You definitely need to fight mold on clothes, and not throw away the item because you don’t know how to deal with this phenomenon. We will tell you how to combat mold using household chemicals and folk remedies in this article.
Mold on things is not a very pleasant phenomenon. Any housewife who stores things in remote places for a long time can encounter this problem. And if these places are not yet ventilated and moisture can penetrate there, then this is how you will find an unpleasant white-gray coating on clothes or other objects.
When things are stored in such places for a long time, mold becomes so active that they become covered with a kind of white-green moss . How to cope with such an unpleasant fungus can be found in this article.
How to remove mold from white clothes, fabric, towels?
First, let's understand a little what mold is and how to protect things and household items from it. Mold is a specific type of fungus that grows in damp, warm rooms.
You can remove mold from white clothes and towels using bleach.
First of all, to prevent the appearance of moisture, you must follow these rules :
- Do not put wet things in the closet, let them dry thoroughly
- In the warm season, when you are not using it, you should air outerwear once every 2 months.
- The cabinet should not be too close to the wall, so that mold does not form on the walls, which will spread to the inside of the cabinet and thereby onto things. Place cabinets so that there is a distance of at least 3-5 cm
- There must be hoods in the bathroom and kitchen to prevent moisture from accumulating in the room.
If you did not follow the above rules and find mold on white clothes or other light-colored items, you should take certain measures. If you find traces of fungus on white cotton, linen or wool fabrics , use these recommendations:
- Pour water into a basin and add a tablespoon of washing powder there.
- Rub the areas affected by mold with laundry soap and place the items in a basin of water for 20 minutes.
- After the specified time, wash the items in the washing machine by adding a mixture of 500 ml of water and 1 tbsp to the container for liquid detergents . l hydrogen peroxide - this will serve as a kind of bleach
Both folk remedies and household chemicals will help in removing mold from clothes.
Mold stains on towels are a very common occurrence. Especially if these towels are in use. And neat piles folded in a closet can be affected by this fungus if a damp towel accidentally gets there.
Mold stains from a towel can be removed by mixing 2 tablespoons of salt and 5-7 ml of ammonia in 1 liter of water. This solution should be boiled for half an hour and then applied to the stains. After 5-10 minutes, wash the towel and dry it in the fresh air.
You should not throw away things on which you find mold. Even light-colored clothes can be saved if you use the above recommendations.
How to remove mold from colored, denim clothes, fabric, towels?
Mold on colored clothing is a little more difficult to remove, as the color on certain fabrics may change upon contact with cleaning agents. In order not to completely ruin the item, make sure that the means you intend to use to clean the clothes from mold will not affect the brightness of the color.
The simplest and most effective method for removing fungus from colored clothing is a mixture of ammonia and water. To do this, you will need to mix the two components in a 1:1 ratio and moisten the problem areas with the resulting solution.
Removing mold from colored clothes and towels without losing color is quite difficult.
After this, set the temperature in the washing machine to 30-40 C and wash the item for 15-20 minutes.
A good option for removing mold stains from colored wool or silk items is turpentine . Rub the affected areas with this product and sprinkle talcum powder or baby powder on top, cover with gauze and iron. After this procedure, wash the treated items in a washing machine and dry in fresh air.
Removing mold from denim is very difficult. This is due to the structure of the material. What you can console yourself with in this case is that such things are practically not overcome by . Mainly due to the fact that denim is such a common material that denim items can definitely be worn several times a week.
Mold on jeans is easier to prevent than to eliminate.
If you only occasionally wear denim, then try to check them for signs of mold, because it is almost impossible to remove it at home.
To remove mold from colored towels, use a 9% vinegar solution. To do this, just soak the towel in the solution for 10 minutes . After this, it must be washed with washing powder and detergents, which will give the towels a pleasant softness and eliminate the vinegar smell. After washing, be sure to dry the towel in fresh air.
Universal folk methods
The problem of mold did not appear recently, so there are traditional methods of combating the fungus. They may not remove stains in all cases, but they do not damage clothing.
A gruel made from ordinary onions has proven itself well in the fight against fungus, which is applied to the stain and washed off from clothes after twenty minutes. To get rid of the onion smell, the item should be dried in the sun.
Another method of saving clothes is to use yogurt. The item is soaked in it for half a day and then washed using the usual method.
Lemon juice is effective against mold by moistening a cloth and then sprinkling it with salt. The treated item is completely dried and washed using regular powder. It is possible to use acetic acid instead of lemon juice, but it is more aggressive and can damage the fabric.
You can even use tomato juice to remove fresh stains. They rub it on the damaged areas and after a while wash the laundry with plenty of water, then the item is washed using the usual method.
Chemicals for removing mold from clothes
You can wash off mold that appears on clothes not only with the help of home remedies that you always have on hand, but also with the use of household chemicals. The main substances for removing mold are:
- Domestos - it can be used as a mold remover and bleach. In order to remove the insidious fungus, dilute 10 ml of the substance in 500 ml of water and rub the mixture onto the stains. After this, wash things in warm soapy water and send them to dry.
