Blog

Mold infestation is widespread in humid climates, especially in cotton and other organic fiber clothes. A common way to remove mold is to get your clothes dry and cleaned. Knowing how to remove mold from clothes with baking soda allows you to save your beloved shirts and dresses without having to spend a lot of money. You would need to mix baking soda with water to create a paste to scrub with or add it to your wash cycle. Learning this allows you to quickly clean out disgusting mold stains from your clothes using materials you already have at home.

Wearing clothes infected with molds or frequently coming in contact with mold-infected items can cause allergic reactions, asthma, respiratory complications, and allergic fungal sinusitis. And even though extreme responses are uncommon, they can occur based on the type of mold, length of exposure, and past medical history.

Baking soda?

The things you need to get rid of these molds

• Baking Soda
• Spray bottle
• Old Toothbrush
• A microfiber cloth (Optional)

How do remove the mold from the clothes?

Pre-treatment

• You should wear gloves to protect your skin from any infection.
• Use an old toothbrush to scrub off the mold from your clothes.
• Try to remove as much dry mold this way as possible.
• Immediately discard the toothbrush after scrubbing. Also, make sure that the toothbrush is not thrown somewhere where the fungi can grow back.

Washing off the mold

• Fill the spray bottle with water and 1/4th cup of baking soda.
• Shake well until the baking soda dissolves in the water completely.
• Then heavily spray the mixture on all the infected clothes.
• Let them sit and soak for a minimum of 30 minutes.
• Load the washing machine with the clothes and set the water temperature to hot.

Drying the clothes

• After you have washed the infected clothes, avoid tumble drying them.
• If possible, hang the clothes in direct sunlight. The UV rays of the sun will effectively kill any mold that might still be left.
• In case the day is not sunny, air dry the clothes in a well-ventilated room.
• You can also switch on the fan to ease the airflow in the room and decrease the humidity.

How to prevent mold?

• Ensure your clothes are thoroughly dried before folding and storing them in your dresser.
• Whenever possible, dry your clothes in sunlight. UV rays kill various kinds of bacteria.
• Do not leave your clothes in the washer or dryer for too long as it can build up mold.
• Leave the washer door open after every cycle to prevent mold buildup inside it.

When you see that your clothes have mold, you have to act fast. First, take all the clothes with mold and place them under the sun to remove the moisture and kill the fungi. Once the clothes are dry, you can use baking soda to kill the remaining mold and remove the stains. You can also use vinegar and bleach. However, it would be best not to mix the two because they can create toxic fumes.

After treating the mold patches with baking soda, you need to wash and dry your clothes twice. Wash your clothes with hot water or use the sanitize setting on your washer. Hot water will help remove all remaining spores. However, to prevent the recurrence and reemergence of mold, you will need to clean up your closet. You should find the source of the moisture and fix it as soon as possible.

If there are no leaks but the air is moist, you might find dehumidifiers useful. Once the leaks and sources of moisture are repaired, you can then clean and sanitize the area using a paste made of baking soda and water or a vinegar spray.

Mold can stick to any surface as long as there is water and fiber-rich organic material. As such, you can find them on soil, wooden frames, walls, doors, and even food. Under the right conditions, they can spread to clothes and even shoes. Mold will slowly eat away at the fabric they are attached to, which leaves them stained, full of holes, and overall unusable.

However, the damage to your clothing is not the worst part. Mold growing in your clothes can cause severe health issues to you and your family. However, people with compromised immune systems and respiratory ailments can experience more severe symptoms such as infections. Because of mold’s harmful effects on health, it would be best to quickly identify and get rid of mold and mildew.

That musty smell that comes out of your clothing could be a sign that mold is about habiting in it. It should be prevented and treated as soon as possible. The musty smell should be eliminated immediately.

(1) White vinegar

White vinegar is one of the most effective household ingredients used for stain and odor removal. It can also help clean detergent and hard water build-up on fabrics. Be sure to use the right type and amount of detergent when you wash your clothes and towels. Any residue will trap moisture, making your clothes and towels smell like mildew.

(2) Baking soda

Another classic odor remover is baking soda. This can be sprinkled directly into a washing machine filled with clothes and towels. Use ¼ or ½ cup of baking soda per load and then rinse using white vinegar.

(3) Borax
Experts recommend pre-treating heavily soiled, musty towels and clothing with borax. To do this, soak the garments in a tub of hot water and ½ cup of borax for one hour before washing them as normal.

(4) Enzyme odor removers
Since sweat and body odor are also responsible for musty-smelling clothes and towels, you can try using enzyme cleaners. Most local farm store products have heavy, perfume-like scents. If this troubles you, BioKleen is a good alternative because it is odor-free.

(5) Laundry enhancers
Laundry enhancers give good results, their results are amazing. Your garments will smell clean with no perfume added. You may have to do at least 2 washes to remove the odor completely.

(6) Direct sunlight exposure
If the weather will allow you to do so, always dry your clothes and towels under direct sunlight. Sunrays will kill microbes causing mold smell, and a breeze will help improve airflow to all the nooks and crannies of your clothing.