Removing mold stains out of clothing is a difficult task. You will find that the success you have relies on how quickly you find the mold, as the longer the mold has with which to sit and digest the materials that your clothes are made out of, the more likely you are to find that you cannot get rid of the marks in your clothing that have been caused by the mold itself. The actual mold will likely brush off with a sweep of the hand, but the important part is getting rid of the residue that it leaves, and ensuring that the mold is completely gone from your clothes, as failure to do so can mean that the mold comes back again, doing more damage. If you leave mold in place, then it can actually make holes in your clothing, which is a disaster, especially given that mold only seems to go for very nice items, that probably cost you a lot!For a start, sweep away the mold on the clothing, and assess the situation. If the mold has eaten through your clothing, then you might as well throw it away, unless it is an area that can be repaired, and is worth being repaired. You should think carefully about this, as spending loads of money on a garment is only worth your time, cash and effort if it is very precious to you. It may be best to ditch the item and get a new one. However, if you love the piece, then there are plenty of repairs shops and tailors who will be able to give you an idea of how difficult and expensive the job will be. Removing the stains themselves can be done with various thing. Vinegar, bleach, baking soda, borax and specialist detergent will all work well, and tend to simply go in with the wash. Hot water is by far the best way in which to wash the clothes that have been affected by mold, as the high heat will kill the mold itself. Drying these clothes on the line in the sun will also help, as the sun’s natural bleaching abilities will help to bleach out the stains in the clothing. You will likely find that it is worth repeat washing items that have had mold growing on them, as this will mean that any mold that escaped the first cycle will be killed by the second, and so on. Getting rid of mold on dry clean only items means only one thing - dry cleaning. Consult the dry cleaners before you hand over your money, as they may say that there is little that they can do for the issue, and there is no point in wasting your cash if this is the case. You will most likely find that there is a lot that a dry cleaner can do, especially if the mold is caught early, so it is certainly worth asking!Hand washing more delicate items that cannot be washed in a machine can be done in the same way as you would treat the clothes going in to a machine. Adding half a cup of vinegar, or borax, or bleach, to your hand washing detergent will aid you in removing the stains from the clothing fairly easily. It is worth wearing gloves whilst doing this, as bleach can be pretty harmful on the skin, and you will most likely want to avoid the rashes and the like that it can cause.
