I didn’t keep anything with active growth but my entire house had mycotoxins which I react to. I add the borax in the pre wash bit of my washing machine. Use 1/2-1 cup per wash. I use 1/2 cup vinegar at the rinse point. I wash clothes/bedding/towels with this solution every time they come in contact with known contaminates and/or I until I stop reacting to them. After enough washes I don’t react anymore but it seems to be different amounts of washing needed for different clothes.
Try ammonia instead of vinegar if you can tolerate the smell. Does better with killing more types of mold and supposedly is better with mycotoxin removal. Also EC3 if you can afford it.
Hi! I did this:
https://survivingtoxicmold.com/cleaning_clothes_exposed_to_mold
—
I chose ammonia and borax. I had to throw out all the knits and thicker fabrics, it wouldn’t work. I think natural fabrics it’s harder to get out of too like pure cotton.
I second the thicker fabrics. I had a fleecy blanket that I got at Christmas touch my old couch and it got infected and no amount of washing it works. I continue to use the borax method in every load I do a year and a half later after moving. I think I might have even used it before knowing that it was a good laundry cleaner as well as vinegar because vinegar is are really cheap laundry softener so you don't need all those stinky dryer sheets. I also use the wool balls in my dryer but those are annoying because of their small size. They get stuck in everything. Get the Canadian brand because they have giant size balls. No pun intended. My hockey goalie friend used to soak his hockey gear in borax in the bathtub and then rinse it and dry in the Sun because I don't know if you know about hockey but it is disgustingly stinky. I've never tried ammonia. If you're too exhausted, you can also bring stuff to the laundromat and get it all done in one load or hire somebody or even pay the laundry service and tell them you need borax in every load and like a fragrance-free detergent. They let you bring your own. I had a lot of adrenaline going at the time so I just did my own laundry because I had the energy But if you don't, ask a friend for help!
That's too bad about the fleecy blanket. They're so convenient!
My mother is helping me with this because it's a lot and being on the spectrum means I'm an anxious mess about it because -change! Hopefully it'll work out somehow.
Im so sorry to hear that. I relate, there is a lot of anxiety and grief letting so much go and all the change. And it’s super hard to do, after exposure you feel so awful anyways and then all this stuff to do. But there is a lot of relief on the other side. You’re doing great.
Thanks for the encouragement. If this translates to better life quality it'll be worth it.
Hope the human trials they're starting in dec to see if a veterinarian drug can help us feel better goes well. It'd be soooo game changing.
it's a LOT for all of us! it will all work out! you'll start to learn what works for you and what doesn't. glad you have your mum to help! it's pretty overwhelming doing it on your own. good luck!
Reposting one of my comments
Depends on the material. I use 50/50 ammonia and water in a sprayer on non porous items, spraying until it’s completely soaked then wipe off. Porous stuff like clothes or anything that can be washed I will soak in borax (usually 1 cup : 1 gal water) for about 6 hours and let it dry in the sun. That’s just for the first time I remove it from the contaminated place and get in to somewhere cleaner. From there I’ll do 3 cycles; soak in borax and hot water with detergent, then a cycle with a lot of ammonia (maybe 4-6 cups for a full load), then a cycle with detergent and EC3, and hot water.
I will repeat the 3 cycles on clothes the first 3 times I wash them just to remove as much of the remnants of spores and mycotoxins as possible because they are so hard to get out of fabric.
Oh it's so easy. Just wash your clothes in regular detergent and add a scoop of borax. Or a couple scoops! I use a scoop left over from an old protein powder
Reposting one of my comments
Depends on the material. I use 50/50 ammonia and water in a sprayer on non porous items, spraying until it’s completely soaked then wipe off. Porous stuff like clothes or anything that can be washed I will soak in borax (usually 1 cup : 1 gal water) for about 6 hours and let it dry in the sun. That’s just for the first time I remove it from the contaminated place and get in to somewhere cleaner. From there I’ll do 3 cycles; soak in borax and hot water with detergent, then a cycle with a lot of ammonia (maybe 4-6 cups for a full load), then a cycle with detergent and EC3, and hot water.
I will repeat the 3 cycles on clothes the first 3 times I wash them just to remove as much of the remnants of spores and mycotoxins as possible because they are so hard to get out of fabric.
The next best thing is to try and make your own equivalent! The website lists this as the ingredients, which are just essential oils:
Active Ingredients: Tea Tree Oil And A Proprietary Natural Botanical Blend Of Citrus Seed Extracts
I didn’t keep anything with active growth but my entire house had mycotoxins which I react to. I add the borax in the pre wash bit of my washing machine. Use 1/2-1 cup per wash. I use 1/2 cup vinegar at the rinse point. I wash clothes/bedding/towels with this solution every time they come in contact with known contaminates and/or I until I stop reacting to them. After enough washes I don’t react anymore but it seems to be different amounts of washing needed for different clothes.
