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Does bleach really kill mold?
Mold is terrible. It is smelly, annoying, and destructive. Not only does it stain surfaces within the house, causing your space to look very unpleasant, it can also cause damage to your structures by eating away at your building materials like walls and furniture. So it only makes sense that once you notice mold, you want to get rid of it immediately.
The idea that bleach will help completely get rid of the mold in your home is a common misconception that has been sold by big bleach marketing agencies and websites.
The primary function of bleach is to disinfect (chlorine bleach) and to bleach (change color).
Chlorine bleach can help eliminate mold on hard non-porous surfaces like sinks, bathtubs, tiles, or glass. This is because the roots of the mold do not penetrate through this surface and so it is easily wiped off.
However, when mold grows on a porous material like wood or drywall, it spreads its root deep into the material to reach more nutrients. So when you apply bleach to such a surface, you are merely changing the mold’s color on the surface. Bleach quickly dries off on the surface and will not reach into the deeper part of the material to the mold’s root. So, in a few days or weeks, the mold regains its color and grows back to become even worse than it was before you applied the bleach.
The fact is that bleach might work well on a non-porous surfaces like tiles, sinks etc., it is not worth trying due to the numerous health hazards associated with it.
Should you use bleach to clean mold at all?
Experts advise that you should never use bleach to clean mold, whether on a porous or non-porous surface. There are many reasons for this and mainly because, using bleach to treat or clean mold can jeopardize your health.
Common household bleach is not necessarily toxic, but prolonged exposure to bleach can be very harmful to humans. When in the gaseous state, chlorine bleach produces a byproduct called dioxin, recognized as a cancer-causing compound. Hence, inhaling bleach is dangerous.
In addition to this, mixing chlorine bleach with ammonia, drain cleaners, cleansers, or any other similar chemical produces chlorine gas, which can be very harmful to health. Exposure to chlorine gas can cause a burning sensation on the skin, eyes, and nostrils. It can also negatively affect the lungs or cause breathing anomalies, mostly when used around individuals with a lung condition such as asthma.
To stress the potential harm of using bleach to kill mold, the the CDC advises against handling bleach without wearing complete personal protective gear. This includes an N95 respirator to prevent you from inhaling harmful gas, goggles, and protective gloves.
In essence, using bleach to kill mold can cause you even more harm than the mold you are trying to kill.
Bleach can contribute to further mold growth
Bleach is made up of about 90 percent water. Moreover, since molds thrive with moisture, spraying bleach on mold can contribute to further mold growth, especially on porous (permeable) surfaces.
Once you apply bleach to mold on a porous surface, the chlorine content of the beach dries up almost immediately, leaving behind the water content to be absorbed into the wood or any other absorbent material. The water travels down to the root of the mold and helps it thrive. This is why mold problems often become worse a few days after bleach is applied.
Applying bleach on mold may even cause mold to grow in surrounding areas that were previously unaffected.
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