Naked Science Forum
Life Sciences => Cells, Microbes & Viruses => Topic started by: Lewis Thomson on 12/02/2018 09:35:28
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Sam asks:
I live in a hot and humid environment, and I often get little black mould spots on my clothes. I would like to know what mould grows on our clothes and why do they find our clothes a good home to live in? How can I remove them effectively? I've tried scrubbing them with laundry detergent, soaking them in vinegar, and putting them under the hot sun - all didn't work. What can I do to prevent them from growing on my clothes? Why are some clothes more easily "infected" compared to others?
Any thoughts?
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Mould and fungi break down organic materials when they die, and recycle the nutrients. All it needs is some spores (they float everywhere in the air), some moisture, and something they can digest.
Without them, considerable nutrients would be lost in the leaves fallen off trees, and the trees could not grow.
Cotton is a cellulose fiber - and cellulose makes up a major component of leaves and wood, so it is not surprising that fungi could attack cotton clothes.
If you had pure synthetic clothes, I imagine that it would be harder for fungi to break them down. But then, purely synthetic clothes might be rather uncomfortable in a hot and humid environment.
It is also possible that the mould is not attacking the cloth itself, but digestible deposits on the clothes.
See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mold (with US spelling)
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If you want to remove the mould try a weak bleach. Milton solution is readily available and safe on clothes - but test an area of colour first as it can fade the colour.
It contains 1% sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) and 16.5% sodium chloride (NaCl; common salt). 1:80 dilution is used to sterilise babies' feeding utensils, including baby bottles.