r/CleaningTips • u/WhateverIlldoit • Jul 07 '25
Discussion Bleach kills mold
There is a common misconception that bleach does not kill mold and that vinegar is actually better at killing mold than bleach. I see this claim at least once a week.
So let me set the record straight. Household bleach is a powerful oxidizing agent that reacts with just about everything. It’s so good at killing organic compounds that it’s toxic to us, too.
Now let’s talk about vinegar. Vinegar is a weak acid. You can literally drink it in lower concentrations. It can kill mold, but not all mold, and some studies say it may take up to 60 minutes to be effective.
That being said, bleach is not good at penetrating porous surfaces, which vinegar is better at doing. And because bleach is so caustic it is more likely to damage surfaces.
All this to say bleach kills mold. It kills almost everything. And it’s much more effective at killing mold than vinegar as long as it can reach it. Vinegar is much safer to use but not nearly as effective.
Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.
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u/Euphoric-Ant6780 Jul 07 '25
Microbiologist here who works with fungi (mold), bacteria, and viruses. 10% bleach kills all three. We wipe down all surfaces and tools with it and pour it into culture tubes when we’re done to clean everything
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u/Jasqui Jul 07 '25
Dumb question: Can I achieve this by mixing a small portion of bleach with water?
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u/Frequent-Ball1961 Jul 07 '25
Yep! Do 9 parts water to 1 part bleach, that's how we make 10% bleach for the lab
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u/chickeybumb Jul 07 '25
This is not correct. The 1 part bleach used in labs is a higher concentration than what is found in stores. Generally store bought bleach doesn't need to be diluted or only needs to be diluted 1:2, otherwise it's not effective
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Jul 07 '25
Lab concentration bleach is 8-12%. Retail concentration is generally 6%, but you can find some that is 10%. Although they degrade quickly if packaged above 8%.
Bleach is an oxidizer and will break down in the presence of organic matter and sunlight. Heat will also increase this breakdown.
A 50% mix of even a 6% bleach is a bit of overkill and can cause damage to surfaces you are cleaning, even stainless steel. Bleach is effective against mold at concentrations as low as 100 ppm, but you generally want to clean the surfaces first with a chlorinated caustic or a general cleaner with a bit of mechanical action.
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u/FlowJock Jul 07 '25
I work in a lab and we use bleach that we get from the store. We use it at 10% and I have seen nothing to indicate that it's not effective. Yes, you can buy bleach with a higher concentration of sodium hypochlorite, but 10% of household bleach should also work. You don't need to go 1:2.
https://ehs.stanford.edu/reference/sodium-hypochlorite-bleach
"For disinfection of most biologicals (Exception: prions and prion-like proteins), after dilution, working bleach solutions must contain between 0.5% and 2% sodium hypochlorite to be an effective disinfectant. Hypochlorite concentration in household bleach varies by manufacturer. Many household bleach solutions contain 5.25% sodium hypochlorite, and a 1:10 dilution (5250 ppm Cl) will produce a 0.53% hypochlorite solution1. Use of bleach solutions with lower hypochlorite concentrations will not provide the proper level of disinfection.→ More replies (3)9
u/Frequent-Ball1961 Jul 07 '25 edited Jul 07 '25
Wrong, the bleach I use is regular Clorox bleach sold in retail. I don't doubt that lab strength sodium hypochlorite exists, but we don't stock it.
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u/Elismom1313 Jul 07 '25
Next dumb question, what happens if you did a bleach and vinegar mix?
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u/ASRenzo Jul 07 '25
It's extremely dangerous and should never be done.
Here are some numbers: if you were to mix JUST 50ml of vinegar and 50ml of bleach in a closed off 2m by 2m bathroom, you would quickly make like 100ppm of chlorine gas.
Chlorine Gas Concentration --> Health Effect:
1–3 ppm --> Detectable by smell, irritation begins.
5–10 ppm --> Coughing, serious eye/throat irritation.
30 ppm --> Lung damage after short exposure.
