How to get rid of fungus in hoarded fabric
 

Hi,
I have lots of fabric which are 2 or more years old. I occassionally take them all out and air them but recently I have noticed that they have a fungus smell. I run a boutique for ready-made clothing and I can't sew using smelly fabric! I stitched using one and had to wash it because of the smell, the dress looks as if its used now! please advice. And can anybody suggest how to ward off fungus from my fabric stash? I use a bit of silica get crystals here and there it may not be enough......

Put a one or a few dehumidifiers where you store your fabric.
Sounds like there is a lot of humidity where you live.
We have 3 in our (big) basement.

wash the fabrics.
add ammonia to the regular laundry detergent.
a full cup if the washer is fully loaded.
adjust the amount if the load is smaller.

wait until the washer has filled with water and has just started to agitate.

i don't have a clue how you'd do that if yours is a front loader.

the ammonia stinks to high heaven when you put it in.
the aroma will be completely gone by the time it's done washing.
it's most likely that the fabric odor will be gone, too. :)

If you wash the fabric before sewing it up and give it a good press. the finished product will not look used.

I second using ammonia or you can try white vinegar.

You need to deal with the humidity problem, the little crystal sachets are not enough.

I am wondering how you store your fabric. Is it on open shelves or in plastic bins? After washing with ammonia or vinegar in the washing machine, airing/drying it in sunlight also helps if you can do that .... the musty smell will dissipate. Hope these suggestions help. Good luck!

Ditto what PatriceJ stated. Put a timer on the agitation then let it soak. Use a full load setting. When it gets ready to rinse add a cup of vinegar. When that's done wash one more time like you would regularly for the load. That should do it. Also use hot water if you can. When you store your fabric try to do it so you can have some air circulating. I save the silica sachets and put those in some of the containers. We have a lot of humidity but we don't have a basement. One more thing I use ARM AND HAMMER laundry. If you use a scented laundry detergent makes it difficult to tell if you've gotten rid of the smell. As long as the smell is still there so is the fungus. Pull everything away from the walls and make sure you don't have a mold situation started from a possible leak. If it's on your clothes or any fabric. You may have a bigger problem than you think.

washing soda ?? I use that on DH's hunting clothes and I hang them outside even if its snowing .. Does wonders for sure !!

20 Mule Tm Borax and if that doesn't work, try adding a cup of lemon juice to the wash water

Hi,
Thank You all for your wonderful suggestions, I shall try using vinegar during my final rinse and air the cloths. I keep my cloths in a closed shelf but I do keep it open and air them at times. I was thinking I would would first wash one fabric, press it and use it for sewing and see how it looks......