How to Get Mold & Mildew Stains Out of Colored Clothes

While bleach is your best bet, there are options to remove mold from clothes even without the use of bleach too. Learn how to get mold and mildew stains out of clothes and fabric.

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Use as directed.

A common cause of mold and mildew on your clothes is letting a damp load of laundry sit in a washer or basket before drying. As a preventative measure, we recommend doing your next load of whites using hot water and detergent with 1/3 cup Clorox® Disinfecting Bleach to rid the washer of any residual problems and prevent transfer to other loads.

As for treating affected clothing, you’ll first want to determine whether the fabric is bleach safe. The best mold and mildew killers are products with sodium hypochlorite, the active in our Clorox® Disinfecting Bleach and Tilex® Instant Mold & Mildew Remover. This is OK for whites and bleach-safe colors. If you’re not sure, we have a quick test to check: How to Test Fabric for Colorfastness to Bleach.

What you need

If your clothing is bleach-safe, follow these steps to remove mold and mildew stains.

Steps to remove mold & mildew stains from clothing with bleach

  1. Brush away spores

    First, be sure to brush away any obviously visible mold and mildew spores.

  2. Machine wash

    Machine wash the load in the hottest water recommended on the care label using detergent and 1/3 cup of Clorox® Disinfecting Bleach.

  3. Air dry

    Air dry and check for success — lighter stains should come out but super heavy stains or items that require cooler wash temperatures may need a second treatment.

Now, let’s tackle stains and smells from clothes that are not bleach safe.

Steps to remove mold & mildew stains from clothing without bleach

  1. Brush away spores

    First, be sure to brush away visible mold and mildew spores.

  2. Pre-soak

    Dissolve 2/3 cup Clorox 2® for Colors Stain Remover & Color Brightener Powder in 2 gallons of the hottest water recommended on the garment label, either in your sink or washing machine on the pre soak setting. Pre soak bright and dark colors for 30 minutes, or 1 hour for all other garments.

  3. Machine wash

    Machine wash the load in the hottest water recommended on the care label using detergent and more Clorox 2® for Colors Stain Remover.

  4. Air dry

    Air dry and check for success — repeat the treatment if needed.

What if you have no visible mildew stains, but your clothes still smell musty? Clorox has the solution to that too.

Steps to remove musty smells from clothing

  1. Load washing machine

    Put smelly laundry in your front- or top-load washing machine.

  2. Add Clorox® Laundry Sanitizer 

    Pour Clorox® Laundry Sanitizer into your fabric softener compartment. You can also add it directly to your rinse cycle.

  3. Machine wash

    Machine wash laundry with your favorite detergent as usual, following the fabric care instructions on your garments.

    Tip

    Clorox® Laundry Sanitizer even works in cold water.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Clorox 2® for Colors Stain Remover to pre-treat before placing my clothing in a High Efficiency washing machine?

Yes, Clorox 2® for Colors can be used with both standard and HE washing machines.

Can Clorox 2® for Colors Stain Remover extend the life of my clothes?

Yes. Clorox 2® for Colors can help your colors and whites avoid looking dull from stains and from washing, extending the life of your clothes. Pretreat for best results.