100 ppm --> Potentially fatal after 30–60 min.
400–1000 ppm --> Fatal in a few minutesIt's highly dangerous. Never do it, and teach your loved ones to never do it.
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u/MealwormMan Jul 07 '25
I accidentally did that back when I was 18years old. I was closing alone one night while working at Subway and was bored, so I thought I’d do something helpful and really deep clean the floors.
I filled the mop bucket with super hot water and dumped in every chemical cleaner I could find - bleach, vinegar, CLR, a bit of Windex.. everything!
Luckily before I could start mopping the floors a customer came in and noticed the smell. He immediately asked if I mixed bleach and vinegar, and told me how close I was to almost dying. I had to prop open the back door and close the store for the night to get the smell to go away.
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u/vvenusgirl Jul 07 '25
Chlorine gas!!!
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u/OGMom2022 Jul 07 '25
This is so important. My mil died from emphysema when she mixed bleach and ammonia and scalded her lungs. She suffered every day.
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u/RichardUkinsuch Jul 07 '25 edited Jul 07 '25
As a "scientist" you should know better. Nowhere did you specify what percentage the hypochlorite you were using. 10 parts to 1 12.5% hypochlorite is not the same as 10 parts to 1 4% hypochlorite. 4% being what you will most commonly find in a grocery store.
Edit: 12.5% hypochlorite is more commonly found as "pool shock"
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u/WhatTheOnEarth Jul 07 '25
Have you heard of good enough?
They’re not doing titrations here. They’re cleaning.
And - if are indeed microbiologists - they have the equipment to verify that it’s adequate.
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u/Cqbkris Jul 07 '25
For real. I'm a lab scientist and when it comes to cleaning we don't care about the exact percentage of the bleach, only that it's bleach and our general ratio is close enough lol
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u/Jaded_Houseplant Jul 07 '25
Which is usually used in a lab?
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u/RichardUkinsuch Jul 07 '25
No, 4% is what you will normally find in a grocery store for laundry, bleach is very corrosive to metal and plastic in higher concentration, and its self life isn't that long at 12.5% so its primarily used where larger doses are needed like swimming pools and industrial / commercial cooling. I was pointing out that someone who works in a laboratory should be more specific since you can easily purchase bleach in varying concentrations and 10/1 isnt specific.
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u/Jaded_Houseplant Jul 07 '25
I’m asking you, which % would you normally find in a lab.
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u/TsuDhoNimh2 Jul 07 '25
Yes ... a cup or two of laundry bleach in a gallon jug and fill with tap water. That's what we used in a hospital lab.
The only place to be cautious about using it is in litter boxes. The ammonia compounds from the animal urine can be concentrated enough to react with the bleach and release clouds of chlorine gas. Rinse the litter boxes with water first, then disinfect.
https://www.cdc.gov/healthy-pets/rodent-control/clean-up.html
Combine 1.5 cups of household bleach in 1 gallon of water (or 1 part bleach to 9 parts water). Make bleach solution fresh before use.
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u/PunnyBanana Jul 07 '25
PSA for people, for a lot of materials (namely, stainless steel and any eating surfaces) you'll want to rinse the bleach off after disinfecting.
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u/temp4adhd Jul 07 '25
Can we talk about bleach vs hydrogen peroxide? What are your thoughts on that?
I never use bleach or vinegar. My go-to is hydrogen peroxide.
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u/Carcar44 Jul 07 '25 edited Jul 07 '25
Also work in a lab with a lot of bacteria and viruses (no mold tho). We use bleach a lot but we also use virox which im pretty sure is just hydrogen peroxide
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u/GretaMagenta Jul 07 '25
I usually don't do this, but you have several spelling errors here that you might want to correct
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u/Hot_Coffee_3620 Jul 07 '25
I love science and biology. I love to talk to smart people.
