M O L D & M I L D E W

Transcription

1 Volume 1 HOWARD DOUGHMAN, MBA R E M O V E M O L D & M I L D E W F R O M F A B R I C S

2 REMOVE MOLD & MILDEW FROM FABRICS Howard Doughman 3202 Chelmsford Drive Spring Grove, IL Phone Spring Grove, Illinois

3 Table of Contents Remove Mildew from Your Car... 1 Remove Mildew from Soft Furniture... 2 Remove Mildew from Shirts and Other Clothing... 3 Remove Mold and Mildew from Your Carpet... 4

4 R E M O V E M O L D & M I L D E W F R O M F A B R I C S Remove Mildew from Your Car Your car can easily grow mold and mildew. It is usually closed up. The air conditioning system could be a breeding ground for mold if it isn't working properly. If you have a musty smell in your car, make sure the floor mats and carpet are clean and dry. Then using T-2, just spray a coating at the base of your windshield and back window. The light will activate this formula and it will eliminate all smells. There are lab results that indicate your mold problems will go away too. Mildew, a form of mold that grows on fabric, can be thought of as having its stomach on the outside. It digests what it attaches too. It doesn't have to eat something and take it inside of itself like people do. It is digesting everything it grows on. So once you've killed it, there could still be a stain left behind. Those marks whether they are black spots or whatever may be permanent. One solution I have found is using a spray of Clorox 2, put a small dab on each spot and rub it with a clean white cloth. The liquid will bleed the color from the surrounding fabric into your target area. So in essence you will be dying the spot. It won't be the perfect match so be very careful. I only do one spot at a time and wait for it to dry to see the results. One point to remember is to try it in an area that can't be readily seen. This will keep any mistakes out of sight. 1

5 K I L L M O L D & F U N G U S I N Y O U R G A R D E N Remove Mildew from Soft Furniture Mildew may have developed on damp or wet furniture. Mildew is a gray-white mold that leaves stains and rots fabric unless it is removed promptly. To remove mildew spots: Brush with a broom to remove loose mold from the outer covering. Do this outdoors if possible, so you won't scatter mildew spores (which can start new growth) in the house. Vacuum the surface to draw out mold. Dispose of the vacuum cleaner bag outside to avoid scattering mold spores in the house. If mildew remains and fabric is washable, sponge lightly with a thick soap or detergent suds. Wipe with a clean, damp cloth. Get as little water on the fabric as possible, so the padding doesn't get wet. If mold remains, wipe the furniture with a damp cloth dipped in dilute alcohol (one cup denatured alcohol to one cup water) or a chlorine bleach solution (1/4 teaspoon bleach to a cup of water). Test in an area that is "hidden." Dry the article thoroughly. If molds have grown into the inner part, send furniture to a dry cleaning or storage company for thorough drying and fumigation. Fumigation will kill molds present at the time, but will not protect against future attacks. In some instances the problem will keep recurring. It may be that the cotton fiber padding has gotten contaminated. The best course of action would be to replace the padding. Then wash your covering and the problem will be eliminated. Keep in mind that you must correct the moisture problems. If it is very humid in your home, you may have to run 2

6 K I L L M O L D & F U N G U S I N Y O U R G A R D E N fans in the room or turn on the air conditioner to ventilate and control the humidity. Remove Mildew from Shirts and Other Clothing There are several reasons that mold and mildew get on clothing. One of the biggest trouble areas is the laundry hamper. Once in a while something wet will get put in the hamper. Most hampers when full will not permit enough ventilation to dry its contents. That's where the mold and mildew start growing. Another problem that is a high possibility is putting washed clothes away damp. If they are folded an put away then there is a huge chance that they will begin growing mildew. You can usually tell by putting on a clean shirt that smells musty. Another way these damp clothes can grow mildew is if they are hung too close together in the closet. Not enough ventilation and air will certainly make it easier for mold and mildew to take hold. In any case you're stuck with some spots. In most cases the mold and mildew will be killed with a regular washing. Then it's just a matter of keeping them dry. In some instances you'll get those spots that won't go away. That is where the mold and mildew were digesting the fabric and it is now discolored. I have successfully used Clorox 2 to fade the spots and, after two or three washings, blend them to where it is very difficult to tell. I took my washed shirt and sprayed a little Clorox 2 on it. I then gently rubbed the area together, as you would pretreat a stain, and kept rubbing it in for a few minutes. I then washed it. After three attempts you couldn't see that I had six mildew spots on my yellow shirt. Again first try it on the shirt tail where it won't be noticed if it fades too much. Wash it a couple of times to see how the color holds. Then start carefully on the mold and mildew spots. If the color result isn't too bad you will have saved a shirt from the trash or at least kept it from prematurely being sent to the schools art room as a "painting" shirt. 3

7 K I L L M O L D & F U N G U S I N Y O U R G A R D E N Remove Mold and Mildew from Your Carpet I've heard tales of allergy ridden people that are usually fine but when they stay overnight at a certain house or up at the cabin, they wake up with extreme allergy reactions. Or the people's asthma gets serious because of the same reason. That usually means mold and often times mildew. Check your carpets and the padding under them. Where some mold grows easily within the walls, there are many more instances where a floor got wet and the mold and mildew attacked the carpet and rugs. There are some instances where you really won't notice it or it is masked by air deodorants. But listen to your body. Many times the culprit is mold and mildew. This very story is real. A co-worker's family owns a vacation home out of state. They get up there about twice a year. It always smells a little musty, but you turn on the fan or HVAC and it goes away after a while. Their son kept waking up in really bad condition every time they spent the night there. Curious, the father pulled up some of the carpet and it was loaded with mold and mildew. The padding was also engulfed in it. He removed it all and that solved the allergy mystery for their son. I believe he cleaned up and finished the wood floor and didn't replace the carpet. Sometimes you'll know if there is a possibility of a damp carpet and sometimes you won't. My fireplace leaked in a hard rain. We didn't know it and the water would run off the flagstone and onto the floor and just make the carpet and padding moist. In that area there is practically no foot traffic and it went un-noticed. I eventually found it because somebody walked in the area with their socks on and they got wet. We pulled up the carpet and it didn't look too bad. We kept it laying back for a day or two to get it dry. Before we put it back down I got a flashlight and began inspecting the padding. The padding's bottom and my tile floor underneath had been attacked by mold and mildew. We dried everything with a fan. We bleached the padding and air dried it. We steam cleaned the rug and padding and let the fan dry it again. And of course the leak was fixed. We caught this before it got too far out of control but the main point is that it happened without our knowledge and that's where we watch TV every night. 4