Tea tree essential oil is often used to fight mold. It’s an excellent choice. Because mold seems to die on contact.

But you can also use other kinds of essential oils for mold. Not all of them work as well as tea tree. But I’ve found that germ-fighting blends do a pretty decent job. Especially in my dehumidifier.

I always have a germ-fighting essential oil blend in the house. However, their primary use is during cold and flu season.

After diluting this blend in carrier oil, I rub it on the inside of my wrists. I do this if I’m exposed to someone who’s sick.

One year a serious infection was in the news a lot. So I also put a germ-fighter blend in a cold air diffuser and let it run. (It’s a good scent for fall and winter because it’s warm, with overtones of cloves and cinnamon.)

However, germ fighting blends don’t last forever. The generally contain four or five different types of essential oils. One popular formula sold by several companies is made from clove, cinnamon, lemon, eucalyptus and rosemary essential oils.

Clove and cinnamon essential oils seem to last a long time before going bad. Lemon and eucalyptus oils don’t hold up as well. So it’s probably best to use a germ-fighting blend within a year, or two at the very most.

If you find yourself left with extra germ fighting formula you can then use it to fight mold. You can put it in your dehumidifier. Or you can use this blend to make a DIY shower cleaner.

Germ Fighting Essential Oil To Fight Mold

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Fighting dampness in my bathroom and in my basement is a constant battle. We live in a wooded area with running springs not too far away. Our water table is probably high.

We fight basement dampness by running a dehumidifier during the warm weather. This works well to pull water from the air. But the water can have a moldy smell.

This isn’t preferable. But putting 5 drops of a germ-fighting blend in the dehumidifier well solves the problem.

It’s also a good way to use up any essential oil left after last year’s cold and flu season. One thing I hate to do is throw away a bottle with a lot of essential oil left in it. (You can tell when an oil goes bad. It starts to smell a little off.)

My motto is essential oils are meant to be used. Not saved. Because you’ll eventually have to throw them out. So I’m always looking for creative uses, which I can then tell my readers about.

Germ Fighting Essential Oil for Mold

I’m a firm believer in non MLM essential oils. Because really good brands exist outside of the multilevel marketing networks. I order my germ-fighting blend from Plant Therapy. This company sells high quality oils at very competitive prices.

I know some people are more comfortable with the MLM brands. And I need to respect that. But I’ve used Plant Therapy Germ Fighting Synergy Blend for support during a bad cold, and it did seem to help.

Anyway, one suggestion (if you like MLM oils) would be to use the pricier stuff for personal care. You could use another brand for cleaning and mold control. (Trust me, my dehumidifier doesn’t care if I don’t use a certain brand.)

Another brand of germ fighting oils I’ve purchased in the past is Protect blend by Fabulous Frannie. I was happy with the smell and used the formula with confidence. I also overbought. So I had to think up ways to use five extra bottles. Some of the Protect formula went into my dehumidifier.

Good Essential Oils To Fight Mold In Your House

Tea tree essential oil is great for most jobs. If you want to do some mold-busting, put about 25 to 30 drops of this tea tree essential oil in a 16-ounce glass spray bottle filled with water. Make sure to use a glass spray bottle instead of plastic. That’s because essential oils eat away at plastic.

You can also add a little vodka or alcohol free witch hazel to the mix. Then use it to tackle this mold beast. You could use it to spray your shower, before wiping it down. (If your shower is high gloss test this on a small part before using it on the entire shower. Essential oils are very strong, and could potentially strip a high-gloss finish.) Or you could use it as a mold-fighting spray in your basement or attic. Essential oil spray recipe below.

16 ounce glass spray bottle (They’re available here)

25 to 30 drops of germ fighting essential oil blend (It’s available here)

3 Tbs of alcohol free witch hazel (It’s available here)

Fill the spray bottle with water. But leave enough room for the witch hazel and essential oils. Use to prevent mold in damp areas. You can substitute tea tree essential oil for the germ fighting blend.

If you don’t own a glass spray bottle they are available online. Below you can see the kind that I use.

Tea tree contains compounds called terpinen-4-ol and cineole, which seem to get at the root of the mold problem.

So when I want to tackle bathroom mold, tea tree is my “go to” remedy. But as a variation you can use a germ-fighting blend. As I mentioned before, this is a good way to use up leftover oils about to go bad.

Also, germ fighting blends smell much better than tea tree oil.

Tea tree essential oil stinks. It doesn’t fill your home with a calming soothing scent, like lavender does. And it doesn’t impart a clean, uplifting fragrance, as you’ll get with peppermint essential oil.

Instead, tea tree oil smells a lot like industrial solvent. This is not something you want to linger in the air.

If you can’t fine a good germ fighter essential oil blend locally, they’re available online.

Using Essential Oils To Fight Mold

As I mentioned earlier, one mold hot spot is our basement. We ran a dehumidifier during the warmer months. But, then, this device began to smell musty. This very unhealthy odor lingered in the air around it.

The first time I noticed this, we thought it was because our dehumidifier was old. So we bought a new one. But after just a week or two, our brand new purchase smelled exactly the same.

I knew we had a serious issue, which needed to be fixed. So essential oils to the rescue.

Essential Oils for Mold In Your Dehumidifier

Putting tea tree oil in my dehumidifier isn’t my first choice. This is a very useful oil, but for other types of mold problems. It has a really strong and not entirely pleasant smell.

That’s why my germ-fighting essential oil blend makes a good substitute. Fun fact about germ fighting blends. (Nearly every major essential oil company now sells them.)

Modern germ fighting blends seem to be modeled after a group of 14th-century thieves who stole from the sick, without getting sick themselves, during the Black Death, which killed millions of Europeans. It’s believed these men lived in France.

The thieves stayed well with their secret herbal blend. Once they were caught, they were forced to confess, in exchange for a lighter sentence. The above germ-killing aromatics appear to be based upon this widely circulated account.

Getting Rid of Mold in Basement With Essential Oils

Just so I don’t mislead anyone, I don’t think putting essential oils in a dehumidifier is going to solve a serious basement mold problem. Our basement smells musty, and this unfortunately invaded our dehumidifier.

We don’t see mold black mold growing in our basement. But we could smell something. For our relatively mild problem, our germ fighting blend worked just fine.

Disclaimer

These statements have not been approved by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. People with health concerns should discuss them with a doctor. Women who are pregnant or nursing should not use essential oils, unless under the direction of a healthcare professional.