milovany Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 Having done some research, we're seeing that using bleach doesn't kill the mold "roots" on porous surfaces, so it can come back pretty easily. We've had that happen recently; we cleaned a significant sized area of mold off a ceiling with bleach, and it came back strong. A biologist friend sent a link that talked about this, but it was circular in its comments about getting rid of the mold. "Is the mold on painted drywall? Great! You don't have to remove the drywall, just kill the mold. Click here to read about how to kill mold." But then on the page you click to, all the products (bleach, ammonia, grapeseed extract, and more) say "will only work on non-porous surfaces." There's nothing mentioned about how to kill mold on a painted porous surface. Has anyone removed a significant-sized mold spot from a painted wall surface? (And, yes, we know what's causing it and are working to fix that issue; we just really want to get rid of this big mold spot.). Will Killz primer do it? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnaM Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 Have you tried apple cidar vinegar or a tea tree essential oiland water solution? I would think if it was very bad you would have to use Killz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amo_mea_filiis. Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 Any reason not to replace that portion of drywall? If you're fixing the cause, open the damaged drywall, let everything dry, then repair it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 I think, though it's been a long time since I used it, that a product called "Simple Green" kills it quite well. I think you could use that and then Kiltz over top of that. If memory serves, my mom did this in my grandmother's old house and never had another problem. But, definitely research the product first. Faith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeninok Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 I agree with cutting out and patching that portion of drywall, but I would also still use Killz on the entire surrounding area including the new patch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted February 17, 2013 Author Share Posted February 17, 2013 NOTE: Cutting out and patching that section would take *ages* .... we're looking for something we could try now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted February 17, 2013 Author Share Posted February 17, 2013 Cutting out and patching wouldn't take all that long though. Yeah, it would. You'll have to trust me there. Thanks for telling what you did with yours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marylou Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 http://momsaware.org/about-us/who-we-are/40-andrea-fabry.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 I think that where bleach would fail any other spray or wipe on solution would fail because, I think, the issue isn't that bleach won't kill the roots, it's that it physically can't get to the roots because they're under the surface where the bleach, or any other solution, isn't going to penetrate. At that point you just have to remove the material the roots are embedded in or find some sort of sealant that will seal those roots in and prevent the "bloom" of surface mold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 I have heard that peroxide kills mold whereas bleach does not. Friends of ours are certified mold removers/remediators and they use a peroxide solution on mold. Bleach will remove the color/stain. Peroxide will kill it. HTH, Rebecca Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingiguana Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 We cleaned moldy bare wood with a detergent/borax solution. We then sprayed with a borax solution. That was 6 months ago. The mold has not come back. There was a LOT of mold when we started. It was an entire basement of mold. I've not found that bleach works as a permanent solution. It may clean it off (at the cost of being able to breathe, though), but doesn't stop the mold from settling in again. And the detergent/borax we used cleaned it off better than bleach. Borax is pretty cheap and not terribly toxic. Just don't know how this would work on dry wall, though. Here's a link: http://www.mold-control-on-a-budget.com/documents/43.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted February 17, 2013 Author Share Posted February 17, 2013 I think that where bleach would fail any other spray or wipe on solution would fail because, I think, the issue isn't that bleach won't kill the roots, it's that it physically can't get to the roots because they're under the surface where the bleach, or any other solution, isn't going to penetrate. From what I read, bleach doesn't work because it's "ionic" and so stays on the surface and can't penetrate. Perhaps other cleaners are ionic? I don't know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
songsparrow Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 I haven't tried this on painted drywall, but I've had success on other surfaces and think it would be safe to try: make a paste of baking soda and water and spread it over the area, then spray it with vinegar. The vinegar and baking soda will react, foaming. The vinegar also kills mold, so you can follow up the baking soda and vinegar by wiping down with a mix of vinegar and dish soap, then rinse. It is not 100%, but it's the first thing I try because it is toxin-free and because in the areas where it successfully removed the mold, it has never grown back, even if it has grown back in nearby areas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted February 17, 2013 Author Share Posted February 17, 2013 What is Killz? It's a special anti-mold paint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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