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Can You Use Bleach To Remove Mold?
Many people think that all they need to do to kill mold once and for all is to use bleach. This works just fine if the mold is on a non-porous surface such as glass, bathtubs or kitchen countertops (why would there be mold on the counter where food is prepared?).
Many of the new mold removal products, which are becoming more and more popular, contain bleach as an active ingredient. Again, this is fine on hard, non-porous surfaces.
The problem is, people think bleach will kill mold that is on everything…walls, ceilings, carpets or upholstery. This is a false assumption.
Killing Mold
Mold is a living organism, with roots that grow into its food source. Therefore, the process of truly killing mold is to kill its roots, which is easier said than done.
You would think that because bleach is liquid, that it would soak into wood based materials, but the properties of bleach prevent it from doing so. Which means you may bleach the color of the top of the mold, but it’s roots go untouched, and continue to grow.
Facts about mold and bleach
Mold loves moisture (water), bleach is made up of 95% water. It is recommended that you use a beach solution of 1part bleach and 10 parts water. This won’t kill the mold, and it may even encourage its growth!
We’re simply handing it what it needs to survive.
One of the problems with mold are the toxic spores that it sends into the air, bleach sends toxic gases into the air – both of which we inhale.
It seems to me that using bleach to try and kill mold is only compounding the problem.
More cold hard facts:
There are times when mold has taken over and is so bad that it can’t totally be remediated or removed. So whatever it’s growing in (you notice I didn’t say on), must be totally cut out and removed. It’s very difficult to remediate mold from such things as wallboard.
If you have a mold problem, the best way to insure its total removal is to call a qualified mold inspector and solutions provider to test and remove properly and thoroughly.
Mold Solutions is a full service mold solutions provider, who can remove the threats to your health and safety caused by mold.
