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Heard a guy at the hardware store say vinegar kills mold better than bleach
I was grabbing some paint when this older fella told me bleach only whitens mold but doesn't kill the roots, while vinegar actually breaks it down at the source. Tried it on my bathroom ceiling last weekend and the spots haven't come back after a week. Anybody else had better luck with vinegar vs. bleach for mold?
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elliotm701mo agoMost Upvoted
Vinegar did the trick for me on some moldy caulk around the tub. Bleach just bleached the stain and it came right back a week later. Vinegar smell is strong but it actually worked.
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gibson.sarah22d ago
That "bleach only whitens mold" thing is EXACTLY what the old guy was getting at. I did the same thing on my bathroom ceiling last month, and honestly I'm shocked at how well the vinegar worked. You gotta use the cheap white vinegar, not apple cider or anything flavored. The trick is to spray it on full strength, let it sit for like 30 minutes, then scrub it with a stiff brush. The vinegary smell is pretty intense for a day but it fades fast if you open a window. I used to use bleach every few weeks and it never fully stopped the mold from coming back, but vinegar actually seems to kill whatever is growing in the grout and caulk. Just make sure you don't mix it with bleach or any other cleaner or you'll make a dangerous gas.
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Vinegar worked way better for me on some gross grout in my shower. Bleach just made it look clean for a day or two but the black stuff always came creeping back. The vinegar smell is rough for a bit but it cleared up and never came back. Seems like the old guy was onto something.
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