- Whitening is another means of removing mold. Dilute a tablespoon of the product in 500 ml of water and put on fire. When the mixture boils, place things in it. Within 10 minutes, traces of mold will disappear and the water will become cloudy. This method can be used when mold has been on clothing for a long time.
Domestos is a good remedy for mold.
When using household chemicals, be careful and do not leave things in the solution for a long time. Since colored things can lose a fair amount of color. It is also advisable not to try the product on the entire item at once.
Find a less visible part and try to remove the mold from it. If the color of the fabric and the appearance of the clothing have not changed, you can safely use household chemicals on all problem areas.
Consequences of the appearance
Mold not only ruins clothes, but can also be harmful to your health. So, when it comes into contact with the skin, it causes an allergic reaction: itching, rashes, and constant sneezing.
When left on linen for a long time, mold penetrates deeper into the structure and it becomes more and more difficult to remove it from the fabric. In severely neglected cases, it is easier to throw away the item than to restore it.
Very interesting video about mold:
Once mold appears in an apartment, it begins to spread its spores and this can lead to infection of other things with harmful fungus.
Is it possible to remove mold from clothes by dry cleaning?
Housewives who have lost hope and see mold on their favorite things may decide to turn to dry cleaning . But will this give any result? Yes and no.
Dry cleaning can get rid of the musty smell of mold, but it doesn’t always help with stain removal. Therefore, such organizations often refuse to take on the task of removing mold stains.
Dry cleaners, as a rule, do not undertake to clean mold from items.
Conflict situations that occurred after items were deformed due to intensive washing in dry cleaning played a decisive role in this matter - most dry cleaners refuse to accept such orders.
eliminate the peculiar odor from mold by dry cleaning. But for this it is better to use surface cleaning, in which the clothes are not immersed in water and, accordingly, the possibility of deformation is eliminated.
Dry cleaning will help eliminate the unpleasant smell of mold from clothes.
To save money, you can buy household chemicals for dry cleaning in the store, dilute the solution in water in a ratio of 1:20 and spray the items vigorously using a spray bottle. After this, hang the clothes outside and leave them to dry. If the smell does not go away, repeat the procedure.
Useful tips
Some tips will help you remove mold from fabrics without problems. For example:
- Sort things by fabric quality and type of material. You should not process items made from natural and synthetic fabrics at the same time.
- It is better to test the effect of the product on a small area. A strong composition can ruin the appearance of fabric products.
- The concentration of the product should not be high, but the effect of the substance still needs to be controlled.
- The main thing is to accurately observe the proportions of the components that make up the recipe.
- After treating problem areas, they must be washed, rinsed and ironed, observing the temperature regime.
- Bed linen must be boiled with bleach. This is the only way to completely get rid of fungal spores.
- Fabric softener, as well as another product such as Vanish, will help get rid of the unpleasant odor of mold control products.
- If clothes are affected by fungal spores and give off an unpleasant odor, then it is not advisable to wear such things. The fungus is dangerous because it spreads spores in space, which can then easily enter the lungs. If the defeat is large-scale, then such things should be thrown away immediately, without any regret. It is better to avoid such situations.
How to get rid of the smell of mold on things?
You can clean mold from clothes, but it often happens that the corrosive smell remains on already clean items. In such cases, you can use one of the proposed methods:
Processing items in the washing machine:
- You will need certain household chemicals - to prevent the smell of mold from being felt on things, you can use vinegar or baking soda
- Select the normal wash cycle and place items in the washing machine - to eliminate mold odors, it is best to wash in hot water
- For liquid powder, use your chosen household chemical product or mix baking soda or vinegar with water and pour into the liquid powder compartment. If the smell is very strong, you can mix these two products
- Drying in the fresh air - it is advisable for things to dry under the sun and in the wind. In this case, the smell of mold will go away forever.
Washing in a washing machine with a special product will eliminate the smell of mold.
Processing items without washing - for coats or other warm items that can become deformed when washed at home, dry cleaning is used:
- Dry cleaning product - in the supermarket, in the household chemicals department, you need to purchase a product that is used in dry cleaning
- Fill the sprayer with liquid at the rate of 1 measuring cap per 2 liters of water and spray well onto the clothes, the item should be damp but not wet and hang to dry in the sun
- Dry cleaning soda – Sprinkle the substance onto the item with the smell and leave until the next morning. The next day, shake the powder off your clothes and carefully remove the residue with a brush. Leave to dry in the sun
- Vodka to the rescue - regular vodka is an excellent substitute for an expensive product. Spray the item with vodka and leave it to dry in the sun.
- Dry Cleaning – If all the above dry cleaning tips don’t help, go to a dry cleaner. They are unlikely to agree to help with mold, but they will help eliminate the smell. But naturally, the cost of such a service will be much higher than using products at home.
Dry cleaning methods can remove mold from clothing.
Enhanced measures to remove strong odors:
- Boiling – this option is most suitable for towels. Boil water in one basin, place an unpleasant-smelling item in another, pour boiling water over it and leave for 5 minutes. After this, wash it in the washing machine.
