It turns out that in addition to moths, there is another insidious enemy of our clothes that can be found in a wardrobe – mold. It spreads equally to synthetics and natural fabrics, so the challenge of removing mold from clothes can present itself at any time.
Mold is a microscopic fungus that you just have to fight. In a humid and warm environment, it multiplies perfectly, eats into the tissue and destroys its fibers. If you notice even the slightest suspicious stain on your clothes, or you smell a specific smell, try to remove the source of mold contamination immediately.
Carefully inspect all things in the closet. Do not rush to throw away the clothes affected be the fungus, try to revive them first.
Choosing Effective Methods
Unfortunately, there is no universal method for removing mold from clothes. Each type of fabric requires an individual approach. So we’ll start with that.
To remove mold from white natural material (cotton, linen, wool) perform two steps:
- Make a concentrated soap solution, rub the stains with some additional laundry soap. Immerse the entire piece in soapy water for half an hour. Wash dirty areas again and rinse.
- Add hydrogen peroxide (1 tbsp.) to water (0.5 L). Immerse the washed item in that, then rinse. Failed to get the mold out? You can remove stains with ammonia, diluting a teaspoon of it in 200 ml of water.
Sometimes the affected area of clothing can be cleaned with baking soda paste. Rub it into the right places and scrub well, then rinse.
Use cleaning products. For example, some enterprising housewives managed to remove nasty stains with Domestos. It turns out that the manufacturers themselves recommend it as a bleach for clothing. Just remember, this concentrated product must be diluted so as not to ruin the material.
In difficult cases, unless the fibers begin to rot, boiling with bleach is unavoidable. Add a tablespoon of bleach (White, Perox or Domestos) to 0.5 L of water. Dip the item into the boiling solution and watch the reaction. As soon as the spots come off, pull the items out of the water. This should take 10-15 minutes.
How to remove mold from clothes sewn from colored cotton fabric? Try to remove stains with ordinary chalk. Sprinkle the affected place with crushed chalk, cover with toilet paper, and a napkin, and iron with a warm iron.
Saltwater with the addition of ammonia will help to remove stains from linen fabric. Dissolve 1 tbsp. of salt and a teaspoon of ammonia in 0.5L of fairly hot water. Moisten the affected area. In half an hour, it should be easy to wash away the remains of mold with laundry soap. Hang the piece to dry in the wind so that the smell of ammonia and mold disappears faster.
Dissolve ascorbic acid in alcohol and treat the affected area of clothing. Wait for it to dry and then wash.
Turpentine helps to remove mold from silk. First, treat the spot with turpentine, then sprinkle with talcum powder and iron it through a paper towel.
Old dirt and nasty odor can be removed with the help of Vanish for colored clothes, which is a stain remover containing oxygen.
Treat the affected areas on synthetic materials with ammonia diluted in water (1:1). Just test the fabric in an obscured area first, then get down to business.
Using folk methods
Try to remove the stain with onion juice. Apply onion paste to the material, rinse with water after 20 minutes, wash. By the way, the smell of onions quickly disappears in the sun.
And how about some yogurt? Some folk experts say that the nasty fungus doesn’t do well in an acidic environment. Therefore, you can soak the affected area in yogurt. Wait for 12 hours and rinse, then wash in your usual way.
Lemon juice copes well with fungus. Wet the fabric with it, sprinkle with salt after a few minutes. After it dries, try to wipe off any dirt from clothing with regular detergent. Acetic acid is suitable instead of juice, just be extremely careful with it!
Preventative measures
In order for these particular stains and the smell of dampness to not affect your things, follow these simple rules:
- Mold, like any fungus, likes moisture and heat. Before putting things into a chest of drawers or closet, make sure they are completely dry. By the way, the clothes can be quite wet even after ironing . Do not send them directly to the shelf, but wait a bit for the fabric to cool.
- Layer clean laundry with moisture-absorbing bags.
- Do not be lazy to air out wardrobes, linen dressers and their contents from time to time.
- Do not store clean and dirty clothes together.
- Make sure that the air in the apartment is not too humid.
- Do not place the wardrobe too tightly against the exterior wall. Be sure to leave space for air movement.
Do not give up, try different ways to combat the insidious fungus! You will succeed!