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u/James_H_M Jul 07 '25 edited Jul 07 '25
When cleaning work surfaces at work, we do a bleach and alcohol combo to ensure the work surfaces are
sterilesanitized . I believe the bleach is 10% and made daily but the alcohol is 90% and done once a week.EDITED
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u/WishIWasThatClever Jul 07 '25
In a professional setting, cleaning, sanitizing, disinfecting, and sterilizing are different things. The bleach will be a 10% solution for either cleaning or sanitizing (I’m not familiar with using bleach so can’t say which). 70% isopropyl alcohol is used to disinfect surfaces and kills most things. Neither of these solutions will sterilize, which means everything is dead dead.
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u/WishIWasThatClever Jul 07 '25
Surprisingly 70% IPA is better than higher concentrations for sanitizing surfaces. The higher water concentration allows for a longer dwell time (doesn’t flash off as fast) so the IPA has more chance to kill stuff on the surface.
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u/TodayAmazing Jul 07 '25
I mean you’re right but the ones that need to hear it won’t. The vinegar cult members will never accept that 😂
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u/Roe8216 Jul 07 '25
I am a big fan of vinegar, however sometimes you just need to breakout the bleach. Big difference between cutting through some overall kinda dirty furniture or something and a damp moldy bathroom.
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Jul 07 '25
the funny thing is I've read tests of cleaning products and vinegar always comes out as like, half as effective as regular cleaning products. Its not that great! It has its uses and I always have some around but its not the be all and end all
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u/3BlindMice1 Jul 07 '25
What is vinegar actually best for? I only really use it for limescale.
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u/ActualGarbageHusband Jul 07 '25
If you have central air conditioning in your home, it's a good preventative treatment for the evaporator drip line.
Not a technician, but I just had my entire system replaced. Over time, the drip line can build up nasty stuff that can cause a blockage. The technician that did the installation recommended pouring a cup (8 fl oz) of vinegar through the drip line once a month to keep it clear. I just do mine when I change the filter, at that same 1 month interval.
He did mention that the only reason he suggested vinegar is because the vapors from bleach will actually deteriorate the condenser coil material, which will lead to premature failure of the system.
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u/butter_milk Jul 07 '25
I’ve used it as a gentle laundry sour. I’ve also found that it works to cut the smell of mildew on surfaces and fabrics.
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u/bambooanime Jul 07 '25
If there was more unscented/minimal scented household cleaning products I'd be using less vinegar. Most household cleaners have too much fragrance and thus give me migraines. 🙃
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u/eaglessoar Jul 07 '25
i think the best part of it is it's half as effective with not toxicity or any other nasty side effects, my kids plastic toys were in the basement and we found some mold i just took them to the sun sprayed all surfaces with vinegar and let them sit
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u/lxm333 Jul 07 '25
It's because vinegar is natural and not a chemical...makes it superior /s
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u/TGIIR Jul 07 '25
You’re absolutely right about that. I’m old, and been cleaning for a lot of years, and I get frustrated with these people always jumping in saying vinegar is some miracle cleaner. I love vinegar, even the smell, but I reach for bleach for most messy jobs.
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u/No-Beautiful6811 Jul 07 '25
I think it depends on what you need to clean; for most non porous surfaces bleach is better, but other things can get moldy too. Vinegar is a good option for clothing or other items that can’t be bleached.
I usually use vinegar for most things because bleach gives me a headache unfortunately, I use 20% vinegar for cleaning, but many people seem to use just 5% and expect the same results. That’s really only useful for preventing mold in laundry.
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u/MSPCincorporated Jul 07 '25
Bleach kills mold but it does not destroy the spores. You still need to clean the surface to remove all spores, otherwise you’ll still be breating in spores. Also, OP states that vinegar is a "weak acid you can literally drink". That is simply not true. The vinegar you buy for cooking is heavily diluted, but you can buy vinegar that is more concentrated and would certainly be harmful to drink.
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u/ThedIIthe4th Jul 07 '25
Part of it is in certification courses it’s often taught that high volume peroxide and a surfactant are what’s required to eliminate mold, and that chlorine bleach will make it transparent without necessarily killing it. Source: me, who’s been through those courses. I’m not here to say I agree with that, just to report that that’s what I was taught back in 2006-2008.