- Bleaching – This method is effective for sheets, towels and other items that do not have a “Do not use bleach” label on them. Mix 100 ml of bleach with 5 liters of water and pour into a basin. Place the item with the smell of mold there and wait 7-10 minutes. After this, wash as usual and hang in fresh air.
- Using ammonia - Pour one capful of ammonia into the washing machine and start the wash cycle. After this, wash again, but with powder. Ammonia is very harmful to the lungs due to its toxic odor. Therefore, do not stay indoors while washing. The room where the washing machine is located should be well ventilated
Items affected by mold do not have to be thrown away - they can be saved.
The smell of mold on things is very unpleasant and can be felt by people around you. Therefore, if you find such a problem with your clothes, do not put off resolving this issue for too long. You shouldn’t immediately throw away a foul-smelling item , just use the indicated methods and all unnecessary odors will definitely disappear from your items.
What to do to prevent the fungus from appearing again
Certain preventive rules should be followed:
- for the necessary air circulation, the cabinet should be moved 2-5 cm away from the wall;
- using hygrometers to monitor the level of humidity in the room or closet;
- after washing, dry the items in the open air, use an iron or steam generator, wait for them to cool for 10-15 minutes;
- After general cleaning, ventilate the wardrobe several times;
- hoods must not be broken;
- disinfection when washing is carried out with powder and soda, using a double rinse mode;
- always dry things on the balcony, put them dry in the closet;
- do not store clean clothes with dirty ones together;
- To protect against fungus, use moisture-absorbing bags;
- Do not store wet items in the laundry basket;
- Dry wet shoes thoroughly after seasonal use and put newspaper inside.
To remove mold, you need to test the product on an inconspicuous area. When dry cleaning, use vodka and soda. To clean delicate fabrics, use turpentine and ammonia. Dry clothes outdoors in direct sunlight.
The article has been verified by the editors
How to remove mold from a bathroom curtain?
Almost all bathrooms use curtains and curtains. A negative aspect of this decor is mold, which appears due to remaining moisture in the room. Initially, this is unsightly from a visual point of view and is also dangerous to health.
Once mold has settled on the curtains, it is very difficult to wash it off with just a brush or shower . Therefore, washing would be the best option. A preventative measure for the appearance of fungus on curtains is ventilation. After taking a bath, turn on the hood or simply open the door so that excess moisture does not remain in the room.
Regular washing of curtains and ventilation of the room will prevent the occurrence of mold.
In order to get rid of annoying fungus, use three recommendations:
- Remove the curtains from the hook and brush away easily accessible mildew spots
- Pour warm water into a basin and add 100 g of powder, vinegar and soda each, place the removed curtain in this mixture for 5 minutes
- Remove the curtain from the basin and rinse in cold water
- You can dry the curtain in the dryer for about 15 minutes or with a hairdryer. Point the hair dryer no closer than 5 cm to the curtain
The curtain in the bathroom will definitely become a victim of mold if there is excess moisture in the room
Domestos is also a salvation from mold . If you dilute in 5 liters of water and rub the stains well with a brush, then not a trace of mold will remain.
To prevent mold from growing in the bathroom, try not to leave moisture near the bathroom and on the walls of the room. Wash your curtains at least once a month, even if you do not see mold on the curtains. , other fungi can form on damp curtains Systematic cleaning of the bathroom will not only keep the room tidy and beautiful, but will also protect your health.
How to remove mold from a stroller?
Many mothers, having put the stroller in the garage or mezzanine for the winter, discover mold on its walls . Now we will tell you how to cope with such a scourge. First of all, under no circumstances leave everything as it is. Mold on a stroller is not only unsightly, but also dangerous to the child’s health.
Be sure to wash your baby stroller, because mold on it is dangerous for your baby’s health.
There are several ways to remove mold from a baby stroller :
- Laundry soap or Antipyatin - mix any of these products with soap and soda and scrub the stroller. After this, treat with vinegar and rinse with water. Place the stroller in the sun and let it dry thoroughly
Antipyatin will help eliminate mold
- Powder with soda - pour the powder into one container and you can add a little fabric softener. Pour a little baking soda onto a sponge and scrub the stroller vigorously. After this, wash the stroller with powder and conditioner and finally clean everything with water. Leave the stroller in the sun until completely dry
- Domestos - many mothers, having discovered mold on a baby stroller, use Domestos. Place a couple of drops of the product on the surface of the stroller that is affected by the fungus and leave for 20 minutes. After this, rinse everything off with warm water and leave to dry.
You can also wash the stroller with Domestos solution
- Dry cleaning – if you cannot cope with the corrosive fungus yourself, an alternative option would be to use dry cleaning services. This will cost you more than using soda or laundry soap, but the result will most likely please you.
Don't despair if mold appears on your clothes, towels or in the bathroom. It will be unpleasant to see traces of fungus on a baby stroller, but thanks to the recommendations that you read in this article, it is highly likely that you will be able to cope with the unpleasant manifestations of fungus on things.
