How to Clean Mold Off Quilts
Mold is a type of fungus that loves warm, dark areas. This unsightly spore will attach itself to whatever surface happens to be in the right environment, whether it's walls, furniture or textiles--and one of those things could be a precious quilt you've been storing.
While cleaning mold isn't a pleasant task, it's important, because mold has been linked to respiratory ailments. Here are several methods for removing mold from a quilt.
Things You Will Need
- Soft bristle brush
- Bleach
- Lemon juice
- Salt
- Vinegar
- Clean cloth
- 3% hydrogen peroxide
- Laundry powder
Warning
Be sure to test each method before using it on an inconspicuous area of the quilt to ensure colorfastness.
Wear gloves and a mask and make sure the area is ventilated when dealing with mold.
-
Scrape away as much of the mold as possible with a soft bristle brush. Do this outdoors so mold spores don't spread inside the house. Wash the quilt with a cup of color-safe bleach. You can dry the quilt in the dryer, but sunlight is really the best way to dry the quilt, because sunlight kills mold spores.
-
Make a paste of lemon juice and salt and apply it to the moldy area with a clean cloth. Scrub the area well with the paste and set it outside in the sunshine. Launder the quilt in the washing machine after the quilt has been in sunlight for two to three hours.
-
Use a brush to scrape away the mold and spray the area with a solution of equal parts vinegar and water. Allow the solution to sit on the mold for at least 20 minutes before laundering. Add a cup of vinegar to the wash during the rinse cycle and hang the quilt outside to dry in the sunlight.
-
Apply 3 percent hydrogen peroxide to a soft, clean cloth and scrub the area free of mold before washing. Let the quilt dry outside in the sunlight.
-
Use a brush to scrape away as much mold as you can. Make a paste of laundry powder and water. If the quilt is white, it doesn't matter if the powder has bleach in it, but if the quilt has colors that might fade, do not use laundry powder with bleach. Rub the paste into the affected area and launder, being sure to add a cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle. Allow the quilt to air-dry in direct sunlight.
The Drip Cap
- Mold is a type of fungus that loves warm, dark areas.
- Scrape away as much of the mold as possible with a soft bristle brush.
- Add a cup of vinegar to the wash during the rinse cycle and hang the quilt outside to dry in the sunlight.
- Apply 3 percent hydrogen peroxide to a soft, clean cloth and scrub the area free of mold before washing.
- If the quilt is white, it doesn't matter if the powder has bleach in it, but if the quilt has colors that might fade, do not use laundry powder with bleach.
Writer Bio
Melynda Sorrels spent 10 years in the military working in different capacities of the medical field, including dental assisting, health services administration, decontamination and urgent medical care. Awarded the National Guardsman’s Medal for Lifesaving efforts in 2002, Sorrels was also a nominee for a Red Cross Award and a certified EMT-B for four years.
Photo Credits
- http://www.sz-wholesale.com/uploadFiles/hand%20made%20patchwork%20quilts_585.jpg
- http://www.sz-wholesale.com/uploadFiles/hand%20made%20patchwork%20quilts_585.jpg
More Articles
