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How to Remove Mold and the Smell from Clothing
Do Items in Your Home Have a Musty Odor or Mildew Stains?
Mold thrives in places of high humidity and warmth. The more damp and warm an area is, the better. This includes walls, floors, personal items, and yes – clothes. So what can be done about it?
The first thing to note is timing. The faster you can find a mold contaminated item, the better. Mold becomes increasingly hard to remove and deal with as it grows and thrives.
Mold can be found in some of the oddest places because it has the ability to thrive almost anywhere as long as it has the following three things:
In the proper conditions, mold can spread quite rapidly.
Mold Grows on Clothing
As mentioned above, clothing is the perfect place for mold growth. If you happen to find mold on an article of clothing – hopefully its been caught quickly – there are a few ways to go about removing it.
Remember timing is of the essence when dealing with mold growht because the longer mold stays on the fabric, the worse it will smell and the more time it has to weaken and eventually rot your clothes.
Here are a couple of ways you can easily, safely, and quickly remove mold that is growing on clothing and get rid of the musty, moldy smell at the same time.
I. Vinegar
A very unusual approach would be to use vinegar in removing mold stains and its smell. Vinegar is very useful and effective in removing the ‘moldy’ smell from clothes. Add 3/4 cup white vinegar to a load of wash.
The vinegar will remove any moldy smell from clothing. Repeat this process until all traces of mold and its smell are gone. Use detergent afterwards to thoroughly clean your clothes.
What’s so interesting about this process is that vinegar itself is made through fermentation with the help of a certain type of mold.
II. Old Fashion Cleaning
- Brush off loose mold growth
- Set out in the sun to dry
- Presoak in cold water
- Sponge with bleach
- Launder, rinse and dry
Take all clothing that have mold or have been exposed to mold, outside and one by one, brush off any loose mold growth. By doing this outside you prevent mold spores from spreading inside the house.
Always remember to wear a protective mask and gloves when dealing with mold contamination.
After brushing, leave the clothing out in the sun to dry. The heat and sun will kill whatever is left of the mold in your clothes.
Presoak remaining clothes that have stains in cold water, then wash in hot water with detergent. Allow the clothing to dry completely in the sun.
If the stains persist, sponge the contaminated area with diluted chlorine bleach, you can use 2 tbsp. bleach to 1 qt. water. Make sure that the bleach that you use won’t change the color of the fabric.
You can use lemon juice and salt solution as an alternative for bleach if treating colored fabrics. After about 10 minutes, rinse thoroughly.
Launder as usual, rinse and allow to dry in the sun. Remember to fully dry the clothes that you have disinfected to make sure that mold doesn’t grow back.
Spray a bit of fungicide spray to completely remove mold odor from your clothes, and ensure that it won’t grow back the next day.
Use of “Mildicides”
“Mildicide” is a new term or name given to products that are used in dealing with mold or mildew contamination.
Remember that if you choose to use a mildicide to remove mold and its odor from your clothes, always read the label for proper techniques. Mildicides are still chemicals and can be harmful to your health if not used properly.
If every item of clothing or fabric in your closet appears to be affected with mold, fog the entire closet with your chosen mildicide.
Do the same for clothing that has been in storage for a long period of time. This will prevent mold or other odors from transferring to your present garments.
Do not remove any clothing in performing this application, especially if the odor eminates strongly. Spray the baseboards corners of the closet when removing garments and clothing.
If a vent is present in the room where you’ll be performing the clean-up, spray into the vent as well.
After fogging, close the door, and allow the mildicide to penetrate the entire room for at least 10 minutes.
Dry the area quickly with a fan or wipe walls and flooring of all remaining moisture.
Here is another post with useful information about mildicides:
Mold on Other Items
Try these posts for specific items with mold contamination:
- How do you remove mold stains?
- How do you remove mold from hats?
- How do you remove mold from a life jacket?
Further Recommended Reading :
Joslyn from the MoldBlogger Team
Tags: clothing, mold contamination, mold growth, mold odor, musty odor, remove smell
Hi there,
I recently has some very minor water damage in my house and called in some mold “experts” to tell me what had to be done. Before hiring anyone, which I have yet to do, I decided to do some research and came across your amazing blog. I just wanted to say thanks, and ask you your opinion on my mold situation.
