To get mold out of clothes, brush off the surface growth outdoors, soak the items in a white vinegar solution, wash them on the hottest setting the fabric allows with a mold-formulated detergent, and dry them in direct sunlight. Whenever I sample indoor air in a mold-affected home, laundry is one of the first places I look, because fabric holds moisture and feeds mold the moment a damp towel gets left in a pile. The good news is that most moldy clothing can be saved with the right routine. Here is the full step-by-step process, why a normal wash often is not enough, and how to clear mold out of the washing machine itself.
Key Takeaways
- Act fast and wash hot. Washing at around 140°F (60°C) removes most mold spores far more effectively than a cool cycle, while a detergent’s surfactants lift them off the fabric. [1][3]
- Pre-treat with white vinegar. A vinegar soak helps kill many common household molds and loosens staining before the wash.
- Never mix vinegar and bleach. Together they release toxic chlorine gas. Use one or the other, never both.
- Dry in the sun. Sunlight’s UV helps kill spores the wash leaves behind. [4]
- Clean the washer too. Mold hides in front-loader gaskets and dispensers. A hot vinegar cycle plus a wiped-down gasket keeps it from coming back.
- Some items cannot be saved. Heavily mold-damaged or delicate porous items may need to be discarded. [2]
What You’ll Need
Remedy Laundry Liquid Detergent (32 oz)
A fragrance-free, botanically based detergent built around surfactant chemistry, formulated for households that react to conventional laundry products. For clothing, bedding, towels and washable fabrics.
$29.40, or subscribe and save 15%. Rated 4.8 from 57 reviews.
See the product and directions
Want to judge the difference yourself? Run a mold plate test in your laundry area before you switch and again a few weeks after.
- White vinegar
- A mold-formulated or antifungal laundry detergent (such as Remedy Laundry Liquid)
- Borax (optional booster, best for cotton and linen)
- A soft brush and an old toothbrush
- A washing machine, and ideally an outdoor clothesline
How to Wash Mold-Exposed Clothes, Step by Step
- Brush off surface mold outdoors. Take the items outside and brush away loose mold with a soft brush, so you are not shaking spores around your living space. If you are mold sensitive, wear a mask for this part.
- Pre-soak in a vinegar solution. Mix about one cup of white vinegar per gallon of warm water and soak the clothes for at least an hour. Vinegar helps kill many of the molds that settle into fabric and loosens the staining.
- Wash hot with a mold-formulated detergent. Run the items on the hottest cycle the care label allows, using a detergent made for mold-prone laundry. Hot water and the wash action remove the spores far more effectively than a cool cycle, and the detergent’s surfactants lift them off the fibers so they rinse away instead of clinging to the weave.
- Add a booster if mold remains. For stubborn spots, add half a cup of borax (good for cotton and linen) or a cup of white vinegar to the wash. Never combine vinegar with bleach, which produces toxic gas.
- Dry in direct sunlight. Hang the clothes outside if you can. Sunlight adds a natural mold-killing and brightening boost that a dryer does not. [4]
- Inspect, repeat, or retire. Check the items once they are fully dry. Repeat the soak-and-wash if traces remain. Items that still smell musty or show staining after a couple of cycles may need to be discarded.
Why Mold Survives a Normal Wash
I tell families that a quick warm-water cycle is not the same as actually removing mold, and the science backs that up. Mold spores are tough. Standard detergent at a warm temperature lifts a lot of soil, but surfactants alone do not reliably kill fungal spores; they mostly dislodge them from the fibers. What makes the difference is heat plus the wash itself. Research on laundry hygiene shows that washing at around 140°F (60°C), combined with detergent, is far more effective at removing fungal contamination than a cooler wash. [1][3] That is why the hot setting and the sun-drying step matter so much, and why a mold-formulated detergent is built to lift spores efficiently rather than to promise a kill on its own.
