Finding mold on your clothes can be a disheartening discovery. In some situations, it is possible to remove mold from clothes, restoring them to their original condition. Read on to learn how to remove mold from clothes, and how to prevent it from returning.

Assess the Situation

As soon as you discover mold on clothes, ask yourself a few key questions:

• How extensive is the damage? Is there a single small spot of mold, or is the entire garment affected?
• Are other pieces of clothing also affected by mold? It is unlikely that a single piece of clothing will have mold growth while the others around it are untouched.
• How important is the damaged clothing? Your great-grandmother’s antique wedding dress is probably worth the effort of restoration. That sweater you bought on clearance last year might not be.

If the damage is fairly minor, and the affected garments do not hold sentimental or monetary value, you may be able to remove the mold from the clothes yourself. However, if the garments are too important to lose, or the mold damage is extensive, call a reputable mold remediation specialist who also specializes in content cleaning or soft goods cleaning .

Remove Mold From Clothes

If you decide to remove mold from clothes yourself, be sure you do it safely. Wear protective gloves to keep loose mold spores away from your skin. A safety mask will protect you from breathing in the mold spores.

1. Take the affected clothing outdoors. Use a soft brush to remove as much loose, dry mold as you can.
2. Soak the clothes in cold water to loosen stains. Wash in hot water with detergent and ¾ cup white vinegar to sanitize the clothing and remove lingering odors.
3. Dry the clothing thoroughly. If weather permits, hang the clothing to dry in the sun.

Locate and Fix the Source of the Mold

Mold can only grow in warm, humid environments. When you find mold on clothes, you can be sure that you also have a water problem in your home. Find and repair the moisture source before you return your newly cleaned clothes to your closet, or the mold will return. If you aren’t sure where the moisture is coming from, call a professional mold removal expert to rid the mold completely.

About Vince Sandri

Vince Sandri is a content writer and blogger with more than 12 years of experience. His expertise is in creating content related to disaster restoration, including information about preventing and reacting to natural disasters like flooding, water damage, fire and smoke damage, mold growth, storm damage and more.
Vince has been the main contributor to RestorationMasterFinder.com since 2014. Over that time, he has written numerous service pages and blogs for disaster restoration providers featured on RestorationMasterFinder.com. Vince has done extensive research and covered a wide range of topics relating to disaster restoration to help homeowners, business owners, and property managers better protect their property. He understands the problems that disasters like flooding, fire, smoke, and mold can cause as well as the best ways to respond to these issues to limit the damage.
Vince completed his Bachelor of Arts degree at Aurora University and his master’s degree at DePaul University. He has been writing SEO website pages, blogs, and press releases since 2012. Vince is also a musician and can be seen playing in the Chicago, IL area.