DESPITE Spring officially starting last week, the wet weather means that many of us are still struggling to keep our homes dry.
Rather than spending a small fortune on fancy dehumidifiers, one cleaning whizz has an easy method to prevent mould and mildew using a 3p children’s toy.
If you aren’t already following Anita Birges, prepare to meet your new favourite influencer.
The domestic goddess is known for her incredible cleaning and organisation hacks, with her Instagram page rapidly gaining over 152,000 followers.
It’s hardly surprising as the Aussie has some incredibly budget-friendly ways to tackle household chores.
She even has her own hack for preventing mould and mildew in your wardrobe, whilst deterring common pest around the home.
Rather than using a chemical deterrent or an expensive dehumidifier, the savvy mum will apply a few drops of essential oil to a jumbo piece of chalk (yes, you read that right)
Though it sounds like an old wives’ tale, the household hack works because the chalk absorbs any excess moisturise which prevents damp and that annoying musty smell.
Meanwhile, the essential oils work to deter mice and other pests that might want to naw at your clothes.
Unsurprisingly, her hack has gone viral on Instagram with the content creator demonstrating just how easy this tool is to make.
“Put a few drops of an essential oil on a piece of jumbo chalk and place in your wardrobe cupboards or drawers,” she explained in the reel, which has been liked over 1,300 times.
The cleaning whizz even broke down what essential oils you should use, depending on the issue you are having in your home currently.
In the caption, she wrote: “Clove oil – Prevents mould! The chalk absorbs moisture, while the clove oil is known to kill mould spores.
“Lavender oil – Gets rid of moths and silverfish.
“Peppermint oil – Leaves your drawers smelling fresh and discourages spiders, mice and other creepy crawlies.”
However, she did tell fans that you should ideally use one oil per chalk – to get the maximum impact.
You won’t even need to put it in a container, with the influencer saying: “I put it down the side of my drawer and in the top of my wardrobe. On the top shelf no container.”
If you weren’t all ready tempted to try this hack, most of the essential oils she uses cost less than £4 per bottle online and on the high street.
For instance, you can pick up a bottle of clove oil in Boots for just £2.99, whilst Amazon has lavender (£2.49) and peppermint oil for only £3.79.
You can even pick up a 20-pack of jumbo chalks for £3.25 on the website, meaning you’ll spend just 3p to rid your home of mould.
The cleaning method has even been tried and tested in other parts of the home, with a fan commenting: “Clove oil keeps those tiny ants out of my kitchen.”
Sounds like you won’t have to worry about mildew or household pests for much longer with this hack.