I bought my house in August and when NY had the terrible rain storms in October I started to get some dampness and moistrure in one corner of the basement. Happens to be that my basement has cinder block walls with paneling about 10′ in front of the blocks (no sheet rock or insulation). The water was coming through the joints of the blocks in a crawl space in one corner of the basement. The rest of the basement stayed dry. It has been several months, and the leak keeps getting worse. I had about 10 different companies, ranging from mold “experts” to regular waterproofing contractors come by and give me estimates.
You would get dizzy just from hearing the contradictroy analysis and solutions these guys each came up with. On one extreme, you have the mold “expert” who came in to my basement and before he even looked at the crawl space where the water damage was – he declared my house as a “mold infested house.” He wipped out a binder with pictures and after noticing that my basement is a big playroom for my two toddler boys, he went straight to the picture of an infant with a severe rash “cause” by mold. He went on to tell me that I must rip out all of the paneling in my basement and wirebrush every corner. Next, he would apply 3 coats of different chemicals, bring in the fans, and install a humidex. The toal job would cost me 15k. After 5 minutes, he came down to 11k (because he is not on commission blah blah blah…) and I still said to him he is crazy if he thinks I am paying him 11k to do this. Finally he settled at 8k.
On the other extreme, I had one guy come in a tell me that he would fix the leak by treating the joints in the cinder blocks and than painting the blocks with some kind of material to keep the water out. In addition, he was going to repait my gutters and leaders outside so that no water accumulates near the corners of the house. Regarding the mold, however, he said “I can clean that up for you, but you could save the money by getting yourseld a mask, gloves and some bleach.”
My problem is that I don’t know if I have a serious mold problem. Currently, in the crawl space I actually can see some mold growing on the back of the paneling and on the cinder blocks (is that possible?). We are talking about a very minimal amount – smaller than the size of my hand. After all of my research I think I will be wterproofing the basement and I will take care of the mold myself with some bleech. However, my biggest concern is – what if there is mold behind the paneling where I cannot see? My gut feeling is that there is none – because the basement doesnt smell moldy, nobody has been sick and there was no leakage in any other spot. But I am not sure. I guess my ultimate fear is that I will never know what is behind there and when I find out it may be too late.
What do you think?
Thanks,
ephraim moss on January 5th, 2006Ephraim
My son left a soaking wet sweatshirt in a plastic bag after a boy scout
Bob on November 10th, 2006campout. It has been sitting for almost three weeks. It was really nasty
smelling. I washed it once with no change. Then I found this suggestion
to add vinegar. I ran it once and was glad to find that most of the smell
was gone. I am running it through a second time with a load of wash
and more vinegar. Thanks.
Lest Oil a cap full or two usually seems to work to get out a lot of bad smells. Mold mildew sour smells. Hope that helps
Ryan on February 17th, 2007when weather is always damp will the mold smell just come back after i take care of it?
evah on August 9th, 2007I have a towel that got wet and ended up w/a number of bad black mold stains on it. I threw it in the washing machine, w/a cup of Clorox and the hotest water. Then I threw it in the dryer on the hottest setting for an hour (didn’t know about drying in sun at that time). It came out with the black mold stains still all over it but theoretically it should be clean right?
And that’s what I’m trying to figure out… Did I kill the mold by washing it that way or is it still alive? Can I just sun bleach it now or does it have to be wet again?
Thanks.
ParrotGal on August 18th, 2007I have had a chase lounger in storage only now to find mold on the bottom skirt. How do I remove it? Thanks
Cheryl on October 8th, 2007Cheryl – Thanks for your question! I’ve posted a reply here : 5 Easy Steps to Remove Mold from Furniture
Joslyn from the MoldBlogger Team
Joslyn on October 24th, 2007I have a 3 month old who spits up alot and as often as i change her clothes or put bibs on her etc, she is constantly wet by her neck and chest. i let her clothes air dry after removing them from her but before putting therm in the hamper. Recently, however, her clothing started to get moldy up by the neck. I now have one cotton, one terry and one velour stretchy of hers that is nolonger wearable. I tried soaking these outfits in vinegar befor washing but saw no difference. I also tried rubbing some oxixlean solution on befor washing but that did not do it either. Any suggestions? I am looking forward to a response on how to best romove this mold. (and how to prevent mold from growing on other outfits.) Thanks.
