very confused-- Bleach vs. Mold

Sorry, pal, I think you're mistaken. HF is some NASTY stuff...it eats through GLASS.

Sure you're not thinking of HCl?

Reply to
– Colonel –
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In article , snipped-for-privacy@verizon.net says... :) On 2005-12-01 10:23:13 -0500, mm said: :) :) > :) > But since bleach has come up, I'll mention that I noticed that Clorox :) > Bleach as currently sold here, has no chloriine in it. :) :) Yes it does. It's called sodium hypochlorite. :) :) Pure chlorine is a gas at standard temperature and pressure, so you :) would need a gas cylinder, not a plastic jug, to contain it. :) :) Guessing they mean Clorox All Fabric Bleach...Triethanolamine, Hydrogen peroxide and Benzenesulfonic acid, C10-C16-alkyl derivatives are the AI.

Clorox 2 ... Subtilisin (proteolytic enzyme), Sodium perborate tetrahydrate and Benzenesulfonic acid, C10-C16-alkyl derivatives seem to be the AI

Reply to
Lar

Sorry, but it really is weak HF in a convenient plastic squeeze bottle. See for yourself, MSDS on-line at

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Quoting from the MSDS:

Acute Toxicity: Severe eye irritant. Causes serious injury to skin which may not be immediately painful or visible. Causes respiratory irritation and is toxic by ingestion.

Chronic Toxicity: May cause bone and joint changes in humans (Fluorosis).

In all cases, contact a physician immediately. For ingestion, drink large amounts of water or milk. For eye and skin contact, flush immediately for 15 minutes with water. Hydrofluoric acid burns require special treatment which may include Calcium Gluconate injection to prevent serious injury.

Reply to
Joshua Putnam

Colonel wrote: Sorry, pal, I think you're mistaken. HF is some NASTY stuff... it eats through GLASS. Sure you're not thinking of HCl?

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You are thinking logically, and not all marketers and consumers do the same.

I can remember somebody giving me some household rust & lime remover. This was 25-30 years ago and it was in a small brown plastic bottle. It contained a rather non-trivial concentration of HF, which shocked the crap out of me. And the warning on the label was very casual.

I don't know if it is still marketed, but I do remember seeing it marketed long after I received that bottle. I believe than solutions greater than 1% HF have been outlawed about 5 years now for household use. Personally, I feel that 1% HF shouldn't be marketed for household use. HF is extremely dangerous and few people read or heed warning labels.

Also, hasn't something just as nasty as HF been used in the acid core for household aluminum solders? I've got some old aluminum solders (20 years old) which have no warnings of any sort on them and I feel very positive that they have a nasty florine compound in their core.

Reply to
Gideon

I did a google and the sites I found that said bleach didn't kill wanted were sites that for just a few $$$ would tell you what would kill mold. I work in a microbiology lab and we use a bleach solution to clean and kill everything. But I think the problem is of a different nature. Take a nice fertile garden and you kill all the plants. They are all dead. But the garden is fertile. Other plants will grow back. So while bleach is very effective at killing the mold, it is not effective in preventing its return. The borax might be good for preventing it from coming back. It will also make the wood fire resistant.

R>>

Reply to
Ronald Cliborn

Bleach is inappropriate for an attic cleanup due to the extreme respiratory hazards involved. You are talking about large areas and large volumes of solution producing chlorine vapors. Unless great care is taken in using a respirator, you can set yourself up for lung damage. GOOGLE that.

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one supplier of a borax/glycol mix. Diluted, it is sprayable with a garden sprayer and easy to use in an attic. A respirator is still a good idea.

If there is extensive active mold growth, you may need to kill that first.

Some helpful sites on attic mold and attic ventilation:

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Reply to
Speedy Jim

Its MOST important to fix the roof!

If you dry the area completely eventually the mold will die, without having to kill it directly.

although clean up is a good idea, but use care working with bleach.

I used that in a basement once with glass block windows, even with fans running I got sick afterward

Reply to
hallerb

Mold isn't the problem. The problem is having or creating the conditions where mold can grow.

I live in Las Vegas. Until the last decade, mold was unknown here. Houses were simple framed houses with stucco. Very breathable. Very dry, and mostly drafty. Energy costs were low enough that being airtight wasn't required. We even used evaporative cooling which boosts the humidity quite a bit.

Enter, the era of new construction. Vapor barriers. Better insulation. Better taping and mudding. Really enclosing things in. I think that was where it changed, because this isn't NEW mold.

Yesterday, I woke up to a leaky hot water heater. They had installed it five years ago with no pan. So it died, and water came into my walk in closet and bedroom. I changed the heater, putting it up on blocks, and in a pan. We got out the wet/dry vacuums, and went to town. We vacuumed and vacuumed and vacuumed. Then put several fans. We will run the fans for a few days, and leave doors open during the day.

Point is, mold is like rust on a car. Not much you can do once it is in there except cut out the moldy/rusty part and toss.

It is far easier to prevent.

Steve

Reply to
Steve B

doh... $135/gal is expensive.

Make the equivalent for much less:

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Reply to
Philip Lewis

Yes, I have done that. It's a good suggestion, but for me it turned out to be tedious, not wanting to cook the stuff on the kitchen stove. If it can work for you, go for it. Jim

Reply to
Speedy Jim

Bora-care I bought from this web site a year ago..Not diluted 1 gallon $90.. (free shipping back then.. don't know about now..)

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(in SC) Powder post beetles .. worse than termites!..

Reply to
Chuck

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Chuck (in SC)

Excellent!! Site says shipping is still FREE.

Bookmarked... Jim

Reply to
Speedy Jim

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