Help - wet and moldy.
 

My sister purchased fabric for me at a yardsale 3 weeks ago. There are 30 - 40 fat quarters and 20 - 30 clear plastic unsealed bags with 1 - 2 yards of fabric in each. When I got it yesterday and looking through the fat quarters on the bottom of the plastic tote they are in, they were wet and moldy.

I know I am throwing all the fat quarters out, but would you also throw the fabric in the unsealed plastic bags out too?

I'm thinking I should, but I need advice.

Thanks!!

I think I would give it all a whirl in the washer and dryer first... not much to loose except some soap, water and a little time and electricity. You may be surprised at the end results... Hope it works out well... Faye

I would wash everything before deciding what to throw out. If the fabric in the unsealed plastic bags has no mold, they may be useable. Before washing, trim the edges with pinking shears. This will keep the threads from coming loose and tangling everything. I'd sure hate to throw that much fabric out!

Hi Carol...I would pitch it all. We spend too much of our time and effort in putting together a nice gift for someone or for ourselves and we want it to last. You cannot be sure where this fabric even came from. It may not be quality fabric to begin with.

I agree with Beebee - if you don't successfully remove all of the mold, it can cause problems later. That being said, if you really want to try, here is a good site http://www.ehow.com/how_7021088_way-...on-fabric.html

The Ehow article is great. I could not throw out fabric without trying to save it. If you can save even 50% of it, you are so far ahead!

One thing I would add....Odoban, Eucalyptus scent, is a wonderful odor remover. It is, also, a disinfectant. If, after you wash & do everything else, the smell persists. Try soaking the fabric in an Odoban solution...less than 1/8 cup per washer load. Odoban can be purchased at Sam's Clubs & Home Depot by the gallon. I use it in all my wash to get rid of odors, especially sweat. It was the only thing I found that got rid of cigarette smoke smell in carpeting in a trailer we purchased that had been used & abused.

"One thing I would add....Odoban, Eucalyptus scent, is a wonderful odor remover."

Thanks for recommending this -- I'd never heard of it -- and I love the smell of Eucalyptus.

I'd wash the fabric, too. You might get lucky and salvage more than you think.

I would also try washing everything first - in hot water - LIKE COLORS TOGETHER - so if in case you had a bleeder, it wouldn't do much noticeable damage.

(Depending on how moldy things were - if it was just 'a touch' - I would give it a try - if the fabrics are the color of charcoal - I would also toss them)

I think I would consider wearing rubber gloves while handling the fabrics, though.

This is another 'it depends' situation -

Just removing the odor will NOT kill/remove mold/mildew spores. Before washing, I would give them a good soaking with vinegar and hot water. Use a bucket or some other small container, not your washing machine. Use about a cup of white vinegar, to a gallon of HOT water and let the fabric soak (stirring, every now and then), for several hours. That should kill any mold/mildew spores, as well as get rid of any odor. After the soaking, wash the fabric (you can pour the soaking water into the washer, with the fabric), as usual. The detergent should remove the vinegar smell.

Some of the fabrics may bleed, so it's best to do like colors, together.

BTW, I agree with throwing out the obviously molded fabric!

What about adding peroxide to the wash water?

(I don't know what it does to fabrics - I know it used to be used in cleaning wounds - pour it in/on - watch it bubble - swab out the goop - redress the wound)

I use peroxide to pre-treat whites with stains. It acts as a mild bleach and has gotten out all mannerr of spaghetti, blood, red wine stains. Never tried it on colored clothing.

If it has mold on it, I would suggest wearing some sort of mask as well as gloves while sorting and washing.....

BE careful using peroxide. It is a bleach. As a nurse, I always used it to get blood off my uniforms. I would be careful using it on colors unless you don't care if the color fades. I question peroxides' ability to kill the mildew spores also. If they aren't killed, they will come right back.
Sue

I just hate the thought of throwing all that fabric away. But I'm concerned about using the fabric, even though it is in plastic, that was near the fat quarters that definately have mold on them.

hmmmm.... i am in the pitch it camp. there are other fabric hauls to discover with less health risks.

I noticed that nobody ever mentions using Borax nor Washing soda to remove odors. They have always been reliable for me.

Vinegar can be very effective--soak like colors over night in a bucket with two cups of white vinegar. Drain and wash as usual with hottest water cycle and a cup of vinegar with the detergent. BTW, when I use this to remove eau de German Shepherd Dog after my son and his dogs visit (washing machine, only) my laundry does NOT smell like pickles--just clean and fresh. Dry the fabric outside if you can. Sunshine is a germicide and mildew killer.

Borax, yes. I meant to mention that but couldn't remember the name off the top of my head. That's worked well for me in getting smells out.

I'd wash it first too with oxiclean to start. It may take a few cycles to get the smell out. However, once washed and dried, I would give the fabric a stress test. If it has been stored improperly for a long time, it can be brittle and of poor quality.