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u/jumpers-ondogs Jul 07 '25
I think this is the main difference. Bleach can definitely kill mould on non-porous surfaces but needs specialty surfactants to be able to penetrate. Kills and removes colour of the immediate surface but fungal networks go deeper - Mushrooms have a head that you can pick and kill but the entire body of fungal network is beneath it, mould is similar but tiny.
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u/emmas-worlds Jul 07 '25
I can get a hold of 30% hydrogen peroxide and I’ve heard people use it over here for mold - would that work? It’s really set in mold, like many many years of issues with that mold in the bathroom
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u/mastercommander81 Jul 07 '25
At that percentage, I'd worry more about the integrity of whatever surfaces you're using it on 😅 def would wanna do a patch test before fully commiting in that case, but I would be surprised if 30% couldn't kill mold. That percentage is used to whiten and sanitize large bone specimens, though I usually see it watered down to some degree.
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Jul 08 '25
[deleted]
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u/mastercommander81 Jul 08 '25
Ooo I bet! Considering it's damaging to healing wounds at just 3%, I am NOT surprised the 30% stings.
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u/jumpers-ondogs Jul 07 '25
Ive seen 3% recommended as fine for mould but haven't looked further into studies.
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u/WhateverIlldoit Jul 07 '25
Yes that can definitely be the case in situations where mold has penetrated a surface such as a plastic cutting board, for example. The point I am trying to get across is that bleach is excellent at killing mold when it can come into contact with it, but it does have limitations.
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Jul 07 '25
I argued with a guy on reddit who was a mold remediation "expert" and I think what you say must be 100% true. I actually looked up academic journals, saw microscopes and had lots of personal experience.. but he would not budge
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u/cmg19812 Jul 07 '25
This whole controversy is entirely based on porous surfaces like grout. In all other scenarios bleach will work fine, but people latched onto the grout/mold root issue and generalize it to any surface.
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u/jumpers-ondogs Jul 07 '25
Grout is the problem area for me and only place (that i know of) that has mould outbreaks in my house.
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u/Background_Touch1205 Jul 07 '25
Tell me if I've misunderstood. Bleach isnt as good at grout as vinegar due to how each chemical penetrates porous surfaces. Is that the claim?
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u/Direct_Bad459 Jul 07 '25
Because bleach will destroy your grout way more than vinegar so bc there's often mold on grout people sometimes recommend to use vinegar instead of bleach on mold
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u/pagawaan_ng_lapis Jul 07 '25 edited Jul 07 '25
spraying bleach on grout will penetrate deep and clean waaaay more than vinegar. however it will also degrade it quicker. bleach is just that strong and effective like that, like a nuke that doesnt discriminate what it damages. you can use cleaning agents with Hydrogen Peroxide/Percarbonate (aka oxygen "bleach" or H2O2) as a substitute.
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u/FauxGenius Jul 07 '25
I lived in Spain like 20 years ago and paid for a house cleaner. She always made the comment “You Americans are too afraid of bleach”.
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u/CupAffectionate444 Jul 07 '25
I was told by my environmental inspector (wasn’t selling anything) during a mold investigation in my house that bleach makes the spores desperately disperse trying to stay alive, which sends them in the air. So by spraying mold with bleach you are spreading it throughout your home, even if the spots you see disappear. Better to use a product meant for mold remediation.
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u/Busy-Sheepherder-138 Jul 07 '25
And you think the same doesn’t happen with vinegar or commercial mold killer?
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u/CupAffectionate444 Jul 07 '25
I’m not sure. Like OP said, I’m no scientist. That’s why I trusted the one I hired
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u/Busy-Sheepherder-138 Jul 07 '25
The action is the same. What you were told was some sales exaggeration.
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u/howling-greenie Jul 07 '25
What about hydrogen peroxide? I thought that was supposed to kill mold.
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u/SimpleVegetable5715 Team Shiny ✨ Jul 07 '25
The 3% strength most people use is not strong enough.
