If you’re familiar with the Broadway musical “Annie,” you’ll know the song that proudly proclaims “You’re never fully dressed without a smile.” While that’s a statement we certainly can’t argue with, we at Bona Fide Home Inspections would like to make a new lyric of our own: “You’re never fully dressed without clean clothes.”
That goes without saying, right? Of course you want your outfits to be clean and fresh every day. But what does clean mean? A clean shirt doesn’t just mean putting it the washing machine and dryer on a regular basis. Being clean also means ensuring that something dirty isn’t lurking below the surface of the fabric. And there are few things that can be as damaging to your clothes and their cleanliness as mold.
If the worst happens and you find that mold is forming on your clothing, here are a few recommendations for cleaning it:
Act Fast
Since mold is harder to remove from fabric the longer it is adhered to it, the clean-up process for mold on clothing needs to happen as soon as the mold is discovered. Properly cleaning your clothes once it is formed will prevent its further spreading and contamination.
Pre-Treat Your Clothing Properly
There are a variety of products that you can use to pre-treat your clothing to not only kill the mold, but to successfully remove the stain. This step should be done prior to a load of clothing going into the washing machine. Items such as baking soda, bleach, vinegar, and other commercial spray treatments will safely and quickly remove mold.
Wash Clothes in Hot Water
After your clothes are pre-treated, wash the mold off of your clothing in as hot of water as you can stand. This will kill mold spores in a sanitary way.
Learn Your Lessons
Consider what you may have done to have mold form on your clothes in the first place. Often, the biggest culprit is putting clothes away in your closet or dresser before they are completely dry. The presence of excessive moisture is the primary ingredient for mold forming, so when in doubt, leave your sweaters and shirts in the dryer a few minutes longer, just to be safe.
These tips will ensure that every outfit you wear is just as clean below the surface as it is on the surface. For more information on how you can avoid mold on your clothes, trust your expert team at Bona Fide Home Inspections.Visit our website to send us your personal message or email bonafideforyou@aol.com.
