How to Prevent Mold From Growing on Fabrics

Mold can grow in the fabrics you have throughout your home, in your closet and in long term storage. This will make your fabrics smelly and irritable to people with allergies. In extreme cases, it can permanently damage or destroy fabrics. Follow these preventative steps to care for your fabrics.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Washing machine
• Clothes dryer
• Laundry detergent
• Water repellent spray
• Fungicidal fabric treatment
• Oversized zip-top bags
• Dehumidifier

1. Keep all of your fabrics as dry as possible. Dirty, wet clothes and other wet fabrics should be dried completely before being thrown into hampers. Damp or wet towels and washcloths should be hung or spread out to dry.
2. Consider treating certain fabrics with water repellent sprays. For most clothes, this is not necessarily practical. But it works well on drapes, rugs, slip covers and even some jackets and outerwear.
3. Purchase an aerosol fungicide spray that can be used on fabrics. Follow the directions on the fabric to treat the items that may be most susceptible to mold.
4. Before storing any clothes or fabrics in short or long term storage, make sure they are perfectly clean and dry. For long term storage, store fabrics in airtight containers if possible. Oversized zip-top bags are useful for airtight storage of larger items like quilts.
5. If you fear that mold may grow on drapes or upholstered furniture in a room or in other fabrics in storage closets, keep dehumidifiers in these areas. Keep the dehumidifiers on and maintained.

Tips & Warnings

• If you have a mold allergy take these precautions seriously and ask your doctor what you should do in the event of an allergic reaction.