| So there is some black mold in your basement, laundry | | | | nasal membranes, it discolors many metals, fabrics and |
| room, bathroom or around that pesky damp spot in | | | | carpets. You already know what happens when you |
| your ceiling. No problem, just grab some of that mold | | | | spill bleach on your favorite pair of slacks or antique |
| killer you bought at the local grocery store, spray the | | | | area rug, but some folks think they might be able to |
| black stuff and in a few minutes it turns brown, then | | | | use it on furniture. Unfortunately, much of our modern |
| vanishes - voila! You have killed the mold and have | | | | wood furniture is made of a nice veneer over particle |
| nothing more to worry about - right? | | | | board. Particle board swells when it is exposed to |
| No, you bleached it, you didn't kill it. Chances are it is still | | | | water - the same water that makes mold so happy. |
| there and growing like crazy. Don't get me wrong, | | | | One restoration professional told us about a home |
| bleach kills mold just fine on hard surfaces like counter | | | | owner who decided to mix ammonia with bleach to |
| tops, shower tiles, etc. But on porous surfaces like | | | | really give black mold a run for its money. The mold |
| walls, ceilings, concrete and wood, the chlorine gets the | | | | didn't seem to mind much, but the home owner ended |
| top of the mold, but the roots (called, "hyphae") just go | | | | up being the one on the run. In World War II they mixed |
| happily on, reproducing at a furious rate. | | | | ammonia with chlorine to make a deadly, eye burning, |
| The chlorine you use around the house is only 6% | | | | throat searing gas that drove the enemy out of the |
| chemical, the rest is water, and guess what mold roots | | | | trenches! |
| like best? Yup, the 94% water you just fed them! | | | | In other articles we tell you more about what you can |
| I know it sounds totally counterintuitive to everything | | | | do to prevent mold, treat mold and avoid turning wet |
| you have learned (or seen), but even the EPA (who | | | | mold into clouds of airborne particles (like what |
| rates the chemicals and processes that kill mold) won't | | | | happened in a government building when workers |
| give chlorine bleach products their seal of approval as | | | | created a "sick building syndrome" from what started |
| a mold killer. | | | | out as a simple case of black mold that got dried out |
| The mold remediation pros have known about this for | | | | and "fed" into the building's air system!) But for now, |
| a long time and they avoid the stuff (except | | | | just keep in mind that chlorine bleach is okay for hard |
| sometimes as a biocide - bacteria killer). | | | | surfaces only, and only when it is used by itself (no |
| And worse, chlorine eats everything it touches, skin, | | | | chemical cocktails! |