The Myth of Bleach and Mold

The idea that bleach kills mold is a premise that has been promulgated by the bleach and do it yourself community. This questionable mold removal can be done by spraying bleach onto the area of concern and then scrubbing the surface area. Scrubbing clean the area will cause the surface mold to be removed, but it can make the mold situation worse.

When mold and bleach interact, the mold reacts as if it were being attacked. Spraying the mold down with bleach causes the mold to shoot spores off to protect itself. As a person is wiping the surface, it can spread the mold spores further out. If the rag is used in other areas of the home, it can further spread the mold to areas that were unaffected.

Mold thrives off of moisture, and one of the primary components of bleach is water. Also, the chemicals in bleach which includes chlorine, does not penetrate through the porous areas of the sheetrock or wood where the roots of the mold are. Another concern is that bleach is a highly acidic mixture, which can threaten the integrity of porous materials.

The acidity of the bleach can wreak havoc on the fibers that compose most home building materials such as drywall. Not only will the bleach spread the mold, but it can ruin the integrity of the material. This destruction of the drywall can allow the mold to spread quickly to otherwise unaffected areas of the wall of the property. However, this will not be visible to a person until a later date.

The mold may no longer be visible to the person, but it is still present in the wall. Mold has deep roots and can permeate to the outer areas of the wall to seek out sustenance. Bleach cannot as explained earlier remove the roots from the area of concern. Moreover, bleach is not a recommended solution for mold remediation.

The Environmental Protection Agency has guidelines on which to gauge a mold situation and how to handle the problem. A certified mold remediation company follows the protocols that are set out by a governing body to protect their liability, which SI Restoration follows.

SI Restoration does not use bleach on any of its mold remediation projects. Their professionally trained crews understand the problems that can arise out of using bleach on a mold remediation project. With over 25 years of experience handling mold projects in Maryland, their staff can handle any mold situation with the right products and equipment.