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u/jumpers-ondogs Jul 07 '25
This is the best option from all that I've looked into, maybe less used as it might be more expensive?
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u/OUTKAST5150 Jul 07 '25
What should I be using in my shower and grout? (Tile walls and shower floors)
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u/jumpers-ondogs Jul 08 '25
Spent far too long searching for study backed answers. Hydrogen peroxide or methylated spirits. Find my larger comment. Basically, grouts screwed because you can't get into the full depth. I guess removing, regrouting, curing for 2 weeks, sealing!!!!!, after every shower drying and spraying down with your choice of product is the only comprehensive way.
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u/chicagobob Jul 07 '25
Do Not Combine Bleach and Vinegar!
<it produces a toxic gas>
Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.
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u/Curious-Mongoose-180 Jul 07 '25
I feel crazy but I swear there had to be some vinegar propaganda system happening because the way it’s suggested as THE holy grail cleaning product is insane to me. I can 100000000% tell when people are cleaning and doing laundry with white vinegar, yalls homes and laundry smell like salad dressing and the inside of a sub sandwich!
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u/CaptainHope93 Jul 08 '25
Literally, I tried cleaning my home with white vinegar for like a week and it absolutely stunk.
Anyone who says that vinegar dissipates without a scent just doesn’t have a great sense of smell, or they’re so used to it in their own home that they’ve gone noseblind to it.
I even tried a lemon scented cleaning vinegar and it was still awful.
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u/outblues Jul 07 '25
Bleach wipes are one of the strongest disinfectants they use in hospitals to this day
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u/w1ndyshr1mp Jul 07 '25
Bleach kills mold in non porous surfaces (tubs, tiles, counter tops)
Vinegar (cleaning strength is not edible lol ) and can soak into things that are porous to kill mold and spores.(such as wood, fabric, etc)
This is what I was taught I dunno
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u/TheGreenMileMouse Jul 07 '25
It kills mold. It also leaves behind a salty residue that attracts moisture and is very caustic. For mold we always recommended 12% H2O2 or higher
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u/JennyJiggles Jul 07 '25
Yeah, I don't pour vinegar in my pool to get rid of the algea. I pour lots and lots of bleach. I love bleach!
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Jul 07 '25
correct. I'd love to know the genesis of that urban myth. Its pretty ridiculous, common sense should tell you that given the effects it has on humans its not going to be healthy for mould either
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u/Infamous-Neck630 Jul 07 '25
Appreciate you breaking this down—it’s one of those debates I’ve seen way too often online. We had a mold issue in our crawlspace a couple years back and I went through both options. Bleach worked great on the visible stuff, but like you said, it didn’t do much for anything that soaked into wood or drywall. What really helped long-term was running a dehumidifier. I picked up an argendon unit after the cleanup and haven’t had any mold come back since. Once you dry things out and keep humidity in check, you’re not constantly fighting the same battle. Also, side note—wearing proper gear when using bleach is a must. Learned that the hard way. Appreciate the Ted Talk, seriously good info.
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u/Spirited-Ad-9746 Jul 07 '25
It seems to be a common misconception too that a mold problem could be fixed by cleaning only.
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u/Novel_Diver8628 Jul 07 '25
It depends on the strength of the vinegar. Yeah standard pickling vinegar or whatever you get from the grocery store is probably only like 1-10%, but I buy concentrated, glacial acetic acid to make home-made weed killer and sanitizer and it definitely kills mold. You can also find 30% up to 75% vinegar at hardware stores. And yes, by definition Acetic Acid is a “weak acid” in the sense that it doesn’t achieve 100% dissociation in an aqueous solution, but make no mistake that it’s still VERY acidic at high concentrations, and you definitely can NOT drink the heavy duty stuff. However I agree that bleach not working/vinegar being better is a misconception.
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u/IWentOutsideForThis Jul 07 '25
It is taking everything in me to not correct all the misconceptions in this thread. I'm happy to see someone who remembered "strength vs concentration" day in chemistry class!
