Last Updated on 1 year by Susan Mayrich
Knowing how to remove mold from clothes with baking soda allows you to save your beloved shirts and dresses without having to spend a lot of money. All you would need to do is mix baking soda with water to create a paste to scrub with or add it to your wash cycle.
Learning this allows you to quickly clean out disgusting mold stains from your clothes using materials you already have at home. Continue reading to learn the proper steps and everything else there is to know about using baking soda to remove mold.
Important Things To Do When Your Clothing Has Mold
When you see that your clothes have mold, you have to act fast. First, take all the clothes with mold and place them under the sun to remove the moisture and kill the fungi.
Once the clothes are dry, you can use baking soda to kill the remaining mold and remove the stains. You can also use vinegar and bleach. However, it would be best not to mix the two because they can create toxic fumes.
After treating the mold patches with baking soda, you must wash and dry your clothes twice. First, wash your clothes with hot water or use the sanitize setting on your washer. Hot water will help remove all remaining spores.
However, to prevent the recurrence and reemergence of mold, you will need to clean up your closet. You should find the source of the moisture and fix it as soon as possible.
If there are no leaks, but the air is moist, you might find dehumidifiers helpful. Once the leaks and sources of moisture are repaired, you can clean and sanitize the area using a paste made of baking soda and water or a vinegar spray.
Removing Mold Stains From Clothes Using Baking Soda
It would be best to wear protective equipment such as glasses, gloves, and face masks when cleaning mold and mildew off of your clothes. In doing so, you will protect yourself from the harmful effects that the spores may induce.
Once you are ready, you can use baking soda in two different ways.
Method #1. Making a paste
For the paste method, you will need an old toothbrush, hot water, and a quarter cup of baking soda. Combine a quarter cup of water with the baking soda to create a thick paste and apply it directly to mold patches.
Using the old toothbrush, scrub the area gently until you can see the mold go away. Rinse the area with hot water and repeat the process as necessary.
Method #2. Adding baking soda to your wash cycle
Baking soda is suitable for overall cleaning and removing foul odors. Simply adding it to a wash cycle can help dislodge mold stains.
Add a cup of white vinegar to your washing machine on your first wash cycle without any detergent. Mix in half a cup of baking soda for your second wash cycle.
Doing this process exposes the mold to two strong pH levels. First, vinegar has antifungal properties and high acidity, which stops the growth of mold and other organisms.
Using baking soda afterward kills mold by putting it in a highly alkaline environment where it has no way to survive. Baking soda can also eliminate the pungent odors of vinegar on your clothes and other materials.
You can also use home products to clean mold off of your furniture and other types of fabrics. If you want to know more, here is a helpful article about the three best ways how to remove mold from furniture fabric.
Why Is It Important To Remove Mold From Clothing?
Mold can stick to any surface as long as there is water and fiber-rich organic material. As such, you can find them on soil, wooden frames, walls, doors, and even food.
Under the right conditions, they can spread to clothes and even shoes. Mold will slowly eat away at the fabric they are attached to, which leaves them stained, full of holes, and overall unusable.
However, the damage to your clothing is not the worst part. Mold growing in your clothes can cause severe health issues to you and your family.
The Center for Disease Control says that people exposed to mold and its spores can experience symptoms such as stuffy nose and wheezing. When mold comes in contact with skin, it can cause itching and redness.
However, people with compromised immune systems and respiratory ailments can experience more severe symptoms such as infections. Because of mold’s harmful effects on health, it would be best to quickly identify and get rid of mold and mildew. If you want to learn more about identifying mold quickly, here is a helpful and detailed guide to identify black mold.
Conclusion
Knowing how to remove mold or mildew from clothes with baking soda helps you get rid of annoying and tough mold and mildew without having to use harsh chemicals like bleach. By mixing it into a paste or adding it into a wash cycle, you can get rid of mold stains from any type of clothing and even other parts of your home.