Sima on October 24th, 2007Sima – Thank you for your question! I’ve posted a reply here : Remove Mold on Baby Clothes and Bibs
Joslyn from the MoldBlogger Team
Joslyn on October 28th, 2007hi i have a leather jacket that had mold on one of the sleeves i sent it to the cleaners but it still has that mold smell on it. how do i remove this smell i love this jacket and i dont want to get rid of it. the cleaners tell me there is nothing i can do for the smell. can anyone help. thanks.
John on March 15th, 2008John,
Well, I did some research and I found a good forum that seemed to offer sound answers to your question,
Visit Get the Smell of Mold out of Leather
Joslyn from the MoldBlogger team
Joslyn on March 17th, 2008Hello,
I had put a white bathing suit of mine into a bag and had forgotten about it for some time. When I found it, there were yellow/orange mold stains in the pattern of the suit.
I tried soaking it in a bleach/water solution, I tried soaking it in an oxiclean /water solution, and I just don’t know what to do!
It is a delicate lace (with a liner) bathing suit.
Please help!
Rashel on May 4th, 2008hi i lend a hat to a friend two weeks ago. he gave it back to me last week in a bag, today when i looked inside my bag the hat had green, purple, black spots. what can i do?
Chuny on May 5th, 2008Rashel,
Unfortunately, mold does leave stains. By using the bleach solution and washing your bathing suit in the manner that you have, you have rid the bathing suit of mold and probably the nasty smell as well, however removing mold stains is an entirely different matter.
As an option, I have heard that X-14 Mildew Stain Remover with Bleach will sometimes remove the stains. Its worth a shot.
Joslyn from the MoldBlogger team
Joslyn on May 29th, 2008Chuny,
First take the hat outside (so as not to spread mold spores indoors) and brush as much of the mold off as you can.Allow your hat to dry in the sun for awhile, as direct sunlight can often kill many different types of mold spores. After plenty of sunlight has been distributed evenly over your hat, presoak it in cold water possibly with a bleach solution (color safe if your hat has colors in it) and then machine wash it with warm water and detergent. Lemon juice and salt in cold water has also been used with colored fabrics. Hang your hat in the sun again to dry.
The hat may or may not still have stains but the mold and dangerous spores will be gone. If stains persist, try washing the garment again.
Joslyn from the MoldBlogger team
Joslyn on May 29th, 2008I am trying to figure out what to do with a plastic tote full of shoes, most of them leather, that got left out in the rain for quite some time with a busted lid. Any suggestions? Clothing was also left out so I am going to try the vinegar ASAP. Thanks!
Kristin on June 2nd, 2008Speaking of BAD MOLD… My then 8 month old son had, lets call it “an accident” a few months back while we were out shopping one day. He pooped so bad that it was half way up his back. I bagged the clothes, cleaned him up and continued my shopping. Upon arriving home I promptly forgot about the dirty bag of clothes that got tossed in some dark corner of my porch. (seems to be a catch-all) When I finally found the outfit about 3 weeks later, it was dried and moldy and DISGUSTING! I could either throw it away or try and clean it. I figured if it was a goner either way lets try and clean it.
I first soaked it in hot, hot water to try and loosen up the dried feces. (I WORE GLOVES FOR THIS) Then I sprayed it with Dreft Laundry stain remover, tons of it. and left it to soak. Then in a clean bucket of 2 gallons of super hot water I added about 1-2 cups of regular bleach and let the garment soak some more. About an hour or so. I washed it in the laundry and much to my surprise IT WAS CLEAN! Save for a tiny mold stain on the inside near a snap and a tiny one on the “butt”. This was a light blue and gray footed sleeper, 100% cotton. There was minimal fading and not much color change from the bleach soak. I cannot guarantee that your item won’t bleach out. But this one didn’t.
Save to say, it’s clean, but he’s since grown out of it.
