Stain Guide: Mold & Mildew
This is a 4th generation dry cleaner's guide for removing mold and mildew from your clothing!
What you need
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Gloves
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Mask
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Mold removal products such as moldicide spray
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High quality laundry detergent
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Laundry sanitizing products
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Washing boosters (baking soda, washing soda, water softener, and sodium percaronbate)
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Oxygen bleach (it must be designated for sanitizing)
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Chlorine bleach
Steps
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First, pretreat moldy areas with a moldicide spray and wait at least an hour.
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Add your high quality detergent, washing boosters, and sanitizing products. Then wash your soiled items, use the hottest water possible (190 F / 90 C), we recommend using a sanitize cycle.
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After washing, soak your clothing in bleach (chlorine OR oxygen) and hot water, ideally above 140 F / 60 C.
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Rewash (a normal cycle will do here) or rinse your items to remove any remaining bleach.
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Dry your clothing on a high temperature.
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Leave the washing machine door and drawer open when not in use. This will help prevent mold build up within the machine.
The stain removal guide for mold will be a bit different from the others as mold is tricky and requires specially formulated products to counteract mold and mold spores. Below, we outline why each product is useful and the best ways to use these them:
We highly recommend researching a product to ensure the EPA has registered it to eliminate and prevent mold.
1) Mold removal sprays are ideal for treating moldy areas that you can actually see.
2) High quality laundry detergents, especially ones with ‘Oxi’ included in their name, will provide better cleaning results when it comes to mold.
3) Laundry sanitizing products are usually added to the fabric softener / rinse slot within the machine and are then dispensed during the rinse cycle. Do not mix these products with your detergent or put them in the wheel / drum of the machine, they must be added at the end.
4) Powdered washing boosters will help soften (negate minerals) and increase the pH of the wash water which will allow your laundry detergents to work more efficiently.
5) Bleaches, such a chlorine bleach or oxygen bleaches designated for sanitizing require soaking in hot water. Ideally above 140 F / 60 C.
We highly recommend researching a product to ensure the EPA has registered it to eliminate and prevent mold.
1) Mold removal sprays are ideal for treating moldy areas that you can actually see.
2) High quality laundry detergents, especially ones with ‘Oxi’ included in their name, will provide better cleaning results when it comes to mold.
3) Laundry sanitizing products are usually added to the fabric softener / rinse slot within the machine and are then dispensed during the rinse cycle. Do not mix these products with your detergent or put them in the wheel / drum of the machine, they must be added at the end.
4) Powdered washing boosters will help soften (negate minerals) and increase the pH of the wash water which will allow your laundry detergents to work more efficiently.
5) Bleaches, such a chlorine bleach or oxygen bleaches designated for sanitizing require soaking in hot water. Ideally above 140 F / 60 C.
Mold removal requires the use of specifically formulated products as mold and mold spores can be incredibly difficult to kill and remove.