During my routine reading of mold news, I found a video from KFYR TV in North Dakota where the reporter interviews someone who says you should use bleach to kill mold. Please do not listen to her!
It appears that even in this age of breakthrough mold-fighting techniques, there are still some who cannot give up the old ways. Until recently, bleach was thought to be an effective way to kill household mold, a tradition passed down by our grandmothers through generations. But, maybe on this on subject, grams could be wrong. Bleach is usually ineffective, unsafe and environmentally-unfriendly, and, worst of all, can even make your mold problem worse.
Because of its ionic structure, the chlorine in bleach constantly escapes from the jug. In fact, chlorine bleach loses 50% of its killing power within the first 90 days, even if the container has never been opened. What killing power remains, cannot penetrate porous surfaces and can only kill mold growing on the surface. The mold roots that survive can regrow the mold quickly. What’s worse is that bleach turns things invisible. So while it may look like the mold has disappeared, it may just have just become invisible to your eyes.
Chlorine bleach is a killing agent and is harmful to humans as well. Such chemical biocides require you to use gloves, masks, and eye protection if you want to be safe. Also, you’ll need a mask respirator to protect you from the mold particles as well as the bleach fumes that inflame your mucus membranes.
Finally, when chlorine bleach is used to remove mold it can actually make the problem worse. While the 1% of bleach that is chlorine can kill mold, the other 99% is water which can cause it to grow. Water can penetrate porous surfaces much better than chlorine and feed the mold at its roots. Often people who think they successfully removed mold with chlorine bleach find that it will regrow much stronger a few weeks later.
But you don’t have to take our word for it. The EPA now says “the use of a chemical biocide that kills organisms such as mold (chlorine bleach for example) is not recommended as a routine practice during mold remediation.” Additionally, OSHA’s Mold Remediation/ Clean Up Methods guidelines also discourage the use of chlorine bleach as a mold remediation tool.
When is bleach okay? For removing small amounts of mold on hard, flat, nonporous surfaces, bleach is an acceptable mold-killer. Tiny mold growths on bathroom tiles, tubs, shower glass, and kitchen counter-tops can be handled with bleach. When mold grows in these places, it is often called mildew. So it’s best to think of bleach as a “mildew killer” but leave the mold to stronger stuff such as enzymes.
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