As for mold, I had some swimsuits that sat for a few weeks and got moldy, Washed them in about a cup of bleach by filling the washer with water first then added the bleach, letting it agitate then add the clothes. Then ran it through a second wash with detergent, added about a cup of the Dreft Laundry stain remover and a cup or 2 of APPLE CIDER VINEGAR. I had no white vinegar. Voila, promlem solved.
GOOD LUCK!
Mellina on June 4th, 2008have a bunch of paintings that were stored at a beach house rolled up. they are acrylics on canvas. they all developed mold and mildew stains. i see some spores as well. brushed them off in the sun, but i still see and smell mold residue. anyone have any suggestions?
jay on June 19th, 2008fyi: acrylic is pretty resistent to water, so the paint layer should not be damaged during the cleaning unless say full strength bleach is used.
thanks for any help.
-jay
Kristin,
Definitely try the vinegar and other steps listed on the clothes, as far as shoes go, the leather ones especially, I’m not sure there is anything that can be done. Leather is a very difficult material to get mold out of and is mostly listed as “impossible” or “not worth the try.”
Anyone else have suggestions for getting mold out of leather?
Sorry! I hope you have better luck with the clothing.
Joslyn from the MoldBlogger team
Joslyn on June 24th, 2008Jay,
I don’t know a whole lot about paint, but if acrylics are resistant to water I would suggest trying warm water get the mildew off, then try drying in the sun again.
Not sure what vinegar would do, but you might give it a try on a small part of the painting first.
Good luck!
Joslyn from the MoldBlogger team
Joslyn on June 24th, 2008My mother who is deceased collected some beautiful and now vintage hats. They were stored in plastic bags which apparently were exposed to some moisture. Some of them are fine, some have minimal mold and some of the really former beautiful one have a lot of mold. They are all on a table out in the sun right now. Is there any way to remove the mold? They are not washable. Thanks so much for your help.
Suzanne on June 28th, 2008Suzanne,
First, if you haven’t done so already, brush all of the visible mold growth from the hats, and again, as you’ve done, let them set out in the sun.
Because they’re not machine washable, I would suggest taking a detergent and color safe bleach in a sponge and carefully scrubbing the places mold has grown. Finally, let it dry in the sun.
You’ll be able to get rid of the mold this way, though as far as stains go, I’m not sure they can be removed.
You might also want to try a vinegar/water mixture to help with the smell.
Unfortunately, hats are difficult to deal with – especially vintage items.
Good luck!
Joslyn from the MoldBlogger team
Joslyn on July 6th, 2008Hello, how can I remove mold from a tie? We had mold growing out of a damp drawer and now *all* of my husband’s ties smell of mold. Please help!
Anne on July 17th, 2008Hi!
I just have a quick question, I work at a renaissance fair and after a particularly rainy day my clothes were bagged up and left in the closet (I had jumped straight into planning my wedding and forgot)…I’m not entirely sure if one of my skirts has mold. it’s made out of apolstry fabric and I normally have to hand wash it.
Although I’m not sure if there is mold, it does have a musty smell. Should I try using the same techniques for normal clothes even though the fabric is different?
Tracie on July 22nd, 2008Tracie,
I would suggest you use described methods (ie sun drying, bleach/detergent soaking and scrubbing, vinegar option, etc) though instead of machine washing I would suggest you stick with your normal hand washing procedures.
Hope this helps!
Joslyn from the MoldBlogger team
Joslyn on July 27th, 2008Anne,
First, it depends on the type of cloth the ties are made of, ie silk, cotton, etc.
If they are machine washable go ahead and follow the suggestions in the post above.
If not, switch out machine washable and hand wash the ties with the detergent mixture.
Hope this helps!
Joslyn from the MoldBlogger team
Joslyn on July 27th, 2008I was wondering how to get the mildew smell out of clothing. I have noticed that I can only smell the mildew after I have been outdoors and have started to break a light sweat. I can’t ever smell the mildew before the clothing is worn.
gina on August 17th, 2008hi,
i have a closet full of moldy shoes- how do i clean them without having to throw them all away? It’s a combination of leather and cloth shoes… thank you!
renee on August 25th, 2008Hello,
Kristin on September 3rd, 2008I recently fell alseep with some delicates in my sink soaking in water, and now they smell like mildew, is there anything I can do for hand washables that cannot go into the washing machine?
