Do NOT use Bleach to Clean up Mold!!

Do NOT use Bleach to Clean up Mold!!

We recently received a direct hit from Hurricane Ian (28h Sept, 2022) here in Southwest Florida.  Many homes and businesses were flooded with double-digit feet high storm surges; boats (big and small), sharks (for real), and the such were floating down the streets right after the storm.  Some of these things ended up in apartment complexes, on top of cars and trees, etc.  In the structures that were flooded: all drywall (among other things) needed to be torn out fairly quickly before microbials started to grow and mold spores flourished.  For most businesses, there is usually a known procedure with commercially available products that combat mold issues.  For most home dwellers, addressing this pending mold issue is not only imperative, as prolonged exposure can be a very devastating; it can be very challenging.   

While we won’t go into HOW you should treat any possible mold issues, we’ll leave that to the professionals; we will inform you that using bleach is a HUGE no, no!  A lot of people have the understanding that bleach kills all kinds of germs and makes things clean.  While that is not incorrect, mold is NOT a germ; it’s a fungi.  So spraying or pouring bleach on a surface covered in mold, will only bleach the organism, and give it more than enough moisture (water) to flourish and cause all kinds of respiratory problems that with prolonged exposure can be very detrimental to ones health. 

Please be careful when being exposed to mold, understand that any drywall that has been exposed to flooded waters that was not removed within days of said exposure, already has growth weather you can see it or not.  Make sure you are using proper PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) specifically for mold exposure.