HOW DO I REMOVE MILDEW FROM CLOTHES????

Anna I too had to move due to a mildew problem that was so bad it was seriously affecting my health. Bleach works the best but of course has obvious disadvantages. If you use bleach use a cup of vinegar in the rinse cycle to neutralize the bleaching action. Sissibrode has some very effective suggestions and I found dry-cleaning no help at all and very expensive. What works the very best is an ozone machine and I purchased a very good one from the US ( I am in Canada) from a company called Air-Zone. I bought an XT-800 model and hung things in the bathroom, closed the door and ran the machine. It is most effective in small spaces. This worked very well so I did not have to buy a larger more expensive machine. I treated leathers, silks, books, xmas decorations, well actually every thing. Some things needed more than one treatment. The company had very good customer service. I also did a lot of research on line, try black-mildew as a topic. Good luck to you.

Bleach to the whites, lemon juice for color, milk forthe raw silk and synthetic :o) *

1 comment

by anna25775 20 Apr 2009

thanks Sissi, I did find out on the net that lemon juice and salt can be used for coloured stuff. i sure hope it works cos thats what i'm planning to use first. never heard about milk though but sounds interesting!

you´ve got some answers I would suggest too, so I only say good luck and try, flower 4u

found this for you - hope it helps. http://www.ehow.com/how_18795_rem...

Also, another note: White vinegar is a disinfectant and also used to set the color or dye in material - so I would think you could add some to the wash and it would help also - DO NOT USE IT WITH BLEACH!!! - but can add it with washing detergent.

Do you have Detol antiseptic where you are?
It's the best thing I know to remove mildew, mould, from all sorts of materials.
I use it on my $300 leather skirt as it is not only safe but it also acts as a deterrant to prevent mould returning.
hugs n roses, Meganne

4 comments

by toet 19 Apr 2009

Megs this is new for me i have a lot of boots from when i lived in Western Australia,that i can now only use a couple months of the year. I use Detol on the toads it seems to work.

by denice 19 Apr 2009

toet, here toads are amphibians similar to frogs and we do not want to be splashing Detol all over them. But as I write the I am remembering about Asses problem with cane toads I think that is what you mean. Does it kill them. I know they are very poisonous and destroying the ecosystem there. I have heard Detol works well to repel mosquitoes.

by anna25775 20 Apr 2009

i do know Detol Meg, we had it in Malta but I never saw it here in germany :( i'm gonna try a new drugstore than where i normally shop and if they have i'm surely getting it. loved that stuff... smells so hygienic! otherwise i guess i have to get a bottle on my next visit to malta.... whenever that will be!

by meganne 22 Apr 2009

LOL! This is the funniest conversation, I just love our diversity here at Cute!!!
hugs n love, M

Marietta has given u excellent advice. I do know for whites lemon juice & sunshine but have no white n the bunch. I hope u can get out of that soon, the mold is definitely not good for u. there r some things on the mkt that will absorb moisture n the air but know not if they r available to u. I wish u the best of luck but please heed Marietta's advice if u can I think this is the best route to take. Over here the bleached denium is the thing for jeans by the way. *

From my days as home-economics teacher, I looked this up for you. Send dry cleaning stuff to be dry cleaned. Suit jackets, and wool jacket also.
All materials: Wash in cold water, use a paste of starch and soap, and bleach in the sun, Wash. This will work, if stains is not to old. The problem with this kind of stain, is the older it gets the more difficult is to remove.
Cotton and Linnen: Soak in bleach (the new kind that you get for all colours should be perfect.) Use a format of 1part bleach to one partwater. Neutralize by rinsing in some vinegar water, and wash well.
NB. remember to first test the clothing before doing removal, because you are never sure about colour fastness.
I hope this will help with some of the clothing.

1 comment

by anna25775 20 Apr 2009

thanks marietta, i'm gonna do my best to save them and am off to the drugstore in a few mins to get all the stuff i can!

If you go on the internet there is a few sites that have remedies for removing mildew from clothes. Just type in the question "how to remove mildew from clothes" and it should come up with a few websites of answers.

1 comment

by anna25775 19 Apr 2009

thanks, already did that but they werent much helpful so far.

I had the same problem BUT it was in my fabric stash...I had to throw away ALL that had mold. I wouldn't risk saving anything...Mold can be killed with bleach but I have NEVER had it come out of clothing just by washing in HOT water....I wouldn't risk getting it in your lungs...THROW IT OUT!

1 comment

by anna25775 19 Apr 2009

sweetie, I am already getting it in my lungs, mould is almost everywhere in this flat. I can't afford to throw these clothes away, they had cost too much money and we are on limited budget cos I don't have a job and hubby's contract ends in sept without sign of any other contract following. I desperately need to save them.

no bother I would suggest the dry clean one go to dry clean they may be able to help. Not sure about others but I have had some good luck with woolite. Not sure if available to you. Good luck Hope someone else has other suggestions Flower for you.

5 comments

by anna25775 19 Apr 2009

thanks, have heard about woolite but not sure if it exists in germany. will check next time i go shopping.

by marietta 19 Apr 2009

They sell woollite in South Africa too, and it is very good. We also have a good product here called "Vanish" which is excellent. Look also for similar powders on the wash powder shelves of your local supermarket.

by loish 19 Apr 2009

Please be careful about "Vanish". In the US that is the name of a toilet bowl cleaner. Pretty strong stuff! Don't what to think about what it might do to clothes.

by mops 19 Apr 2009

Oxy Vanish is for sale in the Netherlands, it's an excellent stain remover, either used on its own in water, or a spoonful added to your normal washing powder in the machine. I think I saw it in Germany as well, in a supermarket. I have used it for quite a number of things, amongst others for tiny mildew stains in white cotton. Good luck, Anna, it would be such a waste to have to throw everything out.

by anna25775 20 Apr 2009

yes we do have some Vanish products here - not for the toilet bowl but for stains on clothes and textiles. i just popped in here before going shopping to the drugstore so i guess i can have a good look what they have cos at the moment i have none of them at home. thank you