How can I kill mold? I am asked this question time and time again.

It is not a particularly difficult task because mold is not the most resilient living organism on the planet and there are numerous ways in which you can achieve your goal of killing mold.

Whilst killing existing mold is quite straightforward the biggest problem most people encounter is recurring mold growth. The reason for this is mold produces spores, which become air borne and provided the conditions within a room of your home are conducive these will simply germinate and new mold growth will appear.

There are a huge amount of products you can use to kill mold. Large numbers of commercial products are widely available which will no doubt do the job of killing the mold. However, many these can be fairly toxic, bleach will also kill mold successfully but this is extremely harsh and might end up damaging surfaces or floor coverings.

Many, safer, household items - which most likely cost less than commercial products - will do a brilliant job of killing mold. Here are a few you can try.

• Soap and Water - What could be easier?

• Vinegar - use diluted with water in a spray bottle, spray mold area and wipe clean. This is very effective and cheap! One disadvantage it is quite smelly!

• Lemon Juice - Use in the same way as vinegar, fantastically effective at killing mold. Thankfully lemon juice has a "fresh" "clean" smell which is just what you want for eradicating the horrid "musty" smell of mold.

• Tea Tree Oil - You can purchase from any health food store or on-line. Place a few drops into a spray bottle of water, spray the affected area and allow to dry. This also has a strong odour and can be costly but it does keep in the spray bottle indefinitely and you along need very small amounts to cover a fairly big area.

• Grapefruit Seed Oil - applied in the same manner as tea tree oil and id fairly costly but extremely effective at killing mold. The big advantage with this is - it is odourless!

Once you have successfully killed the mold it is time to take steps to stop mold from returning. To do this you must Take steps to ensure that any mold spores do not find conditions which will allow them to bloom once again.

To succeed in this you must strive to keep humidity levels in your home low. This can be done by simply opening a window to increase ventilation, installing an extractor fan - particularly in rooms where a lot of steam and condensation is generated i.e. bathrooms and kitchens. Maybe the use of a dehumidifier would an advantage in damp areas.

The other cause of mold growth is dampness/wetness due to water seeping into the building. This may be down to cracks in outer walls, leaking gutters or roofs or possibly leaking pipes which have gone un-noticed. Wet or damp conditions of any sort will encourage mold growth. So, frequent maintenance inspections are invaluable in ensuring mold is removed from your home for good.

If you can keep the atmosphere in your home warm and not too humid you should stay mold free!