I tried bargain mould removal sprays under £3 – here’s what got my bathroom gleaming again | The Sun

AFTER months of cold weather, I've been one of the unlucky people across the country to be plagued by mould in my home.

Roughly 11.8 million people in Britain are living in mouldy properties, research by housing charity Shelter found in 2022.

The issue is usually worse in humid rooms, like your bathroom, which can steam up after a hot shower.

Black mould build-up in the bathroom is difficult to get rid of, and can also be dangerous for your health.

People who live in homes with mould are more likely to get respiratory problems and conditions like asthma.

My bathroom ceiling has gotten mould infested over the cold months, and I decided to tackle the problem with the most affordable solution.

I tested out three common sprays – plus one unexpected household item – to see which would be the most effective at getting rid of the black spores, and was pleasantly surprised by the results.

I used:

• Dettol mould & mildew remover antibacterial spray
• Kim Woodburn original mould & mildew cleaner
• Astonish mould & mildew blaster
• Listerine total care mouthwash

Each were left for just 30 seconds to develop.

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I rated each one out of five for value for money, ease of use and effectiveness, giving each a score out of 15.

Here's how each of them fared…

Method one: Dettol mould & mildew remover

I didn't have high expectations for this mould spray because it was so cheap, but I was shocked by how well it worked.

I hadn't heard of the spray before but saw it on the shelf in Poundland beside the other products on my shopping list so decided to give it a go.

And I'm SO glad I chucked it in my basket because this ended up being a winner.

I didn't realise how filthy my ceiling had become until I sprayed this product on it and gave the plaster a rub.

The wall, which had turned black with mould spores, was left gleaming after just a couple of sprays of the mould remover – and I only left it on for 30 seconds.

Not only did the spray immediately remove the dark speckles that were dotted everywhere, thanks to the bleach in the spray the ceiling turned a shade of white I've never seen before.

It was so easy to use, and left my bathroom in even better condition than it was when I moved in.

• Price: £2.50, Poundland
• Ease of use: 5/5
• Effectiveness: 4.5/5
• Value for money: 5/5
• Total score: 14.5/15

Method two: Kim Woodburn mould & mildew cleaner

This spray was popular on Facebook pages with mums desperate to scrub the mould off surfaces, so I thought I'd give it a try.

I love the telly personality behind the cleaning range and trusted Kim to come up with a good solution to my mould problem.

The cleaner got rid of the overall build up of mould, but struggled to tackle more serious spores.

I had to put my back into it and really scour the wall for it to be effective, so it was a good workout if nothing else.

It was also the cheapest product I bought so it was good value for the price.

But I wouldn't reach for it as my go-to mould remover.

• Price: £1
• Ease of use: 2/5
• Effectiveness: 2.5/5
• Value for money: 4/5
• Total score: 8.5/15

Method three: Astonish mould & mildew blaster

The Astonish brand is a Poundland favourite, and I knew I had to try their mould cleaning spray as part of my shopping haul.

I even hit up two stores just to find it, as it was out of stock in the first one, which I took as a good sign.

I was glad to try out a mould cleaner that was advertised as having a nice fruity scent, because by this point my bathroom smelled like a swimming pool with the amount of bleaching products I was applying to my ceiling.

This blaster had the international cruelty free symbol, which means it has not been tested on animals, so I felt doubly good about using it.

I gave the ceiling a couple sprays and a rub and sure enough, a good amount of the black stuff vanished.

A couple of stubborn bits of mould still clung to the plaster, but for the most part, the blaster got the job done.

• Price: £1.25
• Ease of use: 4/5
• Effectiveness: 3/5
• Value for money: 5/5
• Total score: 12/15

Method four: Listerine total care arctic mint

This was a rogue choice, but I saw a cleaning expert on a Facebook page sharing that her hack for getting rid of mould is by using mouthwash.

Apparently Listerine original was the best, but I was horrified to find it selling for up to £94 on Amazon.

I was about to give that product a miss when I saw her description explained that any mouthwash would work as long as alcohol was one of the base ingredients.

So I bundled up and headed off to Boots, where I found the handy 2-in-1 bathroom product on sale for only £2.52.

This was a real bargain, and I knew I would also be able to use the mouthwash for its original intended purpose once I had tackled the mould problem.

I used a different technique for the mouthwash, since it doesn't have a nozzle for spraying with.

After pouring the liquid directly onto my washcloth, I used that to scrub the ceiling.

While the mouthwash wasn't a miracle product like the Dettol spray, it did eliminate the build up of mould spores on the ceiling, leaving only the more stubborn patches.

It also left my bathroom with a minty fresh smell.

• Price: £2.52
• Ease of use: 3/5
• Effectiveness: 3.5/5
• Value for money: 3/5
• Total score: 9.5/15

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The verdict

I will definitely be going crazy with the Dettol mould & mildew remover every time I have issues with mould in the future, as it not only removed the mould, but also left my bathroom ceiling a blinding shade of white.

But all the products I used were cheap and effective, so get in girls, we're going shopping!

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