Usually, when most homeowners notice mold, they get out the bottle of bleach and with a few sprays the problem is solved – or is it? There’s a popular belief that using bleach to get rid of mold is an easy fix but think again. Mold can be extremely hard to get rid of and using the wrong cleaner can make your issue much worse. Let’s be very clear, you do not want to use chlorine bleach to clean up and or kill mold. The main reasons are because it really doesn’t kill mold and it is made with highly toxic chlorine that can produce gasses such as dioxins that are very harmful to breathe in, soak in through your skin and it also contaminates our environment when it goes down the drains.
It is true that bleach can remove some mold in some places some of the time. But, bleach only works to do away with mold on hard, impermeable surfaces like bathtub and shower surrounds or tiles. However, on porous surfaces like drywall or hardwood floors, it won’t work to kill mold or keep it from coming back. The reason is mold spreads its roots deep into porous surfaces. Simply spraying a bleach solution on the surface won’t kill mold spores at their roots.
What You Need To Know
Bleach encourages toxic mold growth on porous surfaces because it provides excess moisture. Bleach contains about 90% water. When you apply bleach to a surface, the chlorine quickly evaporates leaving behind a lot of water. Then, when the water soaks into porous surfaces like wood, it encourages mold growth. So, bleach can actually make your mold problem worse.
Bleach only removes the color from mold. After you spray bleach, only the surface appears clean. But the problem is, the mold’s roots continue to grow.
Chlorine bleach is extremely harmful to surfaces. For example, when you use bleach on wood, it starts to weaken it by breaking the fibers. When you spray bleach on metal, it starts to corrode it almost immediately. Thus, using bleach to kill mold creates problems with the structural integrity of a home.
Bleach is extremely corrosive. When you spray bleach and it evaporates, it releases chlorine gas. It irritates and eventually causes damage to the skin, lungs, and eyes. The corrosive nature of bleach is even worse when it’s mixed. Bleach should never be mixed with acids, because it causes dangerous fumes. Mixing cleaning compounds containing ammonia with bleach and ammonia produces deadly gasses that can kill with just a few breaths.
Bleach doesn’t work as a sanitizing agent when it’s mixed with organic material. To be an effective sanitizer, bleach has to be used on clean materials and surfaces. That’s why bleach products get used in the laundry after the wash cycle. Light and heat compromise the sanitizing properties of bleach. Despite the fact that the chlorine odor lingers for a while after you use it, bleach loses strength so quickly it doesn’t have a residual effect. That is, it doesn’t prevent future bacterial or fungal growth.
It should be clear to you that bleach is simply not an effective mold cleaner or remover. Not only is it not effective, it is dangerous to you and your family’s health. The facts are that people who use bleach in their homes are poisoning themselves, their families and the environment.
Who Do You Call If You Find Mold?
Remember to always hire a professional when you are unsure, are dealing with a large area, or if anyone in the home is experiencing symptoms. Simply killing mold is not always the answer. Dead airborne mold material can be as equally bothersome as living mold. Depending upon what the cause of the mold is and how much of it is present, you should be hiring a mold remediation specialist to complete the work. These technicians are trained and licensed to perform a whole house mold inspection, tape/surface area mold tests and/or air testing to check for elevated levels of mold. It’s also important to determine what kind of mold is present because some types are toxic.
For the best expertise and customer service, call Xtreme Home Improvement. We will work with you to create an effective plan and remove the mold before it can damage your health or property.