Home Remedies to Remove Mildew Stains

Tap to Read ➤ Medha Godbole

Mildew is a type of fungus which thrives on moist surfaces. It largely affects ceilings, walls, paper, leather, clothes, and basically any organic material. This articles talks about the various home remedies that can be used to remove mildew stains.

If you see a fungus-infected plant, it is most probably mildew that has affected the plant. It is a type of fungus that is thin and black (sometimes white) in color. There are two types of mildew - the one affecting the plants (powdery); and the one affecting any organic material (downy). The downy kind affects various organic materials like fabric, carpets, and clothes.

Home Remedies Mildew is common when the weather is damp, and infestation is more likely in damp surfaces like bathroom tiles, ceilings, shower walls, etc. As a result, there could be staining on these surfaces.

Tiles Stains To begin with, spray the area with a tile cleaner and scrub the tiles clean, using a stiff-bristle brush or toothbrush. For persistent mildew, spray a solution of commercial bleach and water (1 part bleach and 10 parts water). Leave it on for a few minutes, and then rinse with water.

Carpet Stains Vacuum the area using a wet/dry shop vacuum cleaner, to suck all the water content from the carpet. Once the area is completely moisture-free, blot it with a clean white towel. Put some laundry detergent on it. It will act as a scrubbing agent when you clean the area.

Another way of doing this is, mixing a cup of liquid clear laundry detergent with a couple of cups of water, dabbing it on a clean white towel, and then cleaning the stains. Remember not to use too much of the liquid, since it will again add to the moisture content, and encourage the growth of mildew.

Once you are done, use the vacuum cleaner to suck extra moisture from the cleaning solution. You can also spray a light mixture of water and ammonia (a cup of water and one-fourth cup ammonia) on the carpet.

Clothes Stains To get rid of the stains from clothes, expose the mildew-affected clothes to open air, and brush off the loose mold growth, if any. Let the fabric dry out in the sun. The sunlight will help kill all the fungus. Now, soak the remaining stains in cold water, and then wash them with a detergent in hot water.

Dry them in the sun again. If this doesn't work, use diluted chlorine bleach (with chlorine and water in the proportion of 2:1). Leave it on for 10 minutes and rinse. Again, rinse and dry the clothes in sunlight.

If the aforementioned remedies do not work, you may need some professional help. Apart from the being unpleasant to the eyes and having a pungent odor, mildew may also cause various health issues. The best way to prevent another mildew disaster is to keep all the moisture-prone surfaces as dry as possible.