What To Do When Mold Grows On Clothing

Mold loves warm and humid places. The higher the humidity, the more it grows. Mold can grow almost anywhere provided that it meets the following criteria:

1. Humidity
2. Moisture
3. Food

Mold is commonly found in places like bathroom, dry walls, roof, floors, basement, personal items, and even on clothing. When mold grows on clothing, there are few ways to handle it. The faster and earlier you start mold removal on clothing, the better the results will be. Mold gets harder to remove as it spreads and when mold stays longer on fabric, it gets stinkier with the moldy and musty smell.

These are the various ways to get rid of the mold growing on clothing and at the same time to remove its moldy and stinky smell:

1. Conventional cleaning
i. Scrub off the loose mold from surface
Remove all the contaminated clothing including those that have been exposed to mold from your closet. Carry them outside your house and scrub off the visible loose mold from its surface. Doing this will release mold spores into the air, so always put on protective gears when handling mold contamination.

ii. Sun dry
After removing all the visible loose mold, leave the clothing under the sun. The heat from the sun will be able to destroy whatever mold residual left on the clothing.

iii. Soak and wash
Presoak the clothing in cold water for about an hour at least, and then wash with detergent and hot water. Let the clothing to dry thoroughly under the sun.

iv. Use bleach
For stubborn mold stains, clean with diluted chlorine bleach. Use the ratio of 2 tbsp. bleach to 1 qt. water. Another alternative is to use a solution that made up of lemon juice and salt. It works the same way as bleach except it's much eco-safe and gentle on colored fabrics. Leave for about 10 minutes and then rinse thoroughly. Allow the clothing to completely dry under the sun.

v. Fungicide spray
You may use fungicide spray to get rid of moldy smell from the clothing.

2. Use of vinegar
Vinegar is very practical as a cleaning agent that removes stains and smell from clothing. Use the ratio of 3/4 cup white vinegar to one load of wash. For stubborn moldy smell and stains, you may repeat the same process until all mold residues are vanished.

3. Use of chemical
There are various products in the market that used to handle mold cleaning and mildew contamination. When you opt to use chemical product for mold removal, always read the instruction label for proper guidelines. These chemicals will become hazardous if not handled appropriately. There is this spray form of chemical that used for fogging the affected items. It is known by the name of "mildicide". Fogging can be done for the entire closet if you find that almost every item is infested by mold. Close the door and leave for about 10 minutes to allow the chemical to take action. After that, wipe dry the area or blow dry with a fan to remove all the chemical residuals. As for the clothing, wash with detergent and hot water to get rid of the remaining chemicals and make sure to dry thoroughly under the sun.