Quote:
Originally Posted by nibs
mk1st says
"Definitely DON'T try to "kill the mold" with bleach!!"
My microbiologist friend says bleach is a very effective anti mold agent, curious why you say not to use it?
Also says be careful with bleach on fabric, may discolor or even dissolve it.
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I used to think this way too until I talked to a storm damage contractor casually who told me that on a non-porous surface, mold can be removed with bleach. On surfaces like wood and drywall, the mold apparently has a membrane that lives deep and the chlorine in the bleach evaporates but the water that suspends the chlorine in the bleach takes longer to dry. Basically you might kill and wipe away the mold on the surface, but you'd be giving the underlying mold water to immediately restart growth. Granted if you can keep things dry enough the mold might not spread enough to be visible or to be able to smell it and you might get away with it, but if there is any moisture it encounters in the future, it will come out of dormancy.
His suggestion to me if I ever encounter mold is to spray it down with undiluted white vinegar out of a spray bottle, keep it wet with vinegar for 1 hour, scrub away the mold with towels you are willing to throw away, then spray it down and keep it wet for another hour.
I've read other stuff online that apparently hydrogen peroxide works better than bleach too. ..but I don't think you want to mix any of these chemicals, so do research on mold removal, decide on one thing and stick with it. If it's drywall, I'd opt to spray it down with vinegar to prevent living surface spores from spreading while I remove it and seal it immediately into a trash bag and get it outside as quickly as possible.