko believes that shampooing carpet is not a good idea as it adds water which will feed mold spores.
If you do want to shampoo your carpet Benefect Decon 30 is an EPA-approved carpet sanitizer.
Apply to the pre-cleaned carpet area by wand, sprayer, extractor, spin bonnet, or immersion processes until saturated (spot test fibers for colorfastness before use).
Scrub or agitate the carpet as needed to ensure the test substance is delivered throughout the carpet pile and backing. Allow the product to remain on the carpet undisturbed for a minimum of 60 minutes. Extract & allow to air-dry. (Use a dehumidifier after if your humidity is not low).
Can You Mix Essential Oils With Other Cleaning Products?
You can mix essential oils into vinegar, or a liquid soap.
Mixing essential oils and hydrogen peroxide produces a strange oxidized odor in my experience, so I would not mix those myself.
Corinne Segura is an InterNACHI-certified Healthy Homes Inspector with certifications in Building Biology, Healthier Materials and Sustainable Buildings, and more. She has 10 years of experience helping others create healthy homes. You can book a consult here.
Join the top Substack on healing from MCS and mold!
Dina Kagan
Corinne, thank you for this article. In your experience, how many bottles of Thieves oils do you need for a 24 hour mist?
Dina
Corinne Segura, Building Biologist
I havent done this with the machine i have only done it with a mister bottle
Cynthia Kerfoot
I have Multiple Chemical Sensitivities and found that essential oils are one of my worst offenders, even the certified organic essential oils. I did some research and now I understand why…
Pesticides in essential oils: Occurrence and concentration in organic and conventional orange essential oils from eleven geographical origins – PubMed
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29054150/
“Regarding the organic samples, none were free of pesticides but the contamination was found to be clearly lower than in conventional EOs. It was found that an organic orange EO contained on average 4 pesticides for a total concentration of 0.087 mg L-1.”
Exposure to doTERRA essential oils made me terribly sick for two weeks. The reason why even the organic essential oils are bad in many cases is that they can be imported from other countries that don’t strictly adhere to our organic standards and will still use herbicides, chemical fertilizers, and insecticides. When they are process the essential oils, anything that was used on the plant, pesticides, fertilizers, etc. will also be concentrated down into the essential oil.
Corinne Segura, Building Biologist
essential oils were one of my last reactions before recovering from MCS, so I know many people cannot use them. But the reasons people react to them is not because of pesticides in the citrus oils or other contaminants. It’s the scent/VOCs themselves that bothers some people.
Laoise
Hi Corrine,
Thank you for all the work you do. I purchased Dr Closes book and diffuser from diffuser world and I am doing the fogging/remediation on my home this week. I have a company coming in at the end of the week to remove drywall etc and do the structural work and painting after. My question is ‘is it safe to do the fogging this close to paining the house or will it emit toxins with the paint that may harm the people doing the structural work?
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Thank you in advance!!
Sarah
I think the product called Benefect only uses Thyme oil and maybe one more ingredient. The company started from a personal experience and the family’s quest to find, and then create, a non-toxic product that kills mold. I think it has a very strong rosemary smell when applied, but the odor eventually fades.
DKI
Thanks for this article. I was looking for alternatives to vinegar and tea tree oil, and there are so many good options here that I can use. (I have used vinegar successfully on superficial mold on painted wood walls in an old cottage in the tropics — the mold never came back, so it worked, but I now cannot tolerate the smell of vinegar)
Paul N Beard
I tested very high for the following toxins:AflatoxinB1,FumonisinsB1,FumonisinsB3,OchratoxinA. How should I treat them?(urine test)
Corinne Segura, Building Biologist
This post is only about treatments for the environment. You will have to test the house for mold first to know if that comes from the environment and if it does correct the cause first.
Stacey Wood
Need to kill, mold in a cabinet made of MDF/fiber board in a hotel room that we are living in. Cannot use any essential oils anything with fragrance that lasts (so rubbing alcohol or vinegar, I can use because the smell dissipates quickly, but I cannot use anything with lasting fragrance, including citrus, peppermint, cinnamon, etc..)
I can use vinegar, rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, so if you can give me any advice on how to use those things, and perhaps others to kill the mold, we can see that would be deeply appreciated.
Kira
Do the oils linger please? I have a child who has a skin sensitivity to cinnamon and would like to try the Thieves fogging.
Corinne Segura, Building Biologist
yes the smell does linger in porous items, you could use one without cinnamon though
Rebecca
Has anyone heard of TANCS? I just spoke to a cleaning company that does a lot of house cleanings post remediation. They do a very deep cleaning with microfiber towels and then fog the house with TANCS (Thermo Accelerated Nano Crystal Sanitation) and wipe again… anyone heard of this or recommend or not recommend? The post mold remediation clean up is overwhelming and I feel like I need help!
