# Mildew stains on clothes

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mildew-stains-on-clothes/510747
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [September 19, 2009, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mildew-stains-on-clothes/510747 "2009-09-19T21:24:32Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![ianjohnson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a3d4f5/32.png) [@ianjohnson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianjohnson)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2009, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mildew-stains-on-clothes