pokeyscorner

I agree with you Cari I had a water heater burst & didn't discover it for a few days. I googled info on cleaning & one of the Universities had info that included Borax & hanging out on the sun or laying on clean grass. I did that & 90% of the quilt fabric came out great.

SusieQOH

From microbiology I learned that spores can only be killed by heat.

Jingle

At 72 I have heard all my life that only bleach kills mold. Never know who to believe.

Gerbie

I posted a message a few days ago about a video and information for saving textiles and other things that may be flood damaged. This info came from Renee Tallent who is the manager of the Galveston Historical collections for the Galveston Historical Foundation. You might have this person look her videos up on You Tube or go to the 9-8-17 newsletter @ the Quilt Show.com I hope she checks tis out and saves her quilt (s).Renee showed some videos specifically related to Hurricane Harvey.

ND Quilter

My community suffered two horrible floods. The first was in 1969 and the second was in 2011. After the 1969 flood, we were told to wash things with bleach water. We saved many things and had no problems with mold. In fact in my basement, we pulled the paneling away from the studs, cut out the insulation about 4 feet up from the floor and washed everything with bleach water. After things dried, we nailed the panel back in place. No problem for 42 years. During the clean up for the 2011 flood, we were told to throw anything that had been touched by flood water. I hired a clean up company to do the work. Cleaning up after a flood was a lot easier at 19 than at 61. I watched them throw stuff that I just knew could be cleaned up. I started washing things that I knew could be saved. No problems after 6 years. Both floods had sewage mixed in the water. In the '69 flood, water was up to the rafters between the basement and main floor. In the '11 flood, the water was about 4 1/2 feet deep in the basement. Yes, quilts and anything that can be washed can be cleaned up after a flood. Didn't know about using borax.

Pepita

While the consequences from Harvey were sensational, and that was all that was on the news for a week or more, it is horrific to live with the fall out. The flood waters were everywhere. That being said the flood water from my area could be from rain or river. Water from areas anywhere near a refinery or oil storage is a whole other story. So, the area and the kind of junk in it is worth considering. I'd guess dawn would be added if oils were present. The medical center got hit hard, and that's a different beast.

selm

Here's a link that says bleach does kill mold(as well as the other methods you listed).
http://moldpedia.com/remove-mold-mildew-clothes-fabric

themadpatter

I sent an email to the mycology professor at my alma mater, UCDavis, to get the expert opinion on this. While doing so, I remembered that my professor (of Mycology) tried to make sure than no one opened anything in the lab that contained black bread mold (Rhizopus) because it makes so many spores that is will totally contaminate the lab, and make it hard to get a pure culture. It was a total dream, because at least once a quarter someone would already have unleashed the hounds before they realized that everyone else in the lab was yelling, "DON'T OPEN THAT!!!" Hios other rule was that any petrie dish that had Rhizopus in it was to be put directly into the autoclave tub, without being opened. Because the heat and pressure of an autoclave will kill anything, spores included. Its how they sterilize medical instruments, etc. They make up trays with all the instruments for a certain procedure, wrap them in a freshly laundered surgical drape, clamp it shut with a hemostat, and autoclave it. Than you can open it with gloved hands using the hemostat, and everything stays sterile. But the point is, they autoclave the surgical drapes, which are COTTON FABRIC, and they seem to come out fine. I don't know if it causes wear on the fabric or not. Anyone here a doctor or nurse or such who knows about autoclaving?

SSStitches

After the floods here, I found my great grandmothers white quilts in a chest at my moms house that was underwater. They were black, and had other colors faded on them. I soaked them in the jetted tub, little bleach and vineger. They came out beautiful.

cashs_mom

Oh, good to know. I never thought of using the jets on the garden tub to wash things. Learn something new every day