How to remove mold from fabric at home

It is almost impossible to remove stubborn mold from the fabric. You may remove the fungus itself, its spores, but it is very difficult to remove stains from it. Under favorable conditions, it affects the fibers, changes their color, corrodes in just a few days. Therefore, a thing can be saved only in the initial stages of mold damage, when it is still on the surface of the fabric and has not had time to damage it. Specialized household chemicals are suitable for this, but if they are not at hand, and you need to remove the mold from the fabric, as they say, “here and now”, you can try to use what is in the stocks of the hostess. Expertology has prepared a list of proven tools and methods for you to solve this problem.

Improvised means for combating mold on fabric

Before using any of the folk remedies, you need to test it on a small area of ​​the fabric, in the most inconspicuous place. This is necessary in order to make sure that the product cannot damage the fibers or adversely affect the paint that was used in the manufacture of the product. Also, all manipulations are recommended to be carried out with rubber gloves. If the product has a sharp, unpleasant odor, you can wear a respirator during processing.

What home remedies can be used to remove mold from fabric:

1. 
   Vinegar at a concentration of 9%, you can take acetic acid with a higher mass fraction. We prepare a solution of 1 liter of warm water and 200 ml. vinegar, soak the fabric for an hour, wash in the usual way. If you are washing in a machine, you can add vinegar to your liquid detergent as well.

2. 
   Soda. Make a slurry out of soda, diluting it with water, rub it into the mold stain, leave for half an hour, wash the thing.

3. 
   Laundry soap. Rub a small amount of soap on a fine grater, dilute the chips with warm water to the consistency of thick sour cream. Lather the wet item with a bar of soap, then lightly rub the soap paste into the mold stain with a soft toothbrush or sponge. Leave on for 30-60 minutes, then wash the fabric.

4. 
   Ammonia. Mix the product with water in a ratio of 1 to 1, soak a fabric affected by mold with the mixture, leave for half an hour and try to remove the dirt manually or in a typewriter.

5. 
   Lemon or tomato juice and kitchen salt. First, freshly squeezed lemon or tomato juice is applied to the contamination (purchased juice cannot be used). Apply enough product so that the fabric is well saturated, including in areas close to the stain. Sprinkle the treatment area with salt, wait for the fabric to dry, wash the thing.

6. 
   White chalk. Crush a piece of chalk, grind to a powder state, apply to the area of ​​​​contamination. Cover the stain with paper or a clean white cotton cloth, iron, remove any remaining powder.

7. 
   Any dairy product (sour cream, kefir, sour milk) without impurities and additives and with a low percentage of fat content. Grind (beat with a blender) to a liquid state without lumps, apply to the stain for several hours. Wash normally. Keep in mind that in the case of using fermented milk products, greasy spots may remain on the fabric, which then also have to be removed.

If the listed remedies are ineffective, you have a choice — take the fabric to dry cleaning or try to use «heavy artillery» — specialized household chemicals to remove stains.

Stain removers can help remove mold

Before using any drug, even at the time of selection and purchase, read the instructions on the package, find out if it can be used on the type of fabric on which mold has occurred. If this is not done, you can hopelessly spoil the product. For example, products that contain chlorine or other aggressive substances with bleaching properties cannot be used on colored, synthetic items.

What can be used to remove mold:

1. 
   Domestos. This tool is suitable not only for the care of plumbing. If you dilute about 20 ml. drug in 500-700 ml. water and rub the stain with the mixture, leave for 20 minutes, and then wash in warm water, you can achieve the desired result.

2. 
   White. It perfectly removes mold from white cotton or linen fabrics, simultaneously disinfecting and bleaching them. In order to increase the effectiveness of the product, you need to dilute 2 tablespoons of Whiteness in a liter of water, then boil the mixture, immerse the entire contaminated item in it. You can leave it to cool completely and then wash it.

3. 
   Vanish. This tool works great on the most stubborn stains. If the mold has not yet changed the structure of the fabric, there are many chances that it will be possible to get rid of the problem without much difficulty. To eliminate contamination, you can soak and / or wash the product in accordance with the instructions.

The most effective means of the listed (and the most expensive) can be considered Vanish. If he did not help to wash off the mold, it remains only to take the product to dry cleaning or come to terms with the fact that the thing is hopelessly damaged.

Ways to remove mold depending on the type of fabric

Consider what can be done to eliminate the fungal infection on different types of tissues:

1. 
   Delicate like silk and wool. In this case, it is necessary to use the most gentle agents with a mild effect so as not to damage the material. It can be chalk, salt gruel, hydrogen peroxide, turpentine. Keep in mind that peroxide must be dissolved in water (5 tablespoons per 500 ml), and turpentine will definitely leave greasy traces, which then also need to be removed, which is not always easy.

2. 
   Whites are not synthetic. Here you can apply boiling with the addition of washing powder, laundry soap (selectively or in combination), hydrogen peroxide to the water.

3. 
   Synthetic. Ammonia will help clean such fabrics from mold. A few drops of the product should be added to 100 ml. lukewarm water, then apply the solution to the areas affected by mold, rub with a washcloth, let it “brew” for half an hour, wash in a typewriter or by hand using water at the maximum allowable temperature.

4. 
   stroller fabric. Often a problem with mold occurs when the baby stroller is not properly stored, when it does not dry out after a walk and is in a room with high humidity. The places affected by the fungus can be wiped with pure vinegar, Whiteness or a solution (100 ml per 1 liter of water) of ammonia. After waiting a few hours, treat problem areas with a stiff non-metal brush, dry the fabric thoroughly.

Do not use the products listed unless you are sure which tissue is affected. If we are talking about clothes or textile products (tablecloths, towels), then it should have a label indicating the composition. If this is a piece of fabric or there is no tag on the product, it is better to turn to professionals.

Prevention of mold on fabrics

In order not to face the problem of washing mold from fabrics, you need to store things in dry and, if possible, cool rooms. Very often, clothes are affected by a fungus if they are in the dirty laundry basket in the bathroom for a long time. It is dark most of the time, and humid and warm. Therefore, it is better to move the basket to a bedroom or other room with a better microclimate and not delay washing. It is also not recommended to store clean clothes in the same closet with dirty ones, since on clothes that are just about to be washed, the risk of mold is higher, and it can “infect” other textiles.

If clothes become moldy in wardrobes, on hangers in the corridor, this is a very bad sign, indicating that such conditions are not suitable not only for storing things, but also for people to live. From clothes, the fungus can move to furniture, walls. Therefore, the problem with humidity in the room must be solved quickly and thoroughly, but you can start by installing a heater that will dry the air and frequent ventilation of the room. And the cabinets themselves need to be moved away from the walls to ensure air circulation. Place special pacts with absorbent substances between the fabrics that absorb moisture. And do not put clothes in the closet immediately after ironing, as they will still remain damp for 10-15 minutes, let them dry completely in the open air. Then things will no longer be covered with mold, it will be much easier to wash them.