BS: How to remove mildew & mould?

Subject: BS: How to remove mildew & mould?
From: Little Hawk
Date: 16 Sep 03 - 07:57 PM

I've got this futon and I made the mistake of leaving it on the carpet through the summer. Lo and behold it got a little musty on the bottom. I noticed when I started smelling the mouldy smell coming from it. Apparently there was more moisture in that floor than I had thought, and it crept into the futon bit by bit. So...how do I get the mould and the blackish stains out? Is there a good solution for this? I'm not talking about really big stains here, but stains nonetheless.   I tried putting it in the sun today to kill the mould (hopefully).

- LH

Subject: RE: BS: How to remove mildew & mould?
From: Sorcha
Date: 16 Sep 03 - 08:37 PM

Sun might help, but can you use chlorine laundry bleach on it? That is the best thing.

Subject: RE: BS: How to remove mildew & mould?
From: Sorcha
Date: 16 Sep 03 - 08:37 PM

Well, diluted a bit so it doesn't eat the fabric.

Subject: RE: BS: How to remove mildew & mould?
From: Peg
Date: 16 Sep 03 - 09:08 PM

diluted bleach is a good idea;    diluted tea tree oil   will help kill any fungus or mold still lingering

Subject: RE: BS: How to remove mildew & mould?
From: Little Hawk
Date: 16 Sep 03 - 09:55 PM

Right. I'll try that. Thanks!

Subject: RE: BS: How to remove mildew & mould?
From: GUEST,pdc
Date: 16 Sep 03 - 11:23 PM

Plain white vinegar will kill the smell, and the vinegar smell will disappear also.

Subject: RE: BS: How to remove mildew & mould?
From: Bert
Date: 16 Sep 03 - 11:26 PM

Do you GET any sun way up north there?

Subject: RE: BS: How to remove mildew & mould?
From: Sorcha
Date: 16 Sep 03 - 11:28 PM

Yes, but will the vinegar kill the mold?

Subject: RE: BS: How to remove mildew & mould?
From: NicoleC
Date: 16 Sep 03 - 11:37 PM

My sinuses HATE mold! Is there mold in the carpet, too? That's probably the bigger issue.

This is a radical not environmentally friendly suggestion -- throw it out. Or recycle it into something less personal. You'll never get it all out and it will keep growing back. (Even bleach. I've tried. It gets out the old stains, but it just grows more.)

Subject: RE: BS: How to remove mildew & mould?
From: harpgirl
Date: 16 Sep 03 - 11:40 PM

LH
Living in the "Mildew Capital of The South" I consider myself an expert on that subject. Throw the futon away. You will not be able to get the stain out. You might be able to get the smell out, but mildew is like rust. It doesn't reverse itself! Love, harpfrau

Subject: RE: BS: How to remove mildew & mould?
From: mg
Date: 17 Sep 03 - 12:10 AM

that's what I thought..throw it out..burn it ..whatever...and while you are at it can you rip up the carpet? I hope I live to see the day when there is no more wall to wall carpet...isn't it one of the strangest things humans do? Nail a filth collector to the floor, that can never be aired out, washed properly etc..then walk on streets where people spit, and then walk on it. In hospitals even.   Oh now you got me started on one of my favorite topics. But I am sure that your particular carpet is totally sanitary. mg

Subject: RE: BS: How to remove mildew & mould?
From: LadyJean
Date: 17 Sep 03 - 12:57 AM

My bathroom has very poor ventilation, and a steam pipe that sprays all over the walls. It's a mildew farm. I've found that Amway dry bleach is wonderful for killing mildew, IF you can get it. I wish the Amway people would just put their stuff on the shelves like honest people. OxyClean works well too.

Subject: RE: BS: How to remove mildew & mould?
From: mg
Date: 17 Sep 03 - 01:50 AM

I have a steam cleaner...it works very well on some mold situations..particularly in Vancouver, WA we had awful mold in windowsills..aluminum ones with tracks...it would just blast it away..it doesn't work for me well on shower mold though...

mg

Subject: RE: BS: How to remove mildew & mould?
From: RichM
Date: 17 Sep 03 - 05:03 AM

Bert, we are blessed with Sun--in high summer it's light in Ottawa at 4 am, and the last rays leave at 10 pm....

On Baffin Island, in June/July the sun never sets; It circles the horizon all day!

Rich McCarthy

Subject: RE: BS: How to remove mildew & mould?
From: Little Hawk
Date: 17 Sep 03 - 12:39 PM

Couldn't agree with you more about wall-to-wall carpets, Mary. They are an idiotic way of covering a floor. I was not responsible for putting that carpet in, and I may eventually remove it. We'll see. Yes, I'm sure there is some mildew in the carpet, although it's not visible.

I may throw out the futon. Still thinking about that. Now I know why they raise them up on those wooden frames. So the good part is: I've learned something useful here to bear in mind in the future.

I would love to get rid of that carpet, but it would be a huge job (considering all the stuff I'd have to move first to get at it...and then I'd have to put in some kind of wooden floor or something, cos what's under that carpet would not be exactly ideal... Yikes! Like I said, big job.

Mildew must be the most tenacious lifeform on planet Earth!

- LH

Subject: RE: BS: How to remove mildew & mould?
From: M.Ted
Date: 17 Sep 03 - 02:04 PM

Before you do anything else, lay the futon out in the sun, mildew side up--when it is good and dry, the mildew will be dry, too--then get a really good vacuum and clean it. If you feel inclined, instead of Oxyclean, buy a box of Arm and Hammer washing soda and a box of 20 Muleteam Borax and mix them(this is what Oyclean is, but it costs about a quarter as much) and do whatever with it.

After all this,through the futon out, because even if this works, you'll never be able to get the mildew out of the filling;-)--

Subject: RE: BS: How to remove mildew & mould?
From: katlaughing
Date: 17 Sep 03 - 04:31 PM

LH, that's what we are looking at having to do in our house to get rid of the wall to wall....doubly bad if you have pets! HUGE project and somewhat costly...something to save up for.:-) Fortunately, in the high, dry desert we don't have much mold and mildew.

One thing that worked well to get it off the walls when we lived next to a wetlands in Connecticut, was Simple Green, plus it's got that licorice-like clean scent to it, so it was almost fun to clean the slime off the walls.:-)

I'd throw the futon out...have you heard that enough times, now?**bg**

kat