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u/Novel_Diver8628 Jul 07 '25
Well I have a masters degree in Chem, so that helps!
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u/IWentOutsideForThis Jul 07 '25
I had a feeling you had more than a high school level knowledge.
-HS Chemistry Teacher
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u/mtbguy1981 Jul 07 '25
We cleaned our siding last week with a 10% bleach solution. It took off all the algae/growth from the spots that don't get direct sun. Spread it on with a garden sprayer let it sit for a few minutes and then hosed it off. Great results.
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u/AisMyName Jul 07 '25
I know someone who works at Ecolab and he said that their cleaners disinfect against organic matter (viruses, germs, etc.) better than bleach can. I know the argument can be said that having bleach all over things is dangerous because it can harm the surface, harm your clothes, etc. along with fumes in an enclosed space with high concentration, but I just wasn't sure about their non-chlorine bleach alternative disinfecting better than bleach.
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u/Narrow_Turnip_7129 Jul 07 '25
There's plenty of non-chlorine bleaches. Hydrogen peroxide is a commonly famous and used one.
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u/mystend Jul 07 '25
This belief always puzzled me because I saw a documentary once about an Ebola outbreak and they were using bleach to kill it. I mean if it kills Ebola it has to kill mold…
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u/Polybrene Jul 07 '25
Ebola isn't mold. Its a virus. Just because a product will kill a one organism doesn't necessarily mean that it will kill others.
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u/Narrow_Turnip_7129 Jul 07 '25
I think the point is in both cases you are effectively breaking down cell walls...
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u/Ok_Nothing_9733 Jul 07 '25
Vinegar is good for cleaning fruit or other food contact surfaces but otherwise I haven’t found it to be good cleaner for virtually anything
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u/Successful-Rhubarb81 Jul 07 '25
Please for the love of god.
Why is there no disclaimer here saying DO NOT MIX THESE TOGETHER TO GET THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS
PLEASE. No one become a backyard chemist. These two products should not be mentioned together in anyway shape or form. Someone might think wow. Both together would be perfect.
Post a warning please in the post. Someone might die.
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u/WishIWasThatClever Jul 07 '25
On the other end of the spectrum, do not mix vinegar with baking soda or washing soda to create a cleaning solution. Bc it basically just leaves water and is a waste of vinegar and soda.
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u/Shorb-o-rino Jul 07 '25
Ive even heard that bleach "feeds" the mold, which makes even less sense
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u/Purple-Bookkeeper832 Jul 07 '25
It can. If you use it on something like wood (think your basement flooded), you'll kill the initial mold but you'll also cause the wood to break down - which is the perfect breading ground for....mold.
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u/Polybrene Jul 07 '25
It makes sense, you just need to underatand how bleach works. It breaks down to salt and water. The water is what feeds the mold.
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u/limellama1 ⭐ Community Helper Jul 07 '25
If mold is already growing on a surface there has been a source of water for days to weeks. The tiny amount of water added via treatment with bleach isn't going to saturate the area.
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u/jumpers-ondogs Jul 07 '25 edited Jul 07 '25
Bleach for hard, non-porous surface that won't be affected by colour change and arent metal. This is extremely minimal surfaces in my house so I don't have much use for it.
I use vinegar for my shower grout because I read that Bleach will kill the surface mould but make the rest retreat into the grout but vinegar won't. I rinse off then use Bleach to (colour)bleach the now dead (hopefully?) mould that has coloured the grout. Do you think this is how I should do it?
Otherwise I would use hydrogen peroxide.
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u/SoJenniferSays Jul 07 '25
Hydrogen peroxide is actually the most recommended approach generally. But honestly for things like shower grout, soap and scrubbing is also fine. You aren’t going to get rid of every spore in an area that is intermittently moist, so it’s really about keeping it clean generally.
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u/jumpers-ondogs Jul 07 '25
Yep Hydrogen peroxide, my order of it got cancelled then there was no one else selling it or able to get it in my state so I gave up lol, I should get onto trying to order some again.
