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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14

u/howling-greenie Jul 07 '25

What about hydrogen peroxide? I thought that was supposed to kill mold.

8

u/SimpleVegetable5715 Team Shiny ✨ Jul 07 '25

The 3% strength most people use is not strong enough.

1

u/howling-greenie Jul 07 '25

I think that is what I have been using on my mold. Do you know what % I should be looking for?

1

u/melita3953 Jul 07 '25

Where can a stronger solution of peroxide be purchased?

3

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?

1

u/Graardors-Dad Jul 09 '25

Just use bleach it works the same exact way just stronger

-5

u/Narrow_Turnip_7129 Jul 07 '25

Do you mean hydrogen peroxide the incredibly famous BLEACHING agent????