When you all mentioned Borax and vinegar, would you wash the moldy fat quarters in that or just the fabric? I'm planning on throwing those out. I don't want to take any chances with the mold.

I would throw out the moldy FQs. My vinegar suggestion (on page 1- one cup white vinegar, to one gallon HOT water) was for the fabric stored in plastic bags, which may have mold/mildew spores in it.

I would think that any mold spores would be killed in the dryer as long as you dried the fabric thoroughly. I would toss the moldy ones and the ones that don't show mold, use one of the methods mentioned previously and then dry them well in a hot dryer and you should be good.

No way would I throw it out without first trying to save it!!! You may have a quilter's goldmine there - wash it all in the hottest water possible using Odo-Ban or Oxi-Clean. Then I'd dry and iron it - see what it looks like after! It is so against my grain to toss fabric without first trying everything possible to bring it back to life.

I would cut off the areas that cannot be saved and I would do this outside. I would then hang the fabric or leave the fabric outside exposed to the sun because sunlight kills mold spores. The brighter the sunlight and the longer outside the better. I would then sort the fabric putting like colors together and start washing load by load with bleach for whites, colorfast bleach for colors or you can use vinegar in the washes in place of bleach. Instead of drying in my dryer I would hang outside again to expose to more sunlight. If that doesn't work then I would have no recourse other than to toss it. But like I said I would do the beginning part outside. I would not want the mold spores in the house. Good Luck.

Three weeks is kind of a long time to wait to start doing anything with the fabrics -

The pieces with visible mildew, I would chunk, the rest I would try washing with one or more of the products the other posters are suggesting.

Personally, I'd throw it ALL away, along with the bin. Here's why.

Mold spores cannot all be seen so you really can't judge what LOOKS mold free to actually BE mold free.
There is no way to know how long it's been sitting in that condition or whether the bagged fabrics were bagged up only for the yard sale because they looked cleaner than the others.
It clearly came from a source that had very low standards of care.
There is a risk of spreading spores to other areas of your stash, house, etc.
Someone who is extremely mold sensitive may wind up with a quilt made from these fabrics.

The risk, work, and worry are not worth it to me. I'm just not that desperate for fabric.

I would serger all the end and then wash it all (FQ and all) but that's me.

Thank you all for your input. I decided that I would not take any chances with the fabric and I threw everything, including the plastic tote, in the trash.

I hated to see so much fabric thrown away, but I would always wonder if there was mold in the fabric.

Thank you all.

A very wise decision. I'm sure you won't regret it. :)

Here is a website that may help youhttp://blacktoxicmolds.com/borax-kill-mold.php

Good luck Caroline

My DD is an avid fan of Lysol and that Oxiclean .. maybe try that wash it twice (once in Lysol and the 2nd time in Oxiclean). That is what she uses to clean almost everything in the wash and around her house (besides vinegar in the kitchen and bathrooms-x 4 bathrooms-they have a big house !LOL).

I would definitely be careful breathing around the fabric and handling it if it is moldy. A surgical mask and gloves might be beneficial to you. That being said, I would try to salvage what I could. Oxi-clean is a great remover of odors and discoloration. I would give it a try with detergent in very hot water and dry the fabrics in the sun, if possible. Also, the use of color catchers in the washer might be helpful in case some of the fabrics' colors run. Good luck, whatever you deccide to do.

If there's quite a bit of mildew, I'd also seriously consider wearing a mask before you start unfolding the fabrics. Mildew is a pernicious thing - the little spores go everywhere, and they absolutely LOVE the inside of your lungs. I'm pretty frugal myself, but I won't deal with mildewed stuff for any reason. Some things just aren't worth the risk! But if you are determined to salvage them, Neesie's advice is sound... a separate container OUTSIDE. Remember, your a/c picks up those spores and spreads them around your house. Just because you don't see them doesn't mean they aren't there. This is a good example of being penny-wise and pound foolish.

One last thought... if you do try to save them, dry them flat on the grass in the morning, when the nascent chlorine from the dew being evaporated by the sunlight will help kill any remaining spores (which you can count on being there... mildew doesn't go away easily).

Whew! Good choice... wise lady. I don't care what wonderful fabrics you may have tossed... the danger from the mold was far more than it was worth, in terms of your health and that of your family. Excellent choice!

I agree with your decision to throw it away, also. No way would I want to handle it enough to even try to save, just not worth it!

I think you made a wise, though sad, decision. You certainly don't want mold spores flying all around! They're there, whether you can see them or not.

I understand your reasons for tossing it all, but I'm a rescuer at heart and would not be able to do so...just saying...I'd only toss what still had stains after washing in oxyclean.

I have no advice, but thanks to everyone for the tips...you learn everything on this board!

If you are able to reclaim some of this fabric, I would not use it for quilts etc that will be used by babies or children.
Mold spores are tough to get rid of and some people (like my daughter) are very allergic to mold. Good Luck