Does Chlorine Bleach Get Rid Of Mold?
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LOCATION
ADDRESS:
11315 Sunrise Gold Circle
Rancho Cordova, CA 95742
866-722-7876
(Toll Free)
916-354-9743 (Business)
Fax:
916-647-0999
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Mold Removal - Will Chlorine Bleach
get rid of mold?
Molds are nature's decomposers, and are responsible
for breaking down and getting rid of dead organic material.
They definitely have their place in nature, but not
in our homes or businesses.
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To grow indoors, mold needs moisture and food. Moisture
is the most important factor influencing mold growth
indoors. Controlling indoor moisture helps limit mold
growth. Mold does not need a lot of water to grow. A
little condensation, in a bathroom or around a window
sill, for example, can be enough.
Mold trapped in homes is extremely dangerous, and toxic
varieties can cause many problems, including severe
illness and the complete destruction of property. Once
mold is discovered action should be taken immediately
to prevent further issues. Unfortunately when it comes
to getting rid of mold the first thing people reach
for is the bottle of bleach under the kitchen sink,
but it can and does make the problem worse. Bleach can
actually feed the very thing you are trying to get rid
of. There are various reasons why chlorine bleach should
not be used for the clean up of mold. It's for these
reasons that chlorine bleach is not registered as a
disinfectant to kill mold with the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA). There are quite a few reasons why chlorine
bleach is ineffective at killing mold:
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- Firstly, chlorine bleach does not have the ability
to cut through a dirty surface. Bleach cannot clean
dirt and only masks it by bleaching it white or transparent.
Any soiled surface that requires mold restoration
will initially require cleaned before being disinfected
with bleach. This is twice the amount of work required
to get rid of mold than if the correct product was
used in the first place. In addition, the killing
power of bleach is quickly deactivated by organic
material.
- Secondly, even full strength chlorine bleach is
too diluted to get rid of mold permanently especially
on porous surfaces. The chlorine itself will not soak
into porous materials such as drywall and wood, but
the water making up 99% of chlorine bleach does, and
feeds the mold. The ionic structure of bleach prevents
Chlorine from penetrating into porous materials such
as drywall and wood---it just stays on the outside
surface, whereas mold has enzyme roots growing inside
the porous construction materials. Mold grows its
roots deep into the surface of drywall and wood and
the chlorine can only kill what is on the surface,
allowing the roots of the mold to remain very much
alive. Mold removal of porous materials is the only
safe way of getting rid of all the mold.
- Lastly, whatever killing power chlorine bleach does
posses drops rapidly even over a very short period
of time. Apart from the fact that the disinfecting
power of bleach is quickly deactivated once it comes
into contact with organic material, chlorine bleach
also has a very short shelf life. As the bleach sits
on the grocery store shelf or in the cupboards in
a home, the Chlorine ions continually bleed through
the plastic which is why bleach smells like bleach
even when the bottle is closed. It is reported that
in just the first three months after being bottled
there is a 50% loss in killing power in an unopened
container of bleach.
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The EPA, various Departments of Health, the Wall Street
Journal, and even Clorox themselves, have all stated
that bleach is ineffective at killing mold on porous
surfaces. The Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and
Restoration Certification (IICRC), Clorox, the EPA and
OSHA, have all stated that bleach should never be used
in mold remediation. Bleach appears to kill mold, but
just the surface mold is affected - the hidden mold
underneath the surface is alive and well - now it's
been fed and doing better than ever.
When the mold eventually grows back, and it will, it
will be stronger than before. Bleach seems to help,
but it makes the problem worse. There are ways to get
rid of your unwanted houseguest, but bleach is not one
of them. Call a local professional restoration company
like PuoClean Home Rescue (866-722-7876) instead and
they will instruct you that killing mold is not good
enough; you must get rid of the porous material too.
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