# Wiping away mold, visible and unvisible, with Clorox underneath the house



## Yoyoyoyo (Apr 7, 2017)

Hi, this is my first post. I’m happy to see that there is an active online community on the subject of diy. My current project is my dad wanting me to go underneath the house to wipe down all the surfaces of all the “timbers” (vertical supports) to treat for mold. He’s instructing me to use a bucket filled with Clorox and water and a sponge. My first concern is one of safety. Is a paper mask good enough to protect me from breathing in the Clorox in an unventilated area? Or in order to be totally precautious should I buy a better mask? I know Clorox to be toxic, I just don’t know to what degree. My second concern is it really necessary to wipe down ALL the surfaces of the vertical supports? There is only visible mold in certain areas, and it shows up as little black dots. Dad says that there may be mold that we can’t see and so I should wipe down everything. Since wiping down everything would make the job take at least 5 times as long, I just would appreciate a second opinion on this before undertaking the task.Thanks!​


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## Yoyoyoyo (Apr 7, 2017)

If anyone has any additional advice on this task that would be appreciated too!


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## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

Yoyoyoyo said:


> Hi, this is my first post. I’m happy to see that there is an active online community on the subject of diy. My current project is my dad wanting me to go underneath the house to wipe down all the surfaces of all the “timbers” (vertical supports) to treat for mold. He’s instructing me to use a bucket filled with Clorox and water and a sponge. My first concern is one of safety. Is a paper mask good enough to protect me from breathing in the Clorox in an unventilated area? Or in order to be totally precautious should I buy a better mask? I know Clorox to be toxic, I just don’t know to what degree. My second concern is it really necessary to wipe down ALL the surfaces of the vertical supports? There is only visible mold in certain areas, and it shows up as little black dots. Dad says that there may be mold that we can’t see and so I should wipe down everything. Since wiping down everything would make the job take at least 5 times as long, I just would appreciate a second opinion on this before undertaking the task.Thanks!​


This is pretty good advice, I think: https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/flood/pdfs/bleach_safety.pdf You can also look at CDC ( Center For Disease Control) info, or OSHA or the SDS ( Safety Data Sheet) but they have very detailed scary info.

Yes, bleach can be very dangerous, but millions use it daily in dilute concentration. Make sure to check the % of bleach as it has been the stronger 8% lately rather than 5%.

Besides gloves & googles, a mask is a good idea if the smell is strong. Ventilate the area if you can, but since mold loves poor ventilation, it's probably poorly ventilated there. If the smell of bleach is too strong with a lighter mask get a thicker mask like an N-95. Light hospital style masks are only really good for 10 min.

Make sure to dilute it. Use whatever light dilution works.

If you get dizzy or have other problems, stop.

I once cleaned someone else's really filthy carpet outside & ended up with hives. But, I used a lot of bleach. I had the hose running on the carpet. It was probably a chemical reaction between what was on the carpet- ammonia (fr. dog urine) & chlorine bleach. Just chlorine gas, serious stuff :wink2:

I hate using bleach but use it almost every day.

Maybe someone else can recommend something to lessen the mold's growth.

As the write up says, make sure to take a shower after & wash your clothes.

You could spray the diluted chlorine bleach all over & come back the next day to wipe it down.


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## BayouRunner (Feb 5, 2016)

Use a product called mold control. Conchrobium I believe is the spelling. It kills the mold and will prevent it from coming back. It will work out better than the bleach spray. Also safer then bleach


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

A pro would be using a product like this.
http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/b...yRTBQdIp1-j4sQJhk20xB21ERfmh1X-lQCBoCTVvw_wcB
It's applyed with a pump sprayer.
It not only will kill the mold and prevent it from coming back, but kill any wood boring insects that try to eat through it by dehydrating them.


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## ChuckF. (Aug 25, 2013)

Instead of doing this, it makes sense to change the conditions under the house so that mold won't grow there and any there is will die. If the ground under the house is wet, find out why and keep the water out. If it's too humid, ventilate it to the outdoors or condition it like the rest of the house. 

What state do you live in? Why would mold grow under the house?


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Also if it's a dirt floor crawl space is there a vapor barrier on the ground?


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## Yoyoyoyo (Apr 7, 2017)

Thank you for all the responses and sorry for not checking the website earlier. There is a vapor barrier on the ground. We have a fan on one side of the house and a few small crawlspace openings around the perimeter, but not many. The house was built in the late 60's. We've only detected mold in two spots so far. I live in north Florida. We've got moisture under there and the moisture gets worst during the humid months.


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