Mold is a type of fungus that can grow on any area of your home. When it grows in nature, it will eat dead leaves, grass, fruit or trees. When it grows in your home, it can decay paper products, textiles, carpeting or wood furniture. Mold can also begin to grow in your clothes. If this happens, it makes little brown, black or yellow dots on the clothes. Remove these growths as soon as possible to prevent the mold from actually decaying the clothes.
Why Mold Grows
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Mold needs nutrients and food in order to grow. It finds nutrition in almost any substance and can actually eat dust. Thus, it can grow anywhere in your home where there are dust spores or organic matter. Mold also needs water to survive. Mold tends to grow in areas of your home with excess moisture, such as bathrooms, crawlspaces, basements or laundry rooms.
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Preventing Mold
Because mold can find nutrition in almost any surface of your home, prevent mold from growing on your clothes by solving the excess moisture problem in your home. The best way to do this is to fix leaks and flooding in your home as soon as you notice it. If this doesn't work, install a dehumidifier in your home to lower the relative humidity there. Air out closets as often as possible as well.
Cleaning Mold on Clothes
You can clean mold spots on your clothes by laundering them as normal in your washing machine. The high heat kills the mold spores and the laundry detergent removes the brown mold spots. If the mold spots are still visible, mix 2 tbsp. bleach with 1 qt. warm water. Sponge the solution into the brown mold spots. Let it sit for 15 minutes before scrubbing the spots on the stain.
Storing Fabric
Storing your textiles and your clothes is essential to making sure that the mold doesn't grow there. Always store your clothes in a dry place. If your home is humid, store the clothes in big plastic bags to prevent mold spores and excess moisture from getting in.