Thanks for your help!
Kristin
My son is a builder and did recovery work in 2004 after Hurricane Ivan. He recovered a doll collection and the owner had no desire to see if she could clean them up and claimed them on her insurance. He put them in a plastic container, couldn’t bring himself to look in their faces and throw them away. Anyway, he was cleaning out one of his storage rooms the other day and came across them. His wife wanted to throw them away, but they are so beautiful. Of course they were covered in mud and had scraps of all kinds of things in their hair. I too, looked in their faces and couldn’t throw them away. So, I took on the job of seeing what I could do to recover them to life again. The problem I have is that when I took off their clothes there bodies have mildew. I tried vineger and that helps with the smell. The clothes cleaned up nicely except for some marks of iron. I washed their hair with regular shampoo and conditioner and I have almost totally recovered two (one has to have her leg put back on – my son is doing that). So, any suggestions on “old mildew”? Thanks, and the dolls thank you too. I swear they look happier…smile.
Annette Glass on September 22nd, 2008I have a friend who recently had water damage to clothes stored in the basement when Chicago experienced two days of heavy rain. The clothes have a strong odor. I am unsure if it is mold or sewer water that came up. What can she put in the wash to remove the odor and make the clothes clean and safe, clothes that don’t need to go the cleaners.
Willie Lancaster on September 29th, 2008We had left our daughters pink and white plaid stroller on the porch after a walk and forgot to put it back in the car after we were finished. We then had several days of bad rain. I had forgot that we left it on the porch and went to use it and realized that it had mold growing on the sun shade and on the seat. Is there any way I can salvage this material?? Thanks!
Stephanie Mabus on October 23rd, 2008Hi,
Winter is coming and I dug out our winter jackets from a box in the basement. I found lots of mold on our jackets coz the moisture from the walls of our basement seeped through the box.
I took a couple of badly moldy jackets out to “dry”, and left teh box open. After reading this post, I think I shouldnt hv done that.
My problem is, we’re expecting snow and there dont seem to be much sunlight in the near future to kill it. What could I do to save my jackets?
Also, what should I do to my walls?
Thanks.
Hafiza on October 28th, 2008I have a problem where some of my cotton t-shirts have developed a ‘mouldy/musty’ smell, and they transfer the smell to nearby cotton t-shirts in my closet. I first had this problem back in high school when I bought t-shirts from a second had store. They had a charasteristic mouldy smell – the first thing you smell when you go into a second had store. What I found was that those t-shirts transferred that smell to my new clothes.
I never quite understood what it was, and I ended up throwing out many of my clothes a few years ago, but now I’m noticing that I’m starting to have the same problem with some of my newer clothes. I can’t imagine that I’m the only one with this problem – millions of people must have this problem. What makes it different from what I read above is that there was no moisture involved and no stain, just a smell. I’m curious to know what this is and how to deal with it. I’m surprised there aren’t companies advertising solutions to this or more discussions about it – I had heard nothing until reading this blog. Thanks.
Allen on December 11th, 2008Hello,
I have some clothes with major mold damage.
We recently had a flea infestation, and I was instructed to wash or remove all clothing that could be infested with fleas. I put some clothing into a bag, and put it where (i thought) it wouldn’t get wet. However, it did get wet, and there is extensive mold!
I have washed the clothes in vinegar twice, and they still smell very strongly of mold. Should I go ahead and try hanging them in the sun, or is that asking too much of the sun if they smell so bad? What else can I do?
The main items I am concerned with are a cotton screen print shirt, and some cotton/spandex pants coated with a fake velour.
Please help, I love these clothes!!
Thank you
Vanessa on December 12th, 2008hi
craig on January 5th, 2009i threw a wet towel into my laundry bag, and mold has grown and spread to a number of items of clothing. dark green and black spots have grown on the clothing. is there any way i can remove these stains?
Folks, I do have a solution for your problem with that Moldy/Musty smell on clothes. It is similar to a problem that some of our clients have had after a fire with smoke getting into their furniture, bedding and even the wood in their homes.