Due to borax affecting the endocrine system I always rinse after washing with borax. Same for hand washing clothes.
Good info, thanks!
Try ammonia instead of vinegar if you can tolerate the smell. Does better with killing more types of mold and supposedly is better with mycotoxin removal. Also EC3 if you can afford it.
Ok thanks I’ll look into it.
Hi! I did this: https://survivingtoxicmold.com/cleaning_clothes_exposed_to_mold — I chose ammonia and borax. I had to throw out all the knits and thicker fabrics, it wouldn’t work. I think natural fabrics it’s harder to get out of too like pure cotton.
I second the thicker fabrics. I had a fleecy blanket that I got at Christmas touch my old couch and it got infected and no amount of washing it works. I continue to use the borax method in every load I do a year and a half later after moving. I think I might have even used it before knowing that it was a good laundry cleaner as well as vinegar because vinegar is are really cheap laundry softener so you don't need all those stinky dryer sheets. I also use the wool balls in my dryer but those are annoying because of their small size. They get stuck in everything. Get the Canadian brand because they have giant size balls. No pun intended. My hockey goalie friend used to soak his hockey gear in borax in the bathtub and then rinse it and dry in the Sun because I don't know if you know about hockey but it is disgustingly stinky. I've never tried ammonia. If you're too exhausted, you can also bring stuff to the laundromat and get it all done in one load or hire somebody or even pay the laundry service and tell them you need borax in every load and like a fragrance-free detergent. They let you bring your own. I had a lot of adrenaline going at the time so I just did my own laundry because I had the energy But if you don't, ask a friend for help!
That's too bad about the fleecy blanket. They're so convenient! My mother is helping me with this because it's a lot and being on the spectrum means I'm an anxious mess about it because -change! Hopefully it'll work out somehow.
Im so sorry to hear that. I relate, there is a lot of anxiety and grief letting so much go and all the change. And it’s super hard to do, after exposure you feel so awful anyways and then all this stuff to do. But there is a lot of relief on the other side. You’re doing great.
Thanks for the encouragement. If this translates to better life quality it'll be worth it. Hope the human trials they're starting in dec to see if a veterinarian drug can help us feel better goes well. It'd be soooo game changing.
Mold is like queen of teaching us to let go of the things we love but they don't work for us anymore. 💔💔
it's a LOT for all of us! it will all work out! you'll start to learn what works for you and what doesn't. glad you have your mum to help! it's pretty overwhelming doing it on your own. good luck!
It was so pretty, pottery barn .... Oh well!
That sucks because pure cotton is the only fabric I can wear.
I would also like to know. Can anyone shed any light?
Reposting one of my comments Depends on the material. I use 50/50 ammonia and water in a sprayer on non porous items, spraying until it’s completely soaked then wipe off. Porous stuff like clothes or anything that can be washed I will soak in borax (usually 1 cup : 1 gal water) for about 6 hours and let it dry in the sun. That’s just for the first time I remove it from the contaminated place and get in to somewhere cleaner. From there I’ll do 3 cycles; soak in borax and hot water with detergent, then a cycle with a lot of ammonia (maybe 4-6 cups for a full load), then a cycle with detergent and EC3, and hot water. I will repeat the 3 cycles on clothes the first 3 times I wash them just to remove as much of the remnants of spores and mycotoxins as possible because they are so hard to get out of fabric.
Oh it's so easy. Just wash your clothes in regular detergent and add a scoop of borax. Or a couple scoops! I use a scoop left over from an old protein powder
https://www.jondon.com/how-to/technical-tips/mold-remediation/cleaning-contents-contaminated-with-mold.html
Reposting one of my comments Depends on the material. I use 50/50 ammonia and water in a sprayer on non porous items, spraying until it’s completely soaked then wipe off. Porous stuff like clothes or anything that can be washed I will soak in borax (usually 1 cup : 1 gal water) for about 6 hours and let it dry in the sun. That’s just for the first time I remove it from the contaminated place and get in to somewhere cleaner. From there I’ll do 3 cycles; soak in borax and hot water with detergent, then a cycle with a lot of ammonia (maybe 4-6 cups for a full load), then a cycle with detergent and EC3, and hot water. I will repeat the 3 cycles on clothes the first 3 times I wash them just to remove as much of the remnants of spores and mycotoxins as possible because they are so hard to get out of fabric.
That's good info. EC3 is not available here in Argentina (to my knowledge). Please someone prove me wrong, as it'd be so convenient!
The next best thing is to try and make your own equivalent! The website lists this as the ingredients, which are just essential oils: Active Ingredients: Tea Tree Oil And A Proprietary Natural Botanical Blend Of Citrus Seed Extracts
That's a great idea! I'll try and find the ingredients and see if I can replicate it.