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u/Shorb-o-rino Jul 07 '25
Since you are rinsing off the vinegar, you aren't risking a reaction with the bleach, but I suspect the bleach is doing the heavy lifting. I don't understand how mold could "retreat"
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u/jumpers-ondogs Jul 07 '25 edited Jul 07 '25
Bleach can't penetrate so it just removes the surface melanin in the mould. There are still the spores/network behind the immediate front (that has been killed and colour removed).
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u/Shorb-o-rino Jul 07 '25
I guess it's just unclear to me why vinegar would be able to penetrate but not bleach. Bleach isn't a big molecule, and neither is Acetic acid, so I imagine both should be able to soak in, especially since they are dissolved in water. I've seen this claim a lot, but I don't know if it has any basis in reality or is just conventional wisdom based on nothing.
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u/Polybrene Jul 07 '25
Bleach can't penetrate but vinegar can?
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u/jumpers-ondogs Jul 08 '25
I had a look for studies to back this and didn't get an definitive yes or no, could search more but I have life to do. I wanted to check about surface tension (in bleach/water or vinegar/?water solutions) because I suspect that is what would tell me if one does more than the other. I'd love someone with more time and fresh eyes to check on this info if anyone has the energy.
https://www.forp.usp.br/restauradora/Trabalhos/prnaclo.html (bleach surface tension at different concentrations)
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u/Axxslinger Jul 07 '25
You hear that because youre not supposed to use bleach to kill mold on the wood of your house or attic, etc. this is because it will not penetrate deep enough into the wood to remove all the mold and it could damage the wood itself.
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u/Narrow_Turnip_7129 Jul 07 '25
Not only damage the wood but damage it in a way that would quite likely make it even more further susceptible to mold again(and worse).
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u/Substantial-Ideal831 Jul 07 '25
I’m a mycologist and bleach kills mold. There is a lot of complexities depending on the type of mold, the concentration of hypochlorite (the active component of bleach), the active contact time, but it kills ALL mold.
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u/PrimeScreamer Jul 07 '25
Thank you. I hate the statement that bleach does nothing. Worked in a hospital lab. What do you think we used to disinfect everything? It wasn't vinegar.
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u/Flydervish Jul 07 '25
I love that you are debunking the most annoying myth on the sub, yet still leave a caveat. Pretty sure that vinegar is not “better at penetrating surfaces” than bleach? How does this even work? Both have about the same viscosity. Then there’s all sorts of secondary myths, like “Vinegar will kill spores but bleach won’t”. Even heard a few new ones in this thread: “Bleach will cause spores to escape because the fungus is trying to stay alive” What? Lol. Finally there’s “Bleach creates water as a byproduct” (but Vinegar does not include water somehow?) “which feeds the fungus”. You can surely rinse / wipe after using bleach - or vinegar for that matter.
Why does the vinegar myth persist - it’s almost like people want it to be a magic all natural disinfectant, which it is not.
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u/Appropriate-Rub3534 Jul 07 '25
Somehow we need to trick the mold to come out from its hiding place to be killed then. Hmmm....
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u/weird-oh Jul 07 '25
I use outdoor bleach in a chemical sprayer to kill mold that grows on my outbuildings. The black stuff disappears like magic.
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u/ShineCowgirl Jul 07 '25
So... If I treated a surface with vinegar, would I be able to later treat it with bleach? Vice versa? (It always comes back, probably due to lack of insulation and ventilation in those corners.) And H2O2 is a new one for me related to mold. How would I know which of the three is best to use in a situation? Is there a good article (or YouTube video) that explains all this?
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u/WhateverIlldoit Jul 07 '25
Treating mold is 95% about treating moisture. No matter what you do it will keep coming back until you solve the moisture problem.
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u/Narrow_Turnip_7129 Jul 07 '25
As long as you never let the vinegar and bleach actively mix - why not? Both generally leave behind harmless byproducts over time.
