Mold is considered a fungus belonging to the mushroom family and feeds on organic matter that is dead or decaying, such as wood, dead animals and plants, food left unattended, or even clothes you are wearing. The growth rate of mold depends on favorable conditions such as an organic source, oxygen, and moisture. To keep your clothes clean and fresh, free from unpleasant odors, and not susceptible to mold, you need to wash and store your clothes properly. Wearing clothes infected with mold or frequently coming into contact with moldy items can cause reactions such as allergies, asthma, respiratory complications, and allergic sinusitis. If your clothes are in this situation, don’t rush to throw them away, instead apply these simple methods to remove mold and bacteria from your clothes.
1. Baking soda and fresh lime
Baking soda and fresh lime are both readily available ingredients in every household kitchen. This is also an effective, safe, and cost-saving method for removing mold from colored clothes that mothers can apply.
Instructions: Put a sufficient amount of baking soda into a small bowl, add lime juice and mix until dissolved, then apply directly to the moldy area of the clothes until they fade. Wash the clothes with laundry detergent or water to complete the process.
2. White vinegar
One of the effective methods for cleaning and deodorizing clothes is using white vinegar. Mixing white vinegar with water and laundry detergent or water is also the most effective method for removing mold from clothes.
Instructions: Soak the clothes in vinegar diluted with water at a ratio of 1:1, then wash them with laundry detergent. You can also use a mixture of white vinegar, laundry detergent, and water to soak for about 15-30 minutes, then put them in the washing machine as usual.
3. Borax
You can buy borax in liquid or powder form.
Instructions: For borax powder, add an adequate amount for the number of clothes you need to wash, then dissolve them in water and soak the clothes.
If using a washing machine, you can also soak the clothes in the solution for 15-30 minutes, then pour them into the washing drum as usual. If using borax liquid, you can directly apply it to the moldy areas on the clothes, then wash them with laundry detergent.
4. Rubbing alcohol
Using alcohol to remove mold from clothes may be familiar to many people. Since ancient times, alcohol has been used as a highly effective disinfectant.
Instructions: To remove mold from colored clothes, simply mix water and alcohol in a ratio of 1:1 and soak the moldy clothes in it for 2 hours. The active ingredients in alcohol will kill mold-causing bacteria and help make your clothes whiter.
5. Potatoes
This is a popular folk method for removing mold that does not affect the quality of the fabric. People prefer to use this method for cleaning leather clothes.
Instructions: Slice a few thin slices of potato and rub them on the area of the clothes that have black mold. Continuously perform this action for 3 to 5 minutes until the mold disappears, then wash the clothes as usual.
6. Potassium permanganate
Potassium permanganate is a special method for removing mold from clothes that professional laundry workers often use.
Instructions: Soak the clothes in a bowl of water mixed with potassium permanganate for 10 minutes. Then take out and squeeze out the water. Prepare a clean bucket and dissolve 3 to 4 lemons (you can use citric acid powder as a substitute) in the lemonade. Then soak the clothes stained with potassium permanganate in the lemonade. At this point, you will immediately see a chemical reaction. The purple color of the potassium permanganate will disappear, replaced by brighter white clothes.
Source: Xevathethao