We provide air purifiers that kill Mold/Mildew, Bacteria of all types and Oxidize Odors. The solution, take the purifier and put it in your closet and let it run overnight or for 24-48 hours depending on the intensity of the odor. You will soon have a closet full of fresh clothes.
Our machines simply plug into a three pronged plug and they produce high allotropes of Oxygen, O4 to O15 that Oxidize bacteria and eliminate Odors. This in NOT Ozone and is perfectly safe as our machines do not product the harmful Oxides of Nitrogen that many Ozone machines do. By the way, there is nothing wrong with Ozone, however it is only O3 and does not Oxidize as well as the high allotropes. The problem with Ozone machines is not the Ozone they produce; it is the Oxides of Nitrogen and the maintenance that must be given to the Ozone machines.
Our machines require NO MAINTENANCE and a warranted for 4 years with an option for 25 years. The warranty is for all parts and labor, nothing is excluded. You can visit our site at http://www.EPT-LLC.com; Please call us if you have any questions.
Enviromental Protection Technologies on January 7th, 2009Hi, i have some cooton rugs about 10000 in my store and have developed mouldy smell.could you pls suggest some neutaliser spray which can take out this mouldy smell. Thanks
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I just got done reading the vinegar solution to the moldy/musty smell in clothing and I am trying it as we speak. I have musty smell on my towel that my kids used and threw in out hamper. I hope this works cause the smell is stinky. I will let you know once my load had finished its cycle. Thanks for the advice, i would hate to throw out everything.
Angelia Shananaquet on April 20th, 2009HI.
Angalina on July 7th, 2009I’m just recently moved into new house and it took a while to remodel and etc.. but i just got m washer and dryer hooked up. So i had laundry setting for a month or so, & also some of my sons baby outfits that i put in a keepsake box and they all got molded. But the baby outfits are the only ones that got black moldy spots. i soaked them a washed them. Are they ok to keep? Also my other laundry is that ok for my family to wear i use tide, and softener and washed them with hot water a dried them also. They do not smell or see no mold on them. I really didn’t see no mold on the before expect a few items…had little bit of white fuzz. So is it ok for my family and I to re-wear clothes that had mold on them but been washed?
Basically my home is in trouble with mold that has destroyed the back part of my house. For years the roof has been bad and water has come in, creating a bad situation….
I’ve been wanting to fix this for a long time, but even with me working five jobs I haven’t had the money
to even pay all our bills….and every time it rains, I’m upstairs bailing buckets just to keep from getting
totally flooded out. There is a low-interest loan I am working on getting to pay for a new roof, plus take care of rebuilding some of the damage. I’ve explored many avenues for assistance on this, but so far keep hitting a dead end.
Where does a low-income family go to get help when their house is being destroyed by water and mold? What about the health issues? I’m very worried about this. I fear for my wife and two children. I don’t want us getting sick from this. Do you have any experience with people in this situation and where we can turn for help?
Anything you can do for us will be greatly appreciated. We welcome your advice on this. Thank you.
Ed Janik
Ed Janik on July 15th, 2009217-414-0325
We have a life-size toucan costume that we use as a character for videos on our site. It’s made of a very fuzzy fabric and has unfortunately fallen prey to lots of mold. It’s irreplaceable and we really want to salvage it. Will using the vinegar method work? Should I post pictures to show the extent of the mold and what the fabric looks like? Thanks much.
Nick
Nick on July 21st, 2009My daughters Cabbage Patch dolls were in a box in the basement that got wet for many years,and I just found them. They smell like mildew, but have not black spots or any visable mold. I am not sure I can wash them in the washing machine with vinegar without ruining the dolls. I would love to give them to my daughter, but she is allergic to mold! Help!
Rose on August 18th, 2009How to remove mold from colored clothing (probably works with white, too). Worthy of the Good Housekeeping Nobel Prize!
First, let me tell you, I tried EVERYTHING. I tried a bleach alternative stick, Wisk with bleach alternative, soaking in bleach alternative. It would lighten the black spots, but do nothing for the mold smears and discolorations, and it would always come back, worse than ever.