Katharine
Hi Corinne,
Thanks for this helpful research & info!
I’m having a time-sensitive mold crisis (mold all over my clothing that I’m reacting to & cannot remove), haven’t been able to find answers on the various mold FB groups, and am hoping you might be willing to weigh in with your expertise.
Might I ask your best advice for washing mold smell out of clothing? Multiple soakings/washings in borax, vinegar & detergent has not worked at all, and I cannot tolerate TSP, ammonia, or essential oils.
I’m unsure of EC3 laundry additive’s effectiveness because lots of mold actually grew in a bottle of their cleaning solution that must have gotten spores in it while we were cleaning items. (We opened the EC3 bottle weeks later to find lots of black mold in the bottle. The EC3 manufacturer told me “we don’t actually claim EC3 kills mold”, and gave me a refund.)
Many of the clothes are currently wet, and the only things I have available are 6% hydrogen peroxide solution, and tea tree oil (regular, not essential).
Do you think either would work? May I ask in what amounts?
If you suggest a mix of oils instead, I’d need to mix my own (non essential, just regular oils), but am not sure which ones might be most effective for the mold in my clothing. I know it’s hard for anyone to say which mix of oils would be most effective, but if you have any ideas on which oils might be most effective to mix, that’d be wonderful.
Here’s the background to why I’m asking:
A strong smell was in coats that had been (unwisely) hung above leather hiking boots that had gotten soaked. I didn’t realize this, and wore the coats. I threw out the coats & the items that were soaked/washed with the coats (plus borax & vinegar & detergent), because the washing didn’t work at all to remove the smell.
However, I’m trying to save the clothes I wore with the coats, which also smell.
I’m reacting to these clothes (headache, exhaustion, nausea).
Thank you so much for considering weighing in with your expertise.
Warmly,
Katharine
Corinne Segura, Building Biologist
tea tree oil is an essential oil, and a one of the most potent ones, so if you tolerate that and EC3 you probably tolerate many essential oils even if not all of them.
Katharine
Thanks Corinne. I appreciate your quick reply.
And I appreciate that you provided research links that back up the effectiveness of these oils. It’s extremely helpful to know there are studies showing the effectiveness of these oils.
My understanding is that one can buy oils that are either essential (highly concentrated), or regular (where regular means some method of extraction that does not cause the oil to be as concentrated, like infusion)…
In any event, the regular oils are hard to find, so I’m soaking my mold-contaminated clothing in 3 cups borax, 2 cups vinegar, detergent, water, plus 1 tsp tea tree oil & 10 drops each of essential oils you recommended in this helpful post: lemon, cinnamon, & red thyme. (& I’m tolerating the smell OK so far).
No idea if I’m using enough oils, or if a couple soaks/washes using this method will work where borax & vinegar alone failed completely on these particular clothes. Or if I should do a 6% hydrogen peroxide wash afterwards.
I’d love if you’d feel like sharing how much of these oils you’ve used, and the results you’ve experienced.
Anyway, fingers crossed I can save at least some of my clothes.
Thank you again for the helpful info on this page & your site!
Warmly,
Katharine
Corinne Segura, Building Biologist
I just wash moldy clothing with regular detergent, I have not used essential oils on clothing myself.
katharine egan
Ah. OK. Thanks for that info.
As you mention in this post, one of the other popular methods for removing mold from clothing is ammonia.
May I ask if you have info on how tolerable ammonia tends to be for chemically sensitive folks?
Of course, people have vastly different levels of chemical sensitivity, so there’s absolutely no way to tell how any specific person might react. And I did see these pages where you mention ammonia, & recommend it for non-sensitive people How to Get Rid of Mold From Your Car’s Interior – My Chemical-Free House and How-to Remove Fragrance From Washing Machines & Dryers – My Chemical-Free House.
Nonetheless, I’m just wondering what you might have heard from chemically sensitive folks re how well they tolerate ammonia.
I ask because folks seem to recommend ammonia as one of the most effective ways to get mold out of clothing, & I’m not sure that the methods I’ve tried so far have worked.
Thanks again for this helpful info!
Corinne Segura, Building Biologist
ammonia is extraordinarily harsh, i used it recently as someone recovered from MCS and it blew my socks off. The thing is that is dissipates fast which is why some people can use or for some MCS people someone else actually does the cleaning for them.
Alicia
Hi Corrine,
Your website is amazing and much appreciated!
