The sterilizing effects of laundry detergent and oxygen and chlorine bleach on fungal spores were examined. Bleach did not appreciably kill spores of common fungi such as Penicillium and Cladosporium species in water at 25°C, but, increase in water temperature accelerated the sterilizing effect of bleach. Hot water, higher than 30°C, with bleach was effective for killing fungal spores.
Bleach is more effective than detergent for washing cloth samples contaminated with the species of Cladosporium used in 25°C water, although fungal spores are not effectively killed. Fungal mycelia are more sensitive to bleach than their spores, so mycelia on fabric are bleached more easily than their spores.