# does betadine (iodine) kill mold **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 17, 2013, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-betadine-iodine-kill-mold/655927 "2013-04-17T10:27:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 17
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2013, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-betadine-iodine-kill-mold/655927/17 "2013-04-18T15:54:50Z")
I use a strong bleach solution to kill the mold/fungus that aggregates on my bathroom ceiling. Works for a while, then it recolonizes, 'cause my landlord won’t replace the loose bathtub surround that harbors the mother colony, and I can’t get bleach back there to kill it all. > [@JKilez](#): > > If you have a preexisting condition that you know is a fungus, then certainly. My comment on betadine was for general purpose wound care–you had mentioned abrasions and broken skin in your previous post. [Running water is what’s currently recommend for first aid for superficial wounds](http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/first-aid-cuts/FA00042). No soap, no hydrogen peroxide or betadine or iodine, all of which can cause cellular damage and \*slow \*wound healing. Any wound that’s deep enough, open enough or irregular enough that you can’t easily clean it under the tap needs professional evaluation and a prescribed treatment plan. For longer term wound care, there are wound cleansing sprays and saline to clean and irrigate wounds. The one I use most ([Sea-Clens](http://www.amazon.com/Comfeel-SEA-CLENS-Wound-Cleanser-spray/dp/B000TLWWVK)) lists: _water, decyl glucoside, sodium chloride (USP), citric acid, diazolindyl urea, methyl paraben, tetrasodium EDTA_. It’s designed to soften and remove necrotic tissue. Again, no hydrogen peroxide or betadine or iodine. I sometimes use iodoform (iodine reacted with ethanol or acetone and sodium hydroxide) tape to pack infected abscesses, but that’s because killing the infection and removing necrotic tissue is important, and iodoform doesn’t do as much damage to healthy tissues as elemental iodine. Still, once it appears the infection is gone, we usually stop the iodoform tape and switch to a plain gauze (or hydrogel) packing material. The more we learn about wounds, the more we learn that our best treatment is often as little treatment as possible. Keep it clean, keep the wound bed moist and the skin around it dry, and don’t scratch! --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-betadine-iodine-kill-mold/655927)._