Now that we’ve corrected water issues, encapsulated, and dehumidified our musty old basement, we’re talking to a company about cleaning surface mold from the HVAC unit, metal ductwork, and raw wood floor joists. They say they’ll HEPA vacuum, wipe and fog with Bioesque, and then spray Concrobium Mold Control. Do you know if Bioesque is essentially the same as Benefect Decon 30? The Mold Control appears to be a TSP product. Is there anything you know of that makes these products something to avoid? I do fine with most essential oils as long as they’re not too intense, but I’m making plans to be able to ventilate well afterwards.
Kind regards,
Alicia
Corinne Segura, Building Biologist
I’m not familiar with Bioesque you would want to see a full ingredient list and make sure to test all materials for your personal tolerance before using.
Alicia
Here are the Bioesque Ingredients. It’s the Benefect Decon 30 Ingredients that I’m having trouble finding to compare.
INGREDIENT DISCLOSURE
BIOESQUE BOTANICAL DISINFECTANT EPA. REG NO. 87742-1-92595
CAS No. Name Function
89-83-8 Thymol Active Ingredient
68585-47-7 Sodium Lauryl Sulfate Surfactant
68585-34-2 Sodium Laureth Sulfate Surfactant
107-98-2 Methoxyisopropanol Diluent
6132-04-3 Sodium Citrate Sequestrant
7732-18-5 Water Diluent
Not Availble Grapefruit Lemongrass Fragrance Compound
Corinne Segura, Building Biologist
pretty standard soap ingredients, you’d have to see if you do well with it, it doesnt matter how many people do well with something if you don’t. when exposed to mold chemical sensitivities can suddenly go up
Ali
Hi Corinne,
Forgive me if this is states elsewhere,
But on the bottle of decon 30, it says for hard surfaces a time of 30 seconds is all which is needed. Why do you use 10 minutes ? Additionally, I have been doing research to try to make my own version of thieves oil/ decon. Something which I don’t understand is why don’t we have to wipe decon, but we do thieves? I have read mixed information about essential oils “digesting” mold spores. But some people in the chronic illness /CIRS community believe you have to wipe to get rid of the toxic mold when it’s killed. Either way, the active ingredient in decon is thymol which is an essential oil. The only difference is it’s emulsified in tons of stuff (which they do not specify). So I am generally very confused on the logic on all of this. Thanks so much in advance!
Corinne Segura, Building Biologist
The dwell time is from 30 seconds to 10 minutes, depending on the organism. They say “in those places that you are more concerned may have mold, make sure you keep the surface wet for 10-minutes”
I use thieves oil and I don’t wipe it off.
Ali
Dear Corinne,
Thank you so much for your quick replies. My mom and I have often turned to your site for resources on our 10 year journey with CIRS so I greatly appreciate you and the thoroughness of your posts. Alas—I’m sorry in my brain fog I did see you address the 30s-10 min above so I appreciate you also answering here. My only true lingering question is about the digestion question. There is so much competing information out there. Someone like John Banta for ex does not believe in digestion at all. The only source I’ve found around digestion being possible is this study done by Close which was published in his book but not in peer reviewed source that I could find. Although I know he used third party testing etc. what do you say to the part of the community who is skeptical about essential oils’ ability to digest? I have been using decon spray as a general mist when someone comes into my home off the subway for example and at any point where there may have been possible mold exposure. With visible mold, I’ve used soap and water first, but then followed with decon. It seems there’s 2 schools of thought where some people believe essential oils can do more harm than good by releasing harmful mycotoxin byproducts. However this concern would be nullified if digestion did in fact take place. I am not able to purchase the book at this time as it only comes in paperback and I can’t bring more paper into my space at this time. I feel at a crossroads where I want to be able to trust that this is scientifically true, however all the peer reviewed sources you’ve cited from what I could tell, and the ones which I have read also with regard to essential oil use, talk about its ability to break down cell wells and mitochondrial structures, but does not address dead cells left behind, which I know are toxic to most people in the Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome community. So I’m hoping you may have some further in site on this digestion question. I can see by your website that you are confident in their ability to digest at this point. And I am just trying to understand how you have gotten to that confident point.
Thank you so much in advance for taking the time to read this lengthy message and respond. Your insights are invaluable:)
Corinne Segura, Building Biologist
if John Banta doesn’t agree then it’s still up for debate. It worked just fine for me on musty concrete without washing after. People in fb groups with CRIS speculate about a lot of things which they haven’t even tried themselves so that is not what i would take as serious advice. In that community I would say it’s a persistant myth that goes around where people say it’s harmful to kill mold or use essential oils. The stories I have heard where it did backfire are about hell toxin/HT which is a completely different ballgame, and probably not a mold.
