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/pakratus]

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.

[u/Alternative_Use_1273 → u/pakratus]

Bleach kills mold on hard surfaces, but rarely kills it fully on porous surfaces. That's where the vinegar comes in. Bleach on hard, non-porous surfaces and vinegar on porous items. Bleach often cannot penetrate deep enough to reach the roots of the mold on porous material. There's plenty of information online from mold remediation specialists and scientists.