Clean Up Small Spots and Stains in Your Space with These Mold Removers (2024)

Mold is pernicious and invasive—in other words, it's harmful and tough to eradicate. A mold remover can be helpful in eliminating mold spores from surfaces like showers, where moisture often collects, but it won't prevent the mold from growing in the first place or even from coming back.

"If we remove [the mold], we’re actually going to keep it away as long as we repair the conditions that allowed it to grow in the first place," stresses Michael Rubino, author of The Mold Medic and founder of HomeCleanse. Meaning, if you identify and help the source of the moisture, spores have less of an environment to thrive in. It's key to remember: homes are not 100 percent sterile environments—and mold spores can always float in through open windows, too. "Mold spores land on everything all the time. The key is making sure things aren't moist and dirty, so those mold spores have nothing to eat or drink and starve before they multiply," notes Melissa Homer, cleaning expert and member of The Spruce's Cleaning Review Board.

To identify the type of mold you're finding in your home, and to create a remediation plan, it's best to call in a professional. Professionals have the expertise to help safely identify, remove, and prevent mold growth. It's especially essential to call a professional when dealing with "black mold," which actually has a slimy, green-black appearance. This type of mold, or larger areas of spores, are not a job for you and a mold remover.

You can treat small spots on your shower or a household appliance yourself, but should follow all of the noted safety guidelines on your product's label and plan to put in some elbow grease. "Any mold remover is supposed to help separate [the] mold from a surface so that you can remove it," advises Rubino. "That is the only way to utilize these products." He notes that "anything that’s designed as spray and stay or set and forget isn't going to work as intended," and adds, "it's best to thoroughly clean your home after applying a mold-removing product in order to eradicate any residual mold spores or particles that may have spread through your home's dust."

Homer also stresses the importance of finding a product that's a fungicide, which is a formula that kills mold or mildew systems at the roots. "If you don't use a fungicide, you are much more likely to get re-growth if you aren't able to keep the area bone dry," she notes. This may not be an issue for a living room or bedroom, but could easily become an issue for a bathroom that frequently deals with moisture. "In a high-risk area like bathrooms, you really need the fungicide to kill everything so it doesn't immediately start to re-grow the second you have a shower."

When cleaning tiny spots of mold in your home with a mold remover, also make sure the room you are in is well-ventilated. Wear protective eyewear, a mask, and gloves. Rubino suggests a few other guidelines for handling smaller spots of mold spores in your living space: "I would wet it first so that the particles don’t aerosolize. Wear a mask while you’re doing this to protect yourself from breathing it in. I would scrub it with a scrub brush; I would then wipe the area down with a microfiber towel to remove any residual particles. Then, use some sort of household cleaner and a microfiber towel." He tends to stick with botanical products when wiping down the rest of the space to ensure it's free of particles.

With Rubino and Homer's guidance in mind, we researched the best mold removers to find options for cleaning up small collections of spores and stains in your home.

When Should I Call a Professional to Remove Mold?

While an effective mold remover can help you tackle mold on easy-to-clean household surfaces, where you know the source of the moisture (such as in the shower), consider mold remediation services if your efforts to clean and remove the mold aren’t successful, or if the problem quickly reappears. Additionally, a professional can help identify the type of mold you’re dealing with and formulate a treatment plan to prevent the re-growth of the mold.

Michael Rubino, author of The Mold Medic and founder of HomeCleanse, says to seek the aid of a professional if your home's drywall has been compromised, as the drywall will need to be removed. He instructs that mold will always grow back if you don't find and treat the root cause, as well. Also, while all types of mold removal should be handled with appropriate safety measures, some types of mold—particularly "black mold" (Stachybotrys chartarum)—require professional remediation. This slimy, green-black mold typically grows on porous materials like drywall, gypsum board, or wood. Its spores are particularly easy to inhale and can cause respiratory problems and illness.

When in doubt, always call in a professional to help you with your mold removal. They have the know-how to identify, treat, and help prevent spores in your home.

What to Look for in a Mold Remover

Type

There are three primary types of formulas for treating mold and mildew. Look for these terms to understand what the product can do in treating your mold problem.

