CLEANING MOLD WITH BLEACH

Household chlorine bleach is a commonly used product when it comes to cleaning mold. Aside from being a dangerous product that can cause death when ingested and nervous system and brain damage when inhaled, bleach is not the best choice for mold removal. The active chemicals which give bleach strong bactericidal properties and make it useful for disinfecting and sterilizing solid surfaces may work well on the surface of mold damaged materials, but they do no penetrate porous materials to kill the mold growing deeper in walls or ceilings. The moisture that does penetrate the surface can actually feed the mold and encourage growth. Mold growth on walls or ceilings cleaned with bleach will almost invariably come back.

QCI, Inc. would discourage the “Landlord Remediation Method” of chlorine bleach and Kilz. Applying a primer coating over moist porous materials will trap in the moisture and provide an ideal environment for mold growth. Mold damaged porous materials cannot be cleaned and should be removed.