When it got so bad that I was going to throw my beloved Calvin Klein down coat away, I decided to try one last thing. The Mold Armor Instant Mold and Mildew Remover said not to use it on nylon, but I tried it on a moldy nylon bra that I was going to throw out, and I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the result!
This is for black mold. It has black spots, and stains like you smeared something on it. It doesn’t smell.
I can not attest to mildew, which does smell, but I have some suggestions below.
.
1. As SOON as you see the start of mold, take care of it. It will get worse, the spores will spread other places,. your other clothes will become moldy, then your house, and then you will die (just kidding). But take it seriously.
2. Go outside, and brush the spores off. Do not spread the spores throughout your house.
3. Put on clothes you don’t mind accidentally getting bleach spots on. Or better yet, go naked!
4. Put on rubber gloves.
5. Completely soak fabric in WARM water (cold water will set stain), and wring out. Make sure everything is wet, or you will have bleach stains.
6. Spray on Mold Armor Instant Mold and Mildew Remover. I got it at the hardware store.
6. Spray on Mold Armor Instant Mold and Mildew Remover. I got it at the hardware store.
NOTE: My coat and the bra were off white, sort of tannish. If your fabric is darker, you might want to try a test patch in an area that’s not noticeable. Just spray it on that area, scrub brush it, let it stay on 5 minutes, and rinse it out. You’ll see if there’s any discoloration. If there isn‘t any, continue with the rest.
7. Scrub with a soft toothbrush. Scrub in all directions- back and forth, up and down, and in circles until stain is gone.
8. Let it stay in about 5-10 minutes, no longer, or it will stain.
9. Soak in warm water, and rub it around until fully rinsed.
10. Remove water and rinse again in cold water.
11. Wring out.
12. Dry in the hot sun if at all possible. Sunlight is the best disinfectant. If not possible, dry in dryer, then put in sun if possible.
If you missed any spots, repeat.
I couldn’t believe the results on my down coat! The ugly smears that no other product would even touch were gone. I had missed a few small places, so alas, I went through the whole obsessive compulsive procedure again, but it was well worth it. I was SO proud of myself. I have not tried this for mildew, so I can’t guarantee it for mildew. But I would try steps 1-8 (5 minutes only) and then soak the fabric in a mixture of warm water and Armor Mold and Mildew Remover for 5 minutes. Then steps 9-12. If you don’t have any spots, just the mildew smell, skip steps 5-8 and just soak in the mixture of water and mold remover for 10 minutes, and then steps 9-12.
I have heard that a cup of white vinegar in your wash works for the mildew smell, too. You might want to try that first if you have no mildew spots.
Marina on August 22nd, 2009My wedding dress is in a plastic bag hung up in a closet. We recently moved and I noticed it had small dark spots on it and I am assuming it is mold. Is it even possible to salvage this item??? I have read the suggestions and I suppose I could get rid of the mold, but will it always be stained???
Arlene on August 25th, 2009why don’t you try Zinc nano for clothes coating, Zonop, it is clothes coating liquid from nano technology. Help eliminate musty smell on clothes and also anti bacteria and fungal. Check at http://www.nanomaterials.co.th
brian on August 26th, 2009It is not expensive and really help.
I have a gray bathing suit that i left in a bag and forgot about it and it got moldy. If i use a bleach solution will the color get all messed up or is there a different way to get the mold stain off?
Christelle on September 7th, 2009Ok, I washed my clothes with bleach and oxyclean in hot water. Almost all of the smell is gone, but a few still has it. Does this mean the mold is dead? It’s just the smell I have left to fix? I just want to make sure that it’s safe for me to wear them again.
Anne on September 10th, 2009How do I get the mold off & out of the rubber gasket from my front-load washing machine?
buckwheat on November 6th, 2009Ok, my boyfriend and I are renting a place and after a few months with no problem we started noticing mold all over. It is in closets and corners all over the house. We are obviously moving now, but we are concerned that we do not want to bring any mold spores to our new place. I am wondering if just washing all our clothes and linens will be sufficient or if I need to spray them all with some kind of mold killer? Most of the clothes do not have visible mold on them. Also is there something I should do to our furniture and bed to make sure we are not taking the mold with us? Thanks for your help I really need it!!
