Even though curtains are supposed to be there to make your room look better, they can sometimes ruin the entire look when they get moldy.
Mold on your curtain can happen when the room gets a bit too humid, and the extra moisture allows mold to build on the curtains.
This can give your curtains an unsightly look that you should be worried about. So, how do you remove mold from curtains?
You can remove mold from your curtains through any of these means or a combination of these means:
- Using a mold cleaner
- Scrubbing them out
- Vacuuming them after brushing them loose
- Machine washing the curtains
- Hiring a professional curtain cleaner
Moldy curtains should be something that you should be concerned about because not only are they bad to look at, but they can also cause health issues that can pile up.
It is important that you know how to properly clean mold out of your curtains so that you will have beautiful curtains that are as clean as possible.
How to remove mold from curtains
Contents
You already know why curtains can get moldy and why you need to remove mold from your curtains. Let us now look at the different ways you can use to remove mold from curtains.
And take note you can use any of these methods or a combination of two or more of these methods in case the mold is too stubborn and whenever you have curtains that have a thicker fabric.
Use a mold cleanser or remover
Using a cleanser to remove the mold on your curtains can be an easy and quick fix that requires little effort on your part other than scrubbing and removing the mold out.
You can actually make your own cleanser at home by combining one cup of white vinegar with three parts of cold water and then three tablespoons of borax.
The acidity of the solution will be a great way for you to kill and remove stubborn mold. Of course, scrub the mold out using a brush.
Alcohol can be a great way to kill mold as well, but it can end up damaging the fabric of your curtains. That’s why it is best to dilute alcohol first before using it as a mold remover.
And for shower curtains, you can use dishwashing soap, but the same solution won’t work on fabric curtains.
Scrubbing them out
Using the same cleaner that we talked about previously or using a different cleaner, or even a combination of soap and water, you can scrub the mold out of the curtains.
Use a kind of scrub or a brush that is mild yet strong enough to remove the mold from the curtains.
We don’t recommend that you use a wire brush or a metal scrub because you might end up damaging the curtains when you scrub the mold out too hard.
You might end up getting the mold out, but you are also going to take out part of the curtains as well.
It is best to use a good cleaning brush with hard enough bristles that won’t damage the fabric.
Make sure that you thoroughly scrub the mold out to make sure that it is removed or, at the very least, becomes loose.
Vacuuming
If the mold is a little loose or if you have scrubbed the mold well enough to make it lose, what you need to do next is to vacuum it out of the curtains.
So, the reason for vacuuming the mold out of the curtains is to make sure that they won’t spread in the air. The air carries mold through spores.
If you don’t vacuum the mold out of the curtains, there is a risk of allowing the mold spores to spread out in the air and propagate on other moist areas in your home as well.
But by vacuuming the mold, you are stopping it in its tracks as you are now sucking in the spores as well so that you will minimize the propagation of mold in your air.
But make sure that you vacuum the mold out once it has become quite loose through a series of scrubbing or brushing.
Machine wash
The old tried and tested method of machine washing has always been an effective way of cleaning your curtains from top to bottom.
This can also help remove the mold on your curtains and the stains that the mold left on your curtains.
When machine washing your curtains, put the settings on the hottest level so that the hot water will end up killing all traces of mold in the curtains.
But be sure that your curtains are actually machine washable. After that, you can put your curtains in the dryer for them to dry off without getting exposed to the outside air, which may carry mold spores.
Hire an expert cleaner
When all else fails, and you don’t know what to do anymore, just simply hire an expert cleaner to do the job for you.
That way, you will minimize the effort on your part while making sure that your curtains are cleaned by someone who actually knows what he is doing.
This might cost you money, but it is the safest and most efficient way for you to remove the mold on your curtains.
Why do curtains get moldy?
Curtains are indeed great at making your home or your room a lot more stylish. But, then again, as great as curtains are, they are still prone to certain issues that may defeat the purpose of having great curtains.
Mold is one issue that can make curtains look terrible, especially when they infect your curtains. But why do curtains get moldy?
When you look at where curtains are installed, they are usually placed in front of windows.
Your windows are just like any kind of glass in the sense that they are prone to condensation when there are certain changes in the temperature.
Condensation happens when moisture in the air gets trapped in the room and will form water droplets on your windows. This excess moisture on the window can be what mold needs to grow and propagate.
So, considering that your curtains are so close to your windows, they can come in contact with the moisture on the windows.
When they get moist enough, the curtains will provide the base for the mold to grow and propagate. Mold can be anywhere in the room because it is carried by air.
And when mold lands on your curtains, the moisture on the fabric will allow them to grow and spread out.
All that said, that most curtains are made of fabric is also one reason they can easily get moldy.
This is not the same as the curtains you have in your shower because such curtains are made of plastic or nylon and will not allow moisture to easily build on them. It is more common for mold to develop on window curtains as opposed to shower curtains.
All that said, when the curtains get too moldy, they will look ugly and may, in fact, make your entire room look worse. This essentially defeats the purpose of having curtains that are supposedly there to make the room look better.
Why you should clean out mold from curtains
Now that you know why curtains can get moldy, you might wonder why you should clean them out of your curtains.
Aside from how ugly mold can be, there are far more serious reasons that you must know about the effects of mold on your health.
Few people really know that mold can be dangerous to your health and can even cause severe health issues that you should know about so that you can avoid getting sick.
Whenever you are dealing with something that is moldy, it is important that you make sure that you protect your respiratory system because you can breathe in mold, which can affect your lungs in the worst possible ways.
And those who are sensitive to mold can end up getting allergic reactions that other people rarely experience when they are exposed to mold.
All that said, here are some of the common issues that are associated with mold exposure:
- Fever (when exposed to mold too much)
- Sneezing when you have an allergic reaction
- Sore and itchy throat
- Reddish and watery eyes
- Shortness of breath
- Development of asthma at a young age
The longer you are exposed to mold in your room, especially if you don’t clean the mold on your curtains, the more likely you are to end up getting sick due to mold.
The symptoms can even get worse, and you might end up getting sick frequently because of your exposure to your moldy curtains.
Meanwhile, if you have children in the house, you are putting them at risk because children are much more prone to the health issues associated with mold exposure.
Asthma in children can develop very early due to mold. And while some children may be healthier than others and are not as prone to asthma development, they can still end up developing respiratory problems, serious or minor, as long as they are exposed to mold regularly.
All that said, it is very important for you to make sure that you regularly inspect your curtains for mold and that you try in removing the mold from your curtains to make sure that you and everyone in your household are protected from the health hazards that are associated with moldy curtains.
