How To Get Rid Of Mold And Mildew When Laundering Baby Clothes

Mold and mildew spreads quickly, growing on many surfaces, including fabrics. The last thing you want is for your baby to crawl or walk around in moldy clothing or sleep on a mildewed blankie. Nope, not on your watch. And, of course, if your baby inhales mildew odors, they won't be able to tell you they don't feel well.

A baby-safe method to get rid of this problem is to brush off the mildew, pre-soak it in borax and water, and if needed, spot-treat it with lemon and salt or non-chlorine bleach before laundering. It's a multi-step process, and you'll only escalate from one ingredient to the next if the stains persist.

Not-so-fun fact: Mold and mildew can be dangerous. The toxins they produce can cause allergies, skin rashes, and respiratory illnesses, as noted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Humidity, warmth, and dark enclosed spaces create optimum conditions for the stuff to grow, and mildew's prime targets are organic, non-synthetic fabrics. While washing with soap and water is a mandatory step to eliminate mildew, on its own, machine washing is usually not enough and could possibly "infect" other clothes.

The supplies you'll need to tackle and eliminate a mildew problem in clothing are newspapers, a utility toothbrush or scrub brush, borax and water, lemon and salt, non-chlorine bleach, and liquid laundry detergent. You may not need every ingredient. Take it step by step and see what works before increasing the firepower. 

Working outside with a mask on is a good idea. Place the affected clothing on some newspaper and scrub off as much mold as you can, working gently enough not to disrupt the nap of the fabric. Optional: Spot-treat the area with liquid detergent first, then scrub. Then, throw away those newspapers in the outside garbage. In a bucket, mix 2 cups of borax into 2 quarts of extra hot water and let the garment or blanket soak for three hours. Wring out the excess water and, if needed, get yourself some good old lemon and salt from the kitchen, applying it to bleach the area.

If you're out of lemon, add about ¼ cup of non-chlorine bleach to the spot. Finally, it's important to launder the item with soap and water after using either the lemon-salt mixture or bleach; rinsing alone isn't sufficient. For best results, line-dry the item in the sun for an extra sanitizing boost. If clothing has a moldy odor but no stains, you can use vinegar to get the mildew smell out of your laundry.