How to remove odors from clothing in 3 easy steps. | Volunteer Mold and Indoor Air Quality
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3 Steps to Remove Mold & Odors from Clothing

Have you ever left a wet swimming suit in a plastic bag for a few days? Have you left a few sweaty items in a gym bag for a bit too long? Yech!

Chances are you’ve wondered what to do about the musty odor and growths on your clothing.Woman holding a dirty sock over a bag of dirty smelly laundry.

First Things First – A bit of Information:

What To Do?

Granny knew best.

When I was a youngster I remember my Grandmother using vinegar to clean everything from floors to counter tops to clothing. Her house always smelled fresh with a hint of vinegar.

Turns out that “Distilled White Vinegar” is a powerful oxidizer and is extremely effective at killing mold and removing stains associated with its growth.

Safety First:

No sense getting sick, when you tackle a mold problem, Before you start shaking or agitating the moldy items:

Wear a respirator, rubber gloves and eye protection to protect yourself from the spores.

Follow These Easy Steps:

  1. Add ¾ cup of vinegar to the washing machine load.
  2. Examine the articles of clothing after each cycle and repeat until the visible growths and odor is gone.
  3. Launder normally with detergent to thoroughly clean the clothing.

Mold in the Closet / Laundry Basket / Gym Bag?

Normally whatever the moldy clothing was in will also have some mold on it.

  1. Carefully examine the area where the moldy garment was stored and the other items that might have been around it.
  2. For cleaning walls, baseboards and other hard surfaces put a 3 to 1 distilled white vinegar in a spray bottle or bucket and carefully clean and re-clean until the mold is gone.

Hang It Out:

Sunlight is a powerful oxidizer and is often very effective in killing mold and removing some staining from fabrics and different materials. However, understand that to much of a good thing, like sunshine, can cause fabric colors to fade or “bleach out”. Exercise moderation here.

Chlorine is a No – No:

Over the years many folks have told me that they use bleach for cleaning. Bleach is very dangerous to people and often is the death-blow to fabric.

Chlorine gas is highly toxic and is generally ineffective at killing or removing mold permanently from fabrics and porous surfaces. We recommend you avoid it all together for safety.

Got a Better Idea?

If you have a solution for removing mold and musty odors please share it by commenting on this Blog Article today. We would love to hear from you.

Got a Mold Question?

Give us a call for answers and solutions to dealing with any mold or indoor air quality issue’s.

Volunteer Mold and Indoor Air Quality provides a host of environmental inspection, testing and removal solutions to make you home and work place healthy.

Call us today.Photo of Bob Byrne wearing a full face respirator

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