[sparkler]

Thanks to the lovely wet weather here in SEQ I now have mouldy clothes, bedlinen and soft furnishing to deal with, in 2011 I just threw away everything but the sofa covers after failing to de mould stuff but I cannot afford to do it again and then replace so I would love some tips on how to get mould out of fabric?

I have it starting to grow on the walls&windows but I can deal with that with oil of cloves in a bucket of hot water and a lot of scrubbing, DS has breathing issues so I do need to try and stay on top of it.

Last time I tried soaking clothes in diluted bleach but it didn't really work.

TIA

[Shirley Sue]

Could you get someone out to do it for you? Like electrodry?

[opethmum]

Don't bleach things, you are feeding the spores and then it will come back, wash everything in white vinegar and clean surfaces with water and white vinegar.

[dae-gu]

Invest in a dehumidifier....they are brilliant!!!!
http://www.appliancesonline.com.au/delongh...CFUFLpgodcUYAZQ

[sparkler]

I think the dehumidifiers are for prevention of mould? We cannot afford one right now and I was hoping for ideas of what to soak mouldy clothes and linen in once the clean water issue is resolved.

Like maybe napisan or bleach or sard or some other household cleaner that gets out mold, maybe it's wishfull thinking!

Thankyou for the suggestions though, I do appreciate the thought.

[bluthbananas]

I am sure I have seen a spray in Coles that can be used on fabric. I looked for something like that the last flood but nothing was available then. Also I read at the time that if clothes are clean they should not get mouldy, some machines especially top loaders dont clean well enough.

[Femboside]

I've had to do similar here in Northern NSW. I find if it's fabric that can stand it, a super-hot soaking in Napisan overnight is good (and will also shift staining from the mould.) And then wash and rewash (I use just my normal detergent and also some white vinegar) until they smell ok again. Again, as hot as the fabric can take. Then get it really really dry before putting away/back on the couch. Cotton is generally much tougher than you think and can handle heat well.

Be aware that if you're doing lots of hot water and items that aren't often washed like curtains/couch covers, keep your colours separate to avoid dye running.

This isn't expert advice, but it's what I've done. And it seems to work so far.

I do agree with the suggestion of a dehumidifier as a future investment if you can afford one. It's making a huge difference in my house. And the electric ones work FAR better than any of the Damp Rid or similar products.

[PrincessPeach]

Definatly use white vinegar instead of fabric softener in your machine as well when you do the wash - it will really help get that mouldy smell out.

My mum has resorted to using sugar soap to washe down her walls thanks to the wet weather.

[sparkler]

We have a newish front loader and clean clothes, however mould has just spontaneously developed just like it did after the last flood.

I will have a look for special products at coles and I will try an overnight soak in napisan and very hot water thanks.

We don't use fabric softener but I will try vinegar.

[baby*girl]

We have just had the lower floor flooded and I am using Stain lift, which is in a blue bottle to spray on first. Then soak in OMO small and mighty and wash. All my white cushion covers which were green are now bright white again and look like new.

It seems to be the perfect combo.

As for walls etc , I dont know as we had commercial dehumidifiers to remove any building damp.