Bleach and Mold: What You Think You Know

Chlorine bleach isn’t the holy “purify all” that we once thought it was. Mothers and housekeepers all across the country the past century have tended to think that if it needs to be cleaned or disinfected, bleach will do the trick. Most people would think that chlorine bleach will kill mold, but new studies prove that this is not the case. It is not effective in killing mold on porous surfaces like walls of a household, ceiling tiles, and etcetera.

Unless the mold is on top of a counter or a sink, the bleach will do next to nothing to eliminate the mold. A recent study paid for by Clorox, the largest manufacturer in the world of chlorine bleach, says that attempting to kill mold with bleach is best done on hard surfaces only. This means that if you find mold growing on your wall, trying to clean it with chlorine bleach is not going to help because the mold is growing not only on the outside of the wall, but also deeper in the wall than the chemical can reach. Chlorine bleach is too diluted and not strong enough to get rid of mold unless it is on a non-porous surface like tile.

Chlorine bleach is also not a registered disinfectant with the EPA that works with killing mold. The EPA puts a registration number indicating that a product kills mold on any product that does, but you will not be able to find this on any chlorine bleach label.

Another thing that some people are unaware of is the dangerous properties that chlorine bleach can have if it is mixed with other cleaning products such as anything containing ammonia or anything that contains acid. The mixing of these products causes toxic gases to be released into the air in your home and this occurs most often when someone is trying to disinfect something in their home or get rid of disease-causing microorganisms like mold. Mold is serious business, but don’t risk your life by mixing household chemicals trying to find a cheap way to kill the mold that exists in your home.

In addition to being ineffective in killing mold, it also tends to damage and discolor some surfaces it is used on such as metal.


Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
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