Have your favorite clothes become infested with molds? Mold is a fungus that can grow on any surface due to the wide spreading of its spores. All it needs is moisture and enough ventilation to grow on and destroy your clothes.
If you have also found these mold patches growing on your clothes, you must be panicking. But the good news is that the boat hasn’t sailed away yet and you can still save your clothes if you act swiftly! What can you do to remove the mold from your clothes?
Ever heard of hydrogen peroxide? This miraculous compound has amazing disinfecting properties and it can destroy the mold and prevent it from spreading altogether.
The mold expands and spreads when given even the slightest opportunity and you need a powerful agent such as hydrogen peroxide to stop it because it forms OH radicals and destroys the composition of this annoying little fungus.
Before we get into using hydrogen peroxide to remove mold from clothes, let us learn why is it important to do so!
Why Remove Mold From Clothes?
Besides giving your clothes a hideous look, mold emits an unpleasant odor as well as poses some serious health risks it should be immediately removed from your clothes and its spread, prevented.
Molds grow on every surface and their spores are spread wide, and that just elucidates the fact these fungi are common and make your clothes their target quite often.
Destroys The Fabric Over Time
Mold has the potential to damage the fabric over time and it keeps spreading because it disperses spores and toxins that eventually lead to more mold growth. Mold damages the fibers by digesting the material of which they are made up such as cotton (made up of cellulose) and eventually degrade your clothes.
In addition to that, if allowed to persist too long, they can cause irreversible damage to the fabric over time and surely that is an unfavorable outcome. For its effective removal, you should act fast and get rid of the mold from your clothes as soon as possible.
Major Health Hazard
Spores produced by these molds pose a major health risk to you because a lot of them can be allergic and result in runny nose, sore throat, watery eyes as well as anaphylactic shock which is a life-threatening condition.
These spores are extremely dangerous for asthma patients because they can trigger it and cause health deterioration. In addition to that, some molds also produce mycotoxins and they can have poisoning long-term effects on health and lower immune activity.
These molds may be present on your clothes but they can quite easily find a way into your body through constant contact with your skin and air dispersion of their spores. It is highly important that you get rid of these molds from your clothes in order to save your health.
Ruins The Look of Your Clothes
This is a no-brainer. No one wants weird white and green patches on their clothes and that is exactly what these molds provide with an additional disadvantage of the awful smell that they produce.
The mold ruins the look of your clothes and prevents them from shining like they used to.
Mold is attracted to damp clothes because moisture is a favorable environment for their growth and allows them to reproduce and spread more easily. They degrade the fibers of your clothes and ruin their integrity and this in turn also ruins the look of the clothes.
It Can Spead to All Clothes In Your Closet
If one piece of your clothing is infested with mold and you make the mistake of putting that clothing in your closet, then all your other clothes are at risk for exposure to mold.
The mold reproduces through spores and toxins that have great growth potential and grow within the time period of 24-48 hours.
Mold destroys the fabric of your clothes and if one piece of clothing is infested then you should keep it separate from all other articles of clothing and focus on removing mold from it swiftly.
Top 5 Ways To Remove Mold From Clothes
Now that you know the threat these molds pose to you and your clothing, it is best to find out how you can get rid of the mold from your clothing. There are many great chemical agents out there that can help you in your plight and make your clothes look better again!
#1 Using Hydrogen Peroxide to Remove Mold From Clothes
Hydrogen peroxide is commonly used for cleaning purposes, but you will be astonished to know that this agent has the potential to remove and destroy the mold.
Its mechanism of action is to destroy the structural components such as proteins and DNA of these bacteria and fungi and render them incapable of functioning.
When hydrogen peroxide is poured on the clothes containing mold, it breaks them down by oxidizing them and decomposing their essential structures.
This chemical agent can single-handedly get rid of the molds as well as the smell that they produce. Because this agent has multifaceted usage, it is an effective agent to destroy mold and deodorize the clothes.
What You Need
- Hydrogen Peroxide
- Rug or a soft brush
- Water
How to Use
- Pour a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution on the mold and let it sit for 5-10 minutes until it stops bubbling
- Now you should start gently rubbing the hydrogen peroxide on the mold-infested area with a rag or a soft brush
- Progressively make the scrubbing harder in order to completely remove the molds from the clothes
- You should also scrub all the other areas of the cloth just in case the spores have not been entirely removed and to avoid the regrowth of mold on your clothes
- Now wash your clothes to remove hydrogen peroxide
- Let your clothes dry and you will find them to be as good as new
Stuff to Keep In Mind
- Hydrogen peroxide is a dangerous chemical and you should use gloves whenever applying this agent because it can be irritative to your skin and eyes
- It is highly likely that the mold initially grew on your clothes because you left them damp earlier, so please make sure that you dry your clothes well this time
- Hydrogen peroxide can bleach some clothing so before using this on the entire clothing, apply it only on a small area and if it doesn’t bleach which most probably it won’t, then you’re good to go
#2 Using Tea Tree Oil to Remove Mold From Clothes
You’ll be surprised to know that tea tree oil is a natural fungicide and it can remove the mold from your clothes quite easily.
Even though this might seem like an expensive option at first, this concentrated bottle can last very long and you only need to apply a small amount of it for mold removal.
Besides its antifungal properties, the tea tree is also antibacterial and works as a natural refresher that you can apply to your clothes.
Note that many brands are selling tea tree oil and you should buy the most authentic one. Do you want to learn more about how you can use this natural oil to get rid of the mold? Let’s get right into it!
What You Need
- Tea tree oil
- Spray Bottle
- A bucket filled with water
How to Use
- Add some tea tree oil and a cup of hot water to a spray bottle
- Now spray this mixture on the mold-infested area of your clothes
- Let this mixture stay for at least an hour and allow it to do its magic
- Now you should soak your clothes in a bucket of water and wash them thoroughly to remove any mold or spores left
- Dry your clothes well and place them in your closet
Stuff to Keep In Mind
- Tea tree oil is very concentrated and if you’re using an authentic one, then only pour around 1-2 teaspoons of this oil, it should be enough
- Let the tea tree oil sit for an hour because it needs to be absorbed properly to provide best results
- Dry your clothes well because if you leave them damp, you risk getting them infested with mold again
#3 Manually Washing With Detergent to Remove Mold From Clothes
Since the molds are resistant and don’t come off very easily, it is best to wash your clothes with your hands and properly remove them.
Hand washing with a detergent works ideally if you have only one or two pieces of clothing infested with the mold. It is also an effective method that is low-cost and requires less time.
A detergent works very well to remove the mold because it essentially dissolves the organic components of the molds and makes it easier for them to come off the clothes. Let’s see how you can manually wash your clothes with detergent in order to remove mold!
What You Need
- Detergent
- Commercial mold remover
- Bucket
How to Use
- The first step is to fill the bucket with water
- Add a generous amount of detergent to the bucket
- You can add a commercial mold remover in the mix if you have it, though it is not really an absolute requirement
- Now soak your clothes in the bucket
- Let them stay there for around 10-15 minutes
- Now start scrubbing the clothes in order to get the mold out of them
- Take your clothes out and dry them as best as possible
Stuff to Keep In Mind
- Be careful while scrubbing the clothes because harsh scrubbing can actually damage the fiber of the cloth
- Adding a commercial mold remover can be an effective way to remove the mold and restore your clothes to their original condition
- Allow the clothes to dry well and do not fold them while they are still damp
#4 Using Vinegar and Baking Soda to Remove Mold From Clothes
Vinegar and baking soda are the iconic, dynamic duo when it comes to cleaning. These agents have different qualities that complement each other when it comes to cleaning. Vinegar has acidic properties that denature the enzymes and proteins of the molds by lowering the pH.
Baking soda has organic properties that can dissolve and remove any organic components and also weaken the binding of these molds with the clothes by removing the moisture from the surface.
Vinegar and baking soda can very conveniently inhibit the growth of mold and remove them from your clothes like they never even existed in the first place. In addition to that, baking soda has some bleaching properties too, so it can make your clothes shine again.
What You Need
- Vinegar
- Baking Soda
- Spray Bottle (optional)
- Rag (optional)
How to Use
- There are two ways you can go about this, one is by using a spray bottle to apply the solution and the other one is to just directly add vinegar and baking soda to the washing machine
- If you’re going with the washing machine method, firstly you’ll have to add just vinegar and run your clothes through one cycle. Then you can add baking soda and give it another go.
- If you’re going with the spray bottle method, you should add vinegar and baking soda to the spray bottle and mix them well
- Spray the solution on the stain and let it sit for a few minutes and clean the mold off with a cloth
- Dry the clothes and you would see that the molds are gone
Stuff to Keep In Mind
- When using the washing machine method, be sure to not add detergent because it can lower the effectiveness of the vinegar and baking soda
- When you’re using the spray bottle method, be careful to let the solution sit on the clothes for a while
- Do not over scrub your clothes because it can damage them and leave you worse off than what you started with
#5 Using Borax to Remove Mold From Clothes
Borax is a great antifungal agent and it has this awesome ability to form hydrogen peroxide on contact with water. It is a multipurpose agent and is also used as an insecticide, herbicide, pesticide, etc. Borax works in the exact opposite way that vinegar does.
It increases the pH and makes it so high that the enzymes and proteins of the mold get denatured and they lose their functioning capabilities. Borax can also remove the smell associated with the mold on your clothes.
Using this method requires a little bit of preparation because borax doesn’t directly dissolve with water. Let’s get right into it!
What You Need
- Borax
- Large Bowl
- Water
- Bucket
How to Use
- Fill a large bowl with water
- Add borax in it to make it concentrated
- Now blend the mixture for a while
- Slowly stir this until you find that borax is completely mixed with water
- Now transfer this solution to a bucket
- Soak your clothes in the bucket
Stuff to Keep In Mind
- While blending the mixture seems a bit much, do note that it is required because borax doesn’t directly dissolve with water that is why it is important to blend it in order to assist the process
- Preferably use warm water because it has a higher ability to dissolve and that can make it a more effective agent to remove mold
- Give the soaking process an appropriate amount of time because borax takes some time to be effective
Does Washing Moldy Clothes Kill Mold?
Molds are extremely difficult to get rid of because of their firm attachment to the microfibers of the clothing and their resistant spores.
Mold spores dig into the microfibers and don’t let go easily. Moreover, they keep producing these spores that disperse through the air and may affect other clothing as well.
The mold grows on surfaces that provide it moisture and ventilation to reproduce and survive, and because of the easy availability of both these agents, it keeps growing on almost every other surface.
These spores are the best weapons of molds because they can survive extreme conditions thus they cannot be removed just by water and, external application of a cleaning agent becomes necessary.
What Is The Best Mold Remover?
If there were one agent that contained all the properties required to not only remove the mold from clothes but deodorize them too, it would definitely be hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide is a one-of-a-kind cleaning agent and has amazing multifaceted usage due to the following properties:
#1 Antimicrobial Properties
Hydrogen peroxide has antimicrobial properties because of its ability to form OH radicals. Hydrogen peroxide is an unstable compound and immediately decomposes on contact to produce these OH radicals.
These OH radicals have amazing oxidizing powers that penetrate the microbes and destroy their essential structural components. Once these structural components have been destroyed, these microbes lose all their functionality and remain no longer capable of causing any damage.
#2 Deodorizing Properties
The smell is generally produced due to bacteria or fungi breaking down different components and that smell is really awful. Hydrogen peroxide works to remove this smell from its root cause i.e. these bacteria and fungi.
Hydrogen peroxide destroys these bacteria and fungi due to its OH radicals and deodorizes your clothes really well. Moreover, OH radicals also penetrate these odorant substances and oxidize them, which alters their intramolecular bonding and disrupts the entire mechanism to produce the smell.
#3 Cleaning And Bleaching Properties
Hydrogen peroxide has amazing cleaning and bleaching properties. It removes all the stains from the clothes due to its cleaning properties that are a result of the potent effects of OH radicals. In addition to that, it has bleaching properties that allow your clothes to shine brighter than ever.
Hydrogen peroxide cleans and bleaches your clothes due to altering the structures of the color causing compounds of these stains.
Once their bonding is disrupted, they lose their staining abilities and leave the clothes stain-free. If you think about it, hydrogen peroxide is really helping your clothes get stain-free and your life tension-free!
Can Moldy Clothes Make You Sick?
Yes. Moldy clothes can quite easily make you sick because these molds produce dangerous spores that are dispersed through the air. These spores can get into your bloodstream and cause allergic reactions, some of which can be life-threatening!
These spores pose a greater risk for individuals suffering from respiratory problems such as asthma. The spores lower your immunity and can cause an infection inside your body.
It is well established now that these moldy clothes can make you sick and because these spores are really resistant and don’t easily let go of the microfibers of the clothes, the external application of an agent to remove the mold becomes necessary.
The Bottom Line
Moldy clothes can pose a problem for you because they not only ruin the look of your clothes but also destroy the fabric from within, as well as cause a bad smell and pose a health risk to you.
These molds are resistant and require an application of a great cleaning agent such as hydrogen peroxide.
Hydrogen peroxide is a miraculous cleaning agent that is multifunctional and it can help you in your day-to-day household cleaning.
Due to its functionality, its use is becoming more frequent and people find it to be the perfect solution for all their cleaning problems.
Order your set now and see for yourself!
