How to get mold out of textiles

Mold removal can be very difficult because mold can be hard, and sometimes even nearly impossible to get rid of. Mold is incredibly hardy and can live as spores for months! Mold spores can grow on pretty much any damp surface, and they reproduce quickly. In fact, you can actually put mold and milk in a blender, puree it, and dump it pretty much anywhere, and within a few days the mold will start to grow. After a nuclear holocaust, you would probably find that only mold and cockroaches survived.

There are three steps to getting rid of mold. You clean the surface, disinfect it, and then let it dry completely. You will want to wash non-porous surfaces with a mixture of water and detergent. Make sure that the detergent does not have ammonia in it. Then, disinfect the surface with alcohol or with a combination of bleach and water. Then, let the surface totally dry. You should know that it can be really hard to remove mold from porous surfaces such as furniture and textiles, but it can be done.

If you want to get mold off of textiles such as linens, curtains, or clothing, here are a few tips. First of all, the sooner you do it, the better. But it does take some time, so make sure you have a lot of time before you begin. Take the textiles somewhere where the mold can’t damage other things. Let them dry out, but do not use a fan to dry them, because this can spread mold spores through the air. For these reasons, it is often a good idea to do mold removal procedures on linens outside. Once the textiles have dried, remove the mold gently. The best way to do this is to use a HEPA filtered vacuum cleaner.

Vacuums that are HEPA filtered will say this large on the outside of the vacuum, since it is a major selling point for many vacuum cleaners. Use the vacuum on a small area first, to see how well it works. You may need to switch to the hose with a brush attachment, since it will be gentler. If this does not work well or you do not have a HEPA vacuum, then use a soft brush to loosen the mold. This will not work on delicate fabrics. Do not dry clean moldy textiles. Then, wash the items and let them dry thoroughly.