The Mold and Mildew Monster…

Hydrogen peroxide works for some things, chlorine works for some things (some people don't like chlorine) and yes, sometimes I've had to throw things out. If the clothes or fabric were where they could pick up the smell, I would wash and then put on a clothes line to air them out. I've also used balsom or eucolyptus leaves if they still smell after washing and air drying repeatedly. If they actually are moldy and mildewy, I'd toss them. Mold needs a certain temperature range to thrive, so a different temp range might kill it. Also needs damp. So if you research it and give it different conditions, then it should die.

when my house got flooded, and things got wet. the guys who came and cleaned our house pretty much told us if its wet toss it. because mildew can you really sick and isnt good for you. now for your clothes toss them into the washer..

Bleach. Wear a mask and gloves before you start the clean-up. Good luck.

I have never tried it, but my sister read somewhere that if you use dishwasher detergent in the wash with your clothes that have mildew on them then it helps get rid of the mildew. My sister uses this stuff called Odoban on her laundry in the summertime if it sits in the washer too long and starts to get a little smelly. She will add a cap full of the Odoban and rewash. It gets rid of the smell.

Bleach is a great way to destroy and clean up that stuff. Fortunately, I've never had to deal with mold or mildew. You must live in a very damp climate! I remember when I was looking for a house the realtor took me to a house just down the street from the one I have now. I decided to look at the basement first and never saw the rest of the house because when we opened to basement door we could see the wall downstairs was black-she said it was mold and hurried me out as she was allergic to it.

I have not really had a lot of problems with mold and mildew only in the bathroom. What I have my boyfriend do is clean it up real well with like an orange cleaner. It seems to do the trick quite well. So far so good for us. As for the windows I would think you could do the same thing. But be careful since you do not want to break the glass. Also in the future in the winter be sure to open them at least once or twice to get some fresh air flowing in. Even though it is cold your home still needs fresh air in the house. Try to do it when there is no snow and such. Hope this helps friend and nice to see you starting discussions as well.

I tend to ruin things with bleach, but I would use it on the windows. I would put peroxide or vinegar on the clothes. I have heard, when I was younger, that you could put lemon juice on any few mildew spots and put the fabric in the sun and it would bleach it out. I think all of the advice you have gotten so far is really good. I hope they get your windows caulked. Peroxide is often my cleaner of choice. so I would probably try it first.

yup LEaterh and suede jackets

liquid lysol. works well on surfaces as well as clothes. about the only thing i've found that totally takes that mold stink out.

I had a refrigerator in a storage unit for a few months. When I opened it, mold/mildew had formed. I used undiluted bleach to get rid of the mold/mildew.

i dont know about fabric but if any of it got on the walls they will need to be repainted with "killz" then painted again because if you just try to clean it or paint over it the mold will come back and through the paint.. like i said i dont know about fabric but figured i would add that lol

Living in a warm & humid climate, I was raised to use a solution of bleach diluted with a little water to kill ANY mold or mildew that might occur. It is very effective. During my Spring cleaning, I use the bleach/water solution to spray the pipes under all the sinks in my house. I also spray around my windows to stop any mold or mildew that might develop. Washing the clothes should get the smell out & if bleach can be used on them, I'd suggest it here too. If laundering is completely out of the question, I'd suggest letting them dry completely & then buying a pump spray bottle of Febreze. Febreze will kill the odor in cat pee so it should also kill that musky smell from mildew. I strongly suggest you DON'T use the aerosol spray can of Febreze opting for the pump bottle. The aerosol can does NOT work as effective as the pump bottle does!!! I hope these ideas help both you & your friend!!!!!!

I'm well aware of that. The best thing you can do is use a bleach-based product to kill the mold at the source. For your cloths you just need to wash them regurally to get the smell out, and make sure you keep them in a dry place so that mold can't get on them. I wash me, and my partner's cloths twice a week.

Bleach is effective where it wont be a problem with ruining colours. On things like window frames it should work okay. I have got mildew stains and smell out of a few things using star drops which is a general purpose cleaner available in the uk.

I would try Arm & Hammer Carpet and Fabric pet fresh on the clothes that have been exposed to mildew. I have no pets, but use it on the curtains and rugs and other fabrics. I think it has a nice scent. My other favorite is Renuzit Super Odor Neutralizer. Either of these is more effective in my opinion than the better known brand (Febreeze)and way cheaper, too. Here are links showing what the containers look like. http://img.epinions.com/images/opti/cc/6a/Arm_Hammer_Carpet_Fabric_Pet_Fresh_Odor_Eliminator-resized200.jpg http://img.epinions.com/images/opti/eb/c2/Renuzit_Super_Odor_Neutralizer_Fine_Mist_Air_Freshener_All_Scents-resized200.jpg

hi twoey68, I'll be curious to read the answers you get here. I have a problem every year with this. my bathroom has no ventilation and it gets just horrible in the summer months. I have yet to find anything that really gets it out of the calking and yet my landlady gets after me and tells me that I must. I left a skirt on the floor once and I ended up tossing it as I just could not get it out. Hope someone here has some great advice.

Yes ive had stuff rueind before from mildew. But isnt Lysol supposed to be good for killing mold and mildew? Maybe some liquid lysol.

I would probably use a color-safe bleach to wash the clothes in. I use this all the time for my husband's work clothes because he works in a machine shop and his clothes get quite smelly. It also takes out the spots from work that develop on his clothes as well. Unfortunately I've had things that have gotten mold and mildew on them that I have had to toss because the spots won't come out. Perhaps vinegar might help as well.

I'm in the cleaning biz and see it a lot..two things I use: a magic eraser or Clorox clean up...I'd love to see if there's other (maybe better breathing) ways of cleaning it. For the curtains or fabric maybe try oxi clean? I've never had anything ruined because of it yet..thankfully..it's pretty hard to fix once it sinks it's teeth in. :(