Knowledgebase

Known hazards of "Wet and Forget" mold, moss, algee cleaner #886087

Asked September 22, 2024, 11:24 AM EDT

Someone suggested a product I had never heard of before for cleaning house siding and my concrete driveway and walkway.  The product is called "Wet and Forget."  It is supposed to clear mold, mildew, moss, and algee from the surface.

I was wondering if this product has been tested for being environmentally safe to use.  Are there any known hazards of this product at this time?


Thanks in advance for an answer.  :)

Montgomery County Maryland

Expert Response

Any pesticide product (which includes herbicides intended for killing plants like moss and algae) that is registered with the Environmental Protection Agency will have been tested for environmental impacts. That said, the EPA cannot test every conceivable exposure for various organisms, so they focus on a handful of species. The impacts evaluated also require that the pesticide be used as directed on the label; they cannot test for every possible method of misuse (like over-applying a pesticide or incorrectly mixing a concentration if using the product requires dilution). Since the label is the law (meaning that it's illegal for a pesticide to be used in a manner which violates the label directions), they evaluate a product based on its label instructions to determine what concentration of ingredients its use would expose people or the environment to.

According to that brand's website, the active ingredient in the Wet & Forget Outdoor product is the chemical alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride. The National Pesticide Information Center has a fact sheet about this group of chemicals (called quaternary ammonium compounds) that might be useful; it includes both known human and environmental risks. Pesticides also usually include inert ingredients ("inert" does not actually imply they are harmless) that companies are not required to itemize/disclose on the label, but they are still selected by the manufacturer from a list of options that the EPA has evaluated.

Miri

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