• Fungicide: Kills mold or mildew systems at the roots
• Mildewstat: Helps prevent the re-growth of mold and mildew spores
• Virucide: Kills viruses

It’s worth noting that many products are a combination of these mold remover types, including our best overall pick, the RMR Brands RMR-141 Disinfectant. Most homeowners will want to effectively solve the problem for good, and one of these combo formulas can certainly help.As a reminder, any mold remover application should be followed up with a thorough cleaning of the exposed room and your home. Mold removers should also not be mixed with household cleaners or bleach, especially if they contain ammonium. The result is extremely dangerous.

In addition, it's key to remember that homes are not entirely sterile environments. Understanding the root of growth problems can be helpful in starving all spores and keeping them from turning into a larger problem, though. Mold is a result of moisture, and will return if you don't create a remediation plan, even if your mold remover is equipped with a fungicide and mildewstat. A professional can help you identify the type of mold you're dealing with, and help you create a remediation plan.

Effectiveness and EPA Registration

One way to determine a product’s effectiveness is to check that it is EPA-registered (you can search for the product on the site). The container should also be marked with an EPA registration number as proof that it has been tested and registered with the EPA as a fungicide or mildewstat. Some of the mold removers on the market are also part of the EPA's Safer Choice Program, including our best for stains pick, the CLR Mold & Mildew Clear Stain Remover.

Whether or not the mold returns depends on how well you follow the manufacturer’s instructions for use, whether or not the product includes treatment to help prevent growth, and whether or not you take steps to prevent future moisture or humidity problems in damp areas, such as basem*nts.

We can't stress this enough: if you remove the mold, but don't find the root of the problem and fix it, the mold will return. Working with a fungicide can additionally kill spores, and help ensure that they don't grow back right away—per advice from Melissa Homer, cleaning expert and member of The Spruce's Cleaning Review Board.

Application Method

Removing mold does require some elbow grease, even when you're dealing with small spots in your home, but choosing the right product can make application easier. Mold removers typically come in spray bottles that give thorough, uniform coverage—even in hard-to-reach areas. Every remover on our list either comes in a spray bottle or has the option to buy a separate spray top attachment.

Outdoor mold or mildew may require a more concentrated product that can be diluted to cover many square feet of siding, decking, or other materials. Some outdoor mold removers come in bottles that are ready to be attached to your garden hose for faster, even application.However, if you're dealing with a large area of mold, then it's best to call in a professional.

Products designed to get rid of mold spots work by targeting the spore (or root) of the mold. (Note: this does not mean the root cause, which is moisture.) After you apply the product, most formulas require you to wait a few minutes. During this period, the product is destroying mold spores at the roots with the help of a fungicide. At the same time, other active ingredients, like ammonium in some formula, works to clean and disinfect the treated surface. Many mold removers also work to prevent growth by leaving behind an antimicrobial coating. The "prevention" part of a formula is known as a mildewstat.

No matter which mold remover you purchase, you should always thoroughly clean a room that has been exposed to mold after properly removing the growth. "As long as that organism [mold] has been there, it’s been producing all these particles and they’re still in our environment," says Rubino. "That’s why it's important to remove the mold and then clean the home—remove all the dust, because that dust is going to contain these particles that can still get inside the body even after that mold is gone.”

The Checkout Counter

Before you start cleaning any mold in your home, we suggest gathering up these supplies:

1. Handheld Sprayer: Some mold removers require you to pour the product into a multipurpose sprayer, like this one, which comes with an adjustable nozzle and holds about half a gallon.
2. Disposable Rubber Gloves: Because it's important to keep your skin protected while using any cleaning supplies, we suggest keeping a box of disposable work gloves handy. These nitrile gloves come in a pack of 50 and provide a good grip.
3. Ryobi One+ Cordless Hybrid Fan: Keep your work area properly ventilated and safe with a fan. This one is cordless, so you can easily move it wherever you need a breath of fresh air.
   

Why Trust The Spruce?

With experience researching the latest solutions in home organization and cleaning for The Spruce, Erica Puisis is well-versed in the brands and products that make a difference in your home. Having tackled her own fair share of trouble spots and mildew issues around the house, she's always on the lookout for safe, effective products that make it quicker and easier to maintain a cleaner and safer home environment.

Our Experts:

• Emma Phelps, associate editor at The Spruce
• Michael Rubino, author ofThe Mold Medic, and the founder ofHomeCleanse
• Melissa Homer, cleaning expert and The Spruce's Cleaning Review Board member
• Michelle Lau, editor at The Spruce