Cleaning Mold Off Your Clothes – Removing the Odor and the Stain

On almost any surface or item, molds can be seen growing. Though organic matters are their main food sources, they can still infest concrete surfaces such as walls and tiled ceiling. However, between organic and not, mold cleaning for the former needs to be more intense than the latter.

Examples of indoor organic pieces that mold infestation can greatly damage are clothes, books and wooden items. Floors, walls and ceilings made of organic materials can also be subjects of mold damages. Among all of them, clothes are the ones that require the most immediate attention because they are needed in everyday functions.

The process of getting rid of molds from clothes involves two tasks. These tasks are stain cleaning and odor removal. To fulfill these two is to completely remove mold from clothes. Without the other task, your clothing will simply not be totally free from fungi damages.

Though both mold stain and odor removal from clothes are supplementary tasks to each other, they both have distinct processes. From their names alone, you can already get a hint of how they are truly different. These differences will make you remove mold from clothes effectively and with consideration to two aspects, the appearance and the smell of your clothing.

Though both stain and smell can damage your clothing at the same time, there are some cases when only one of the two may occur. In such situations, the distinction of the process helps in solving the one problem that is present.

The following are the tasks needed in cleaning molds from your clothing with their respective steps.

Stain Removal

• Step 1 – Get set to implement a mold cleaning process. This includes planning your action and gathering what you will be needing.

• Step2 – Bring the damage item outside and scrub the molds off. This will prevent the spores from spreading indoor.

• Step3 – Dry the garment out in the sun. The heat will kill the molds.

• Step4 - Move your other clothes out from the suspected mold source. It could be your dresser or washer. If it is indeed the source, get rid of molds from it to prevent any more additional damages.

• Step 5 – Wash the item. On this actual mold removal of stain, there are many sub steps that must be implemented:(1) pre-soak the damaged garment in cold water then wash it in warm water, (2) check the item if another washing is needed, (3)if the stain is too stubborn, try applying a small amount of bleach for whites and a mixture of lemon juice and salt for the colored ones.

• Step 6 – Completely dry the garment. You may first put it in your dryer then hang it under the sun so the sunlight can kill any remaining spores.

Odor Removal

• Step 1 – Determine if the fabric of the garment is too delicate for a normal process.

• Step 2 – If the clothing isn't that too delicate, hang it in the sunlight. If otherwise, consider asking help from professionals.

• Step 3 – Wash the musty odored clothing. You may use during the process products that were made specifically to get rid of musty smell.

• Step 4 – Dry the item outside. The sunlight will give your clothing a fresh smell.