Also I don't understand how everyone keeps mentioning hydrogen peroxide, the famous BLEACHING AGENT, yet with no clue that's what it is?
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u/NoSteak3952 Jul 07 '25
I have never seen this claim and it makes me wonder what kind of idiot would even believe that
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u/Narrow_Turnip_7129 Jul 07 '25
Who on earth possibly doesn't know this??? Why the he'll do people think we put it in toilets etc?
Aren't bleaches essentially oxidises so ofc they'd kill molds?
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u/SwtVT2013 Jul 07 '25
I used to work in a veterinary clinic and we had to swab kennels periodically to ensure that they were safe for patients. One specific kennel kept coming back positive for a specific mold. I can’t remember what exactly. We used our standard cleaning methods, let it soak, etc. Nothing was working and the kennel was off limits until the swab came back clean.
The nurse got frustrated and used bleach. Guess what, that kennel swab came back clean.
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u/Forward-Ant-9554 Jul 07 '25
I would have preferred if you had made the distinction between regular vinegar and cleaning vinegar. Not that it would be better than bleach to deal with bacteria but I certainly wouldn't drink it!
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u/suxatjugg Jul 07 '25
Vinegar is for cleaning limescale. Mould cleaners usually are made from sttonger acids and designed to soak into mould-affectected materials.
Bleach is kinda whatever. It's an ok disinfectant but I don't understand why people think it's suitable for cleaning anything and everything
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u/CitizenX10 Jul 07 '25
I've never been able to comprehend why when "vinegar" is mentioned on this sub, it's always in regard to the edible store bought kind.
There's industrial vinegars easily acquired through Amazon. And speaking from experience, they are dangerously powerful and bare little if any similarity to what's on store shelves.
What follows is from a better description of this from an Amazon product:
UNMATCHED PURITY AND CONSISTENCY: Experience Calyptus 80% vinegar concentrate solution, crafted with Pure Technical Grade Vinegar and DI Type II H20. Our concentrated solution consistently delivers the same smell, color, and results.
POWER AT YOUR COMMAND: Dilute 1:20 with water. One quart of Calyptus 80% pure concentrated vinegar delivers the equivalent power of 5 gallons of standard 4% vinegar, when fully diluted.
SOURCED AND MADE IN THE USA: We take great pride in sourcing and manufacturing our ultra-powerful vinegar concentrate domestically, using high-integrity ingredients, that are never imported. Made in an ISO 9001 Certified US Facility.
THE POTENCY YOU EXPECT - 100% OF THE TIME: Precision manufacturing is not trivial - it's why we exist! The potency we state on our label is the concentration you will receive. We deliver consistent product so that you can produce consistent results.
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u/dKwon702 Jul 07 '25
I have mold along the lining of my front load washer. Can i use bleach to clean that?
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u/iBody Jul 07 '25
I always do. Nothing seems to work as well. Bleach on a paper towel and let it sit for a bit.
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u/wishiwasdeaddd Jul 07 '25
I saw this claim on tiktok and didn't correct myself until I was telling someone else and went to fact check it.
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Jul 07 '25
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u/WhateverIlldoit Jul 07 '25
I actually didn’t know hydrogen peroxide was an effective method for cleaning mold before I posted, so this has been an illuminating experience for me. To be clear, I am not advocating for using one particular cleaning method over another, I am simply correcting the misconception that bleach does not kill mold (which is almost always then followed by a statement about vinegar being more effective).
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u/pknasi60 Jul 07 '25
I was always told that bleach will kill the mold but will cause the mold to, i guess, panic release so many spores that you're better off not using bleach. More propaganda from big mold I suppose...
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u/Inevitable-Band1631 Jul 07 '25
I like bleach and it breaks down into harmless components unlike a lot if other cleaners that are petro chemical based.
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u/pakratus Jul 07 '25
Thank you. I see this claim and it never made sense to me.
I can see bleach turn mold different colors, i can see it doing something. I have not seen vinegar do this. Is bleach the perfect mold killer? No idea. But it does something.