26
Tried bleach vs vinegar for mold in my basement gear storage and vinegar won hands down
Water got into my basement after that big storm 3 weeks ago and I had mold growing on my old duffle bags and canned food bins. Hit half of it with straight bleach, other half with white vinegar in a spray bottle. The bleach looked great for a day but 5 days later that mold was already coming back through. The vinegar spots are still clean and the smell faded in 2 days. Anyone else ditch bleach for mold on camping gear or emergency supplies?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
hannahw3021d ago
Oh for real, this hits home. I did the same thing with a moldy shower curtain liner a few months back. I scrubbed it down with bleach and it looked white again, but the smell just got worse over time and the spots came back way faster. Then I soaked it in vinegar overnight and hung it up, and it actually stopped smelling musty after a few days. I think we just assume bleach is the heavy hitter because it smells strong, but vinegar really does seem to kill the roots of mold better. Have you tried it on any fabric stuff like tents or backpacks yet?
9
jordang321mo ago
Bleach is one of those things everybody thinks is the gold standard but it really just paints over the problem, like the way people use those all-in-one cleaners on their floors that leave a film instead of actually cleaning. I noticed this same pattern with my own gear after a leaky roof incident, the vinegar just works deeper without that fake "clean" smell that masks the real issue. It's funny how the simple stuff (you know, like baking soda or vinegar) often outlasts the harsh chemicals we've been trained to reach for first.
2