Lorena Flores
Hi Corinne, what other diffusers work with this protocol? I’ve had aroma ace and looking for alternative.
Corinne Segura, Building Biologist
I’m not sure. Dr Close might explain what they were looking for in the cold nebulizer in the book (i think it has to do with the size of the droplets).
Laoise
Hi Corrine, I am wondering when we can go back into the house after fogging with thieves. We fogged for two days and finished two hours ago. I have two young children. I am wondering is it safe for us to go back in yet, thanks a million. Your site is amazing thanks so much, Laoise
Corinne Segura
I would go back if it’s been an hour. I would air it out a little bit though.
Laoise
Hi Corrine, your information is invaluable. I just did the fogging in my house for the last few days with thieves essential oil in a water diffuser. We left the house and stopped the fogging about 1 hour ago. I’m wondering when is it safe to return home. I have a 6 year old and 9 year old so want to be sure it’s safe for them. Thanks so much Corrine.
Laoise
Britt
Great post, Corrine! I’m trying to use mold fighting oils in my house cleaning as well, as a preventative measure 🙂
Corinne Segura
it’s def my favorite mold cleaner because of the way it “digests” mold, feels cleaner, but this is my subjective experience
Shona
Hi Corinne!
I found your website and am so grateful! I am living in a rental with a very high ERMI score ( definite cross contamination from boxes I brought from another home) and I will soon know if the structure itself has mold. I will be moving from here to a mold free rental or home but until then I need to kill mold spores on items in the home so I can rescue as much as possible that is important like documents and books, shoes and boots, and personal items of emotional value… I am will toss and start over regarding many items.
My question: I was told to buy HiTech but haven’t found any good reviews ( and the holistic RN who wants me to buy it won’t work with me if I dont’ buy that product – which makes me know she is earning commisions on it ) and 3rd party testing. How would the Molekule ( which they settled in a lawsuit for false advertising claims) vs the Puraclenz Core or Photon hold up to use to kill the existing mold spores on boxes and furniture and paper ( books) vs fogging the unit? I am suffering with bad mold illness now for about a year ( didn’t know what it was and just got an ERMI done) and need to make the best choices for cleaning up my car and home spaces so I can have the time to locate a new home environment and start the work of regaining my health as I can’t work at this point – I’m too sick.
I would really appreciate your feedback on these units and using them in a moldy space then moving them to a new not moldy space… as I have no income right now all the $ I am spending for testing of my body ( labs) and my home and hiring people to help me regain my health is all coming out of my savings.
Many thanks
Shona
Corinne Segura
see the article on best air purifiers for mold. I would only go with molekule i would def not buy a puraclenze or hitech personally
Haleigh
Thanks SO much for ALL this great info!!! I have been searching everywhere and You seem to have it all on one page! SO thankful! I have SO many clothes and shoes with mold I’m trying to get rid of, I’m really not wanting to throw them all out! What would be the best way to clean it off shoes?
Corinne
I wouldnt worry too much about shoes from a moldy house. But you could wipe them, vacuum them or wash them depending on what they are made of. Or put them in the sun. Shoes were the one thing I kept from my moldy house and I just stored them away from my main living space.
Debbie R. Miller
Hi Corinne, a few questions:
1) Coming off this thread about shoes, I’ve read that Birkenstock cork soles are porous and hence carry mycotoxins. What do you know about the safety of cork soles, as I have many pairs from as long ago as the 1990’s and, as an autistic person, don’t want to part with them, spend the money for, or track down replacements of the exact original ones I want in the context of so many different fabrics & designs that the Birkenstock company provides these days. I don’t process verbal information very well, so am hoping to find written information.
2) I’ve read of someone applying “the Close protocol” to taking books from a mold-hazardous to a mold-safer environment, e.g. via Thieves & ozone. What do you know about or what instructions might you have for applying the Close protocol to books?
3) I’ve read to avoid lemon oil in diffusions related to mold sensitivity and am intuitively inclined to avoid such oil in my own experience. What do you know of ways to avoid lemon, or would you proceed with a Thieves-type protocol for belongings (e.g., books & clothes) anyway?
Corinne Segura
-my opinion on the shoes would still be the same as above.
-definitely don’t mix ozone or any oxidizer with essential oils, or use them at the same time. also ozone and paper create a bad reaction that makes books smell weird. I don’t have a protocol for books.
-lemon is not necessary but i don’t know of any reason to avoid it. there are so many oils that are antifungal