How to Remove Mildew Stains

"Dora was a simple girl staying in California with her boyfriend in a grand beach house. Dora was extremely compulsive about neatness and cleanliness. However, the one concern that kept her occupied, constantly, was mildew. The mildew stains and the mildew smell drew her insane. She tried speaking to her boyfriend regarding this, but he was fairly indifferent as he was kind of used to it. Soon, their difference started to crop, Dora couldn't continue living in a mildew ridden house, and they broke up." So, you see how much of a problem mildew can create? Well, admitted, the story is slightly extreme. But why would you want to try it out first hand? Let us see, how to get rid of mildew stains.

Ways to Remove Mildew Stains

Method 1
Mildew stains could at times seem absolutely impossible to remove, especially if you are the DIY (Do It Yourself) kinds. But first and foremost, you need to know if your problem is mildew or mold. For then you need to check out mold vs mildew comparisons, to be sure. Mildew stain removal needs a little bit of tact and knowledge. To start off with, you need to make sure that the mildew stain is dry. Then, you can expose the fabric in air and brush off the stain. I know, all of it won't come out. But like I said, 'to start off with', this will remove the lose mold growth, hence avoiding further stains. Then, you can keep the fabric exposed in the sun. The sunrays effectively kill the molds over the period of a couple of hours. Then, you can soak the stained fabric in cold water for sometime and then wash off the stains with detergent in hot water. Make sure that you dry the fabric in the sun.

In case of a travesty like the stains still adamantly in place, you need to roll up your sleeves, this is war! Anyway, if such a problem occurs, take diluted chlorine bleach with chlorine and water in the proportion of 2:1, and use it on the stains. Leave it on for about 10 - 15 minutes and then wash and rinse. Again, make sure that you dry the cloth in the sun, to avoid infestation.

Method 2
Mildew stains can stay on other fabrics like carpets as well. In this case, it affects the decor of your house. I wonder, how can you allow that? So, your question, how to remove mildew stains from fabrics like carpets? Well, let's start. To start off with, keep the carpet exposed to sunlight for a couple of hours. Then, use a dry or wet shop vacuum cleaner on the stains. This should work sufficiently well at pulling out the remnant moisture off the carpet fabric. You need to make sure that there is no moisture in the fabric, you can do a blotting paper test on it to know. Then, you use detergent on the stained area. Then make a solution of, a cup of liquid clear laundry detergent and a couple of cups of water. Put this solution on a clean white towel and use this to clean the carpet. Once the carpet is stain free, you need to make sure that it gets moisture-free as well. You can expose it to sunlight and then vacuum over it to pull out the added moisture. Moreover, the laundry detergent will also get sucked out.

Method 3
Another bad side effect of mildew, is the mildew smell. I am sure those of you who have experienced this must be thinking how to get rid of mildew smell. Before I get to the answer, I need to tell you that mildew smell can be sickening. In fact, one of my friends gets nauseated by it instantly. So, you need to avoid mildew to avoid it's smell. Nonetheless, if you have not been able to accomplish that, here is a quick fix method to get rid of the "eww mildew" smell.

Take the affected clothes or linen and put them in the washing machine. Use the highest temperature of water possible. Do not use any detergent or fabric softener, Take 2 cups of white vinegar and pour it in. I repeat, no detergent of fabric softener as of now. Once it has finished the washing cycle with vinegar, put the same load in, back again and use laundry detergent this time. No fabric softener again. Use hot water this time round as well. Once the clothes are washed, dry them in the drier or while exposing them to sunlight. However, do not keep them moist for long. This can cause mildew again.

So, I hope my article has helped you at keeping your home mildew-free. This is where I sign off! Take care!