Two days ago I saw that one of my favourite shirts has mold stains. So far I’ve soaked it in 1:1 water and vinegar, dilute colorsafe bleach, and detergent separately for a few hours each. That might’ve killed the mold but the stains aren’t coming off. I rubbed powdered detergent on the shirt and left it in the sun for a few hours then scrubbed it with a toothbrush but the stains are still there.
Do you guys know of any good ways to remove mold stains?
A little off topic, but your laundry should never be in a condition to allow mold growth. Stuff should be allowed to dry out if it got wet (if you don’t intend to wash it soon) and washed laundry should be promptly dried. If you are doing that and it still happened, you might have a mold problem in your home. The shirt might not be saveable, but this might be the lesson to avoid more expensive mistakes in the future.
Ok, but for the rest of us who AREN’T perfect, this could be a situation that one encounters.
“Should haves” are the least wanted advice.
Color-safe bleach seems to be Hydrogen Peroxide based, so you were probably safe.
Traditional Sodium Hypoclorite bleach should never be mixed with vinegar. That can release chlorine gas which is very bad for you even at low concentrations.
In general, use one cleaning agent at a time with thorough rinses in between. It can be hard to predict how cleaning agents will react. You’re likely to reduce the effectiveness of them by mixing, and there’s a chance of making dangerous byproducts.
What color is the shirt? You might be able to bleach it back to white if it was a white shirt. Otherwise, you might have to invest in a new favorite shirt. What made it your favorite?
I don’t have an answer for you, but my dry cleaner used to hollar at me when I wouldn’t talk to them before trying to remedy a stain multiple ways myself. She would tell me the more things i tried the less likely it was she could help because i’d helped set the stain by trying unsuccessful methods to clean the garment. Take it to your cleaners. Worst case, you decide not have them do anything. Best case, they’re able to get it done.
Ah shoot hahah I hope I didn’t make things worse. I’ll try asking tomorrow if they can remedy this. Thank you!
You could try a direct application of white vinegar to the stain, and if that doesn’t seem to get it out, leaving it in bright sunlight might help. However if you’re in a spot that isn’t seeing much sun currently then I definitely second the suggestion to take it to a dry cleaner’s.