Gerielle on November 10th, 2009In our business we have clients wash their clothes in the laundry with Oxy Clean.
mold remediation on November 28th, 2009Hello, I had my winter down coats stored in my basement during a humid summer and they all have mold and mildew. I took them to the dry cleaners and they told me it would be a waste of my money to have them cleaned because the stains (in very noticeable areas) could only be removed with a bleach solution that would discolor the jackets. Any suggestions? Otherwise I need to pick up a new winter coat, ASAP.
Khary on December 13th, 2009Hi i have just got a prom dress for my daughter from china and it has arrived with a few mould spot and feel damp what can i do to get them removed please help!
thank you xxxx
paula on December 15th, 2009Hi, My 5 year old brother recently threw up on a beautiful pair of trousers that i own and given the fact that we were at my grandparents they were taken off and placed in a plastic bag. I’ve just found them and now there seems to be white mold on them. I shoved them in the bath with lots of hot water and washing powder but i dont think it will do much good, should i just throw the trousers away?
Melanie on December 20th, 2009I stored my daughter’s baby clothes in a cedar closet. However, some of the clothes now have brown spots on them. Is this black mold? Are the clothes saveable or does the mold danger override trying to save the clothes?
Pam Bryant on December 27th, 2009Thanks for your help!
How can I remove the musty smell from old photos. These pictures are from the thirties to the fifties. They have been in a foot locker in my fathers basement for about 50 years. We have had many floods in the basement, but the locker never got wet. Thank you for any help.
Carolyn LaMack on January 23rd, 2010That was grossest story Ive heard!! Pooh covered clothes sitting for three weeks! Throw it away lady!
Richard James on January 31st, 2010We have just moved into a new house and have put all our baby clothes,beding, car seats,baby toys high chair (well everything a baby needs as we have due to have another baby this year),summer clothes, luggage, curtains u name itin the loft! After having some mould form around our windows and in built in cupboards we have just found that everything that is in the loft is covered in mould! Car seats and clothes have green black furry mould! Our loft isn’t airing right and our landlord doesn’t really care but since new baby is on the way after cleaning will the clothes etc be safe to use and really were do i start in cleaning it all and with what safe best way? We also live in the UK where there is not alot of sun either!!
Tanya on February 7th, 2010Hi,
I have a stroller (Quinny Buzz) that I left on my screened in porch. It must have gotten some snow on it some time ago and then that must have melted and low and behold…mold. The mold is on the shoulder straps and on the backside of the fabric (the underside that is strapped to the metal frame). It says it must be hand washed. I have sprayed distilled with vinager all over it and left it to dry on my radiator. I can tell that the black staining will not come off which I don’t really care about as long as I can trust that the mold is dead. How do I know if I’ve really eliminated the mold if I still see the black spots? Is there some other solution I can spray/handwash it in to ensure that it is safe?
Thanks,
Nina on February 18th, 2010Nina
Airing clothing out in the sunlight isn’t an option, as the winter here is damp, cold and overcast. What is the next best way to get get the mold off of clothes and prevent it from happening again? I’ve read about putting certain materials in the closet….any suggestions?
Raquel on February 21st, 2010I was oing through an old footlocker that has been closed for 50 years in my basement. I found two great old smoking jackets. They are in perfect condition. The only problem is the musty smell. They are both velor and I am not sure if they can go through the washing machine. Any suggestions?
Carolyn LaMack on February 27th, 2010I just bought a beautiful jacket on ebay and it smells like mold/mildew. It’s dog tooth pattern in green and black, so I can’t actually see any mold. I can’t put in in the washing machine. It’s hanging by the open window to get direct sunlight. Is there anything else I can do? Will dry cleaning help? Thanks!
Kim on March 1st, 2010we recenty found black mold in our front load washer, although we did decide to get rid of the washer all together I have been washing my kids clothes in a moldy washer for who know how long now! So…do I need to take EVERYTHING washable and rewash them in the vinegar solution? My poor children! They’ve had asthma issues for several months and NOW I know why! So is rewashing EVERYTHING in my home a must?
jaime on March 10th, 2010