Mold Myth:
Throw Some Bleach On It

This is one of the biggest myths regarding mold. Believe it or not, in most cases, bleach will actually encourage further
mold growth!

Here’s why Bleach alone will not kill mold:

When you apply bleach to kill mold on a porous surface, (i.e. wood, drywall, grout, carpet, etc.) the chlorine molecules stay on the surface and will only kill a fraction of the mold while the water in bleach (bleach is mostly water) sinks into the material and actually promotes further growth. Perhaps you have seen this happen yourself when you pour bleach on the ceramic tile in your shower, only to have the mold in the grout re-appear within a few days even stronger than before!

Why then do most over the counter “mold cleaners” contain bleach? Because bleach will whiten the stains caused by mold and will kill mold that grows on non-porous surfaces like your kitchen counter, bathtub, etc. But please remember that “killing” mold is not enough! To quote the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “Dead mold may still cause allergic reactions in some people, so it is not enough to simply kill the mold, it must also be removed.”