Mould on cotton prefold

[Cherie]

I'm so embarrassed that I even have to post this, but I must have left it in the nappy bucket for longer than I thought, because the cotton prefold in the very bottom of my bucket has black mould patches all over it. I've washed it (with half-strength detergent), and hung it out in the sun, but it's still there.

Does anyone have any suggestions for getting rid of it?

[Snacks]

He he. I'm glad you posted this Cherie, because I have left one of my cotton breastpads to get mouldy and I don't know how to get it clean...
Will be watching this thread with interest

[Cherie]

LOL Amy - glad I'm not the only one!!

[olive]

i too discovered mould on my bamboo booster!!! balck!! was only in the bucket for 36 hours!!

[Mother Goose]

Did a google search and found the following for you;

Here are a couple of ways on how you can easily, safely and quickly take off molds that are growing in your clothes and get rid off that smell at the same time.

Vinegar

A very unusual approach would to use vinegar in removing mold stains and its smell. Vinegar is very useful and effective in taking of mold smell from clothes. Add three fourths cup white vinegar to a load of wash. The vinegar will remove any smell and molds from your clothes. Repeat this process until all traces of molds and its smell is gone. Use detergent afterwards to thoroughly clean your clothes. What’s so interesting about this process is that vinegar itself is made through fermentation with the help a certain mold.

Old fashion cleaning

1. Take the clothes that have molds outside and one by one, brush off any loose mold growth. By doing this outside you prevent mold spores from spreading inside the house. Always remember to wear a protective mask and gloves when cleaning out mold contamination.

2. After brushing, leave the clothing out in the sun to dry. The heat and sun will kill what’s left of the mold in your clothes.

3. Presoak remaining clothes that have stains in cold water, then wash in hot water with detergent. Allow to dry in the sun.

4. In the event that the stains persist, sponge the contaminated area with diluted chlorine bleach, you can use 2 tbsp. bleach to 1 qt. water. Make sure that the bleach that you use won’t change the color of the fabric. You can use lemon juice and salt solution as an alternative for bleach if treating colored fabrics. After about 10 minutes, rinse.

5. Launder as usual, rinse and allow to dry in the sun. Remember to fully dry the clothes that you have disinfected to make sure that mold doesn’t grow back. Spray a bit of fungicide spray to completely remove mold odor from your clothes, and ensure that it won’t grow back the next day.

Use of “Mildicide”

Mildicides is a new term or name given to products that are used to deal with mold or mildew contamination. Remember that if you choose to use mildicides to remove mold and its odor from your clothes, always read the label on how it should be used. Mildicides are still chemicals that may be harmful to your health if not used properly.

In the even that all the clothing and fabrics in your closet appear to be affected with molds, Fog the entire closet with your chosen mildicide. Do the same for clothing that has been long in storage, and to prevent mold or other odors from transferring to your present garments. It is advised that you do not remove any clothing for in performing this application, especially if the odor emanates strongly. Spray the baseboards and every corner of the closet when you remove garments and clothing. If a vent is present in the room where you’ll be performing the clean-up, it is strongly advised to spray into the vent as well. After fogging, close the door, and allow the mildicide to penetrate into the entire room for at least 10 minutes. Dry area quickly with a fan or wipe walls and flooring of all remaining moisture.

HTH

MG

[Cherie]

That's interesting MG. I do use vinegar in lieu of fabric softener in my wash, so maybe I just need to run then through the wash a few more times (it says to repeat the process).

[Mother Goose]

My Grandma uses Vinegar for everything and it rubbed off on me. Makes a great cleaner for the kitchen sink! Direct sunlight is the only other thing I guess - but if it is cold or damp (weather) I don't know that putting it in the sun will help much. Perhaps run it through the dryer first and then put in the sun to kill the germs?
You could have a look in the laundry aisle at the supermarket for a chemical alternative but then just make sure you wash it several times to get rid of the trace elements of the chemical before using it (if that makes sense).

Good Luck!

[Rouge]

SUNLIGHT! Lots and lots of sunlight... kills the little blighters and they eventually die...

*hugs*
Cailin

[chocolatecatty]

Dare I say you might just have to chuck it in napisan? There's a thread on NC about this and they couldn't get rid of the stains (from memory).

[Dee]

We have some work towels at work that have a bit of mould on them and I can't for the life of me get it out. I tired the vinegar thing and it hasn't worked

[BamBam]

I use the pink container of napisan to get rid of mould on clothes and the like.
I just chuck it in hot water and leave it for a few hours, or if I forget, over night, and when I pull it out, there's not a spot in sight
I swear by that stuff - LOL!

[Snacks]

I've tried my breastpad in the regular nappysan and it didn't get rid of it...
Will be trying the vinegar tomorrow.
Failing that, I may try scrubbing... or I might chuck the jolly thing out

[Cherie]

The vinegar and sunshine definitely lightened the mould on my prefold, but didn't get rid of it comletely.
I think I'll try Napisan today, to try and get rid of the remaining stain.

[{sarah}]

Bleach also kills mould....