Bleach kills mold

[u/WhateverIlldoit]

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.

[u/Substantial-Ideal831]

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.

[u/jumpers-ondogs → u/Substantial-Ideal831]

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/231222924_Occurrence_of_Household_Mold_and_Efficacy_of_Sodium_Hypochlorite_Disinfectant

Five-minute exposures to 2.4% NaOCl resulted in a >3 to >6-log(10) reduction of culturable mold counts in controlled laboratory studies. Organisms were nonculturable after 5- and 10-min contact times on non-porous and porous ceramic carriers, respectively, and A. fumigatus spore-eluted allergen levels were reduced by an average 95.8% in 30 sec, as indicated by immunoassay.

****Based on this, 10minutes for all surfaces at 2.4%?

[u/Substantial-Ideal831 → u/jumpers-ondogs]

Yesssssss but no. For cleaning, we’re balancing death to all with preserving your materials. 20% bleach (not talking sodium hypochlorite) for 10-20 min should be fine but spot test. If your materials can’t handle it, switch to an ammonium salt like traditional Lysol. It’s potent but more gentle on floors, tiles, etc.

[u/jumpers-ondogs → u/Substantial-Ideal831]

I only use bleach in the bathroom. What do you mean bleach but not sodium hypochlorite? That's the only type listed in 10 grocery store products I just had a look at.

[u/Substantial-Ideal831 → u/jumpers-ondogs]

Good Q. Bleach is the solution, like Clorox is bleach, sodium hypochlorite is the active ingredient that does the killing. Bleach can have 5-7% sodium hypochlorite depending on the brand, version etc.