Is all bleach equal?

FreshlyCutFlowers

I had a leak in my dishwasher and there's some surface level mold on my plasterboard but not much. I've been told I need to clean it and let it dry up before putting the dishwasher back.

I normally don't deal with bleach but was told it's the best option. What bleach do I use? Can I buy domestos or is that just for bathrooms? Do I buy a 'trade bleach'? A bleach that also removes mildew and other things?

Seems a bit silly asking this but it's frustratingly difficult to find a good answer and in the store they also had no clue.
A link to a product I should use would be great!

Thanks

grumbler

Reportedly, bleach cleans mold, but doesn't kill it. For killing use mold killers or white vinegar or hydrogen pyroxide. 

frugalmacdugal

Hi,

as it was a leak that caused the problem, hopefully now fixed and non recurring, then a clean with any bleach or white vinegar should do the job, would be a different problem if mold was caused by damp.

gwynlas

Any bleach will do the job but a thick one applied with rag or paper towel is easiest. No need to use a branded product cheapest will do just as well.

CliveOfIndia

FreshlyCutFlowers said:

What bleach do I use? Can I buy domestos or is that just for bathrooms? Do I buy a 'trade bleach'? A bleach that also removes mildew and other things?

As far as it goes, any bleach you can buy is the same in terms of what it does.  The only difference is the thickness and any scent that might be added (e.g. lemon scented).  Thicker bleach, for instance, is better for toilet bowls as it'll cling there for longer.  But they're all chemically the same.

For what you want, just use the cheapest Aldi/Lidl own-brand stuff you can find, no need to pay extra for a brand name.

FreeBear

grumbler said:

Reportedly, bleach cleans mold, but doesn't kill it. For killing use mold killers or white vinegar or hydrogen pyroxide. 

Vinegar (and any other acid) will attack plaster, so best to avoid using it on walls & ceilings. Hydrogen Peroxide will do the job, as will any dilute bleach - You don't want to use something like Domestos neat, so water it down a bit.

FreshlyCutFlowers

Sounds like I can go get domestos or anything else from the grocery store, thanks! The person I asked suggested it was just for porcelain and bathroom so glad to know thats not the case!

shiraz99

Don't use bleach, use a proper mould cleaner. Bleach doesn't actually kill mould and can actually have the opposite affect over time. You could also try a vinegar solution.

Grenage

Bleach kills mould, it kills just about anything.  It won't soak in very easily unless watered down, but for surface mould it will absolutely do the job.

Use the cheapest own-brand.

victor2

Grenage said:

Bleach kills mould, it kills just about anything.  It won't soak in very easily unless watered down, but for surface mould it will absolutely do the job.

Use the cheapest own-brand.

No it doesn't. The spores that cause the mould remain under the surface and in time new mould appears.

Vinegar is supposed to be much more effective at actually killing mould.

Grenage

victor2 said:

Grenage said:

Bleach kills mould, it kills just about anything.  It won't soak in very easily unless watered down, but for surface mould it will absolutely do the job.

Use the cheapest own-brand.

No it doesn't. The spores that cause the mould remain under the surface and in time new mould appears.

Vinegar is supposed to be much more effective at actually killing mould.

I said surface mould, and of course it does.

There are mould spores in the air all the time, it will eventually come back to any location if the conditions are right.  This was a one-off leak.