How to Clean Your Washing Machine
Whenever I trace a recurring laundry-mold problem, the washer itself is often the source, especially with front-loaders. Moisture gets trapped in the rubber door gasket, the detergent dispenser, and the seals, and mold sets up there. To clean it, wipe the gasket with a mix of equal parts white vinegar and water, using an old toothbrush to reach into the folds where mold hides. Pull the gasket back gently to expose the trapped grime. Then run an empty cycle on the hottest setting with a couple of cups of white vinegar, or a dedicated washer cleaner, to flush the drum. Wipe everything dry afterward, and leave the door open between loads so the drum can air out. If you want to understand how mold spreads indoors in the first place, ImmunoLytics, a sister company of CitriSafe, has a helpful primer on understanding mold.
Preventing Mold in Clothes and Laundry
The families I work with hear the same refrain from me: mold is a moisture problem first. Do not let damp laundry sit in the basket or the machine; move it to the dryer or line promptly. Leave the washer door and the detergent drawer open between loads so they dry out. Keep closets and laundry areas ventilated, and run a dehumidifier if your home tends to stay humid. Store only fully dry clothes. These habits prevent recurring laundry mold far better than any single wash can.
When Clothes Cannot Be Saved
Not every item is salvageable, and it is worth being honest about that. Fabric is porous, so mold can grow down into the fibers rather than just sitting on the surface. The EPA’s mold guidance notes that heavily contaminated porous materials sometimes cannot be fully cleaned and may need to be discarded. [2] If an item still smells musty or shows staining after two full soak-and-wash cycles, or if it is a delicate fabric that cannot take hot water, replacing it may be the safer call, especially for anyone who is mold sensitive.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does vinegar kill mold on clothes?
White vinegar can kill many common household molds and makes a useful pre-soak, but it is not guaranteed against every species. Pairing it with a hot wash and sun-drying is more reliable than vinegar alone.
Does washing clothes kill mold?
Washing helps, but warm water and detergent mostly lift spores rather than kill them. Washing at around 140°F (60°C) removes most spores far more effectively than a cool wash, and drying in sunlight helps kill what remains. [3][4]
Can you get the mold smell out of clothes?
Often yes, with a vinegar soak followed by a hot wash. If a musty odor lingers, see our guide to getting mildew smell out of clothes.
Is mold on clothes dangerous?
For many people moldy fabric is mainly a nuisance, but for mold-sensitive individuals it can trigger symptoms. Our guide on moldy clothes and bedding explains the health side in more detail.
Can moldy clothes be saved?
Most can, with prompt treatment. Heavily contaminated or delicate items that stay musty after repeated washing may need to be discarded. [2]
References
- Bockmühl DP. “Laundry hygiene: how to get more than clean.” Journal of Applied Microbiology. 2017;122(5):1124-1133. (PMID 28092141)
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. “A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home.” epa.gov.
- Akhoundi M, Nasrallah J, Marteau A, Chebbah D, Izri A, Brun S. “Effect of Household Laundering, Heat Drying, and Freezing on the Survival of Dermatophyte Conidia.” Journal of Fungi (Basel). 2022;8(5):546. (PMID 35628801)
- Amichai B, Grunwald MH, Davidovici B, Shemer A. “Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants: the efficacy of sun exposure for reducing fungal contamination in used clothes.” Israel Medical Association Journal. 2014.
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More on fabrics and laundry
Next step: the Laundry Treatment Guide
A short, sequenced walkthrough for washable fabrics: how to sort, how to dose, what water temperature to use, and what to do with items you cannot put through a machine. All three laundry products are listed at the end with directions.
I read that the washer needs to be stopped after agitation for at least 1 hour. I will have to ask the commercial laundry establishment will want to have mold remediation.
Are there suggestions on how many ounces to use in the wash and what would the difference be between using a top loader and side loader and the size of the side loader washers (how many ounces)?
Thanks for researching and getting back to me on this I might have helped in promoting the product and would like to be connected with someone on being a possible affiliate.
I am very sensitive to mold and chemicals (petroleum based).