How do you get mould out of clothing?

Question

I have an outdoor laundry....I had my clothes in a hamper. I went away for 2 weeks, so no washing got done...but we had a lot of rain and the laundry kind of flooded - the water soaked through the hamper and wet the clothes. Because they were sitting there for 2 weeks...mould grew of a few items of clothing. NOT HAPPY!!! I got most of it out with washing the items over and over again, but there are still a few spots. Is there some tecnique to getting mould out of clothing?

I've read a previous answer - to use peroxide - isn't that bleach and won't that ruin the clothing colour? It's a cotton shirt and it's bright orange - my bf's favourite shirt!!

Answer 1

The problem is that mold was GROWING on a COTTON shirt. The mold broke down part of the shirt to convert into its growth. What was converted cannot be returned, it is gone. If you want a shirt the way it was before then you will have to buy a new one.

Answer 2

bleach is all i know but not full strength.  there is a color safe bleach you can try but it says try on a small spot that is not visable---worked for me

Answer 3

I have had this same problem before. The best answer i can give you is describing exactly what happened i guess.

Mold like Trychoderma ( a green mold that can grow from the size of a pin head, to 3 inches in 1 day ) Has a Clorophyl type excreation, which stains. Unfortunately it does not only stain, The mold will Consume all resources in an attempt to spread and stay alive. Thus the fabric can be converted into a food source if the appropriate humidity or moisture level is maintained.

Bleach will remove ALOT of the mold color, or it could simply turn it black.  

Seeing that the short is Orange, you might want to try using Soda water, with a VERY small amount of H2o2 (hydrogen Peroxide). Peroxide CAN bleach items of clothing but normally only if large quantities are used, and if the peroxide has time to set in.

I recomend using this technique around a sink or bathtub so you can quickly remove the chemicals with water.

Answer 4

Hi,  It depends on what type of fabric the clothing is.  But once you have got it out and want to keep the mould out of your laundry and / or hamper, use a 1/2 teaspoon of oil of cloves to 1 litre of water.  Use a spray bottle to cover the area damp.  This will r****d and kill the mould from coming back.  Alternatively, call Shannon Lush on Radio Live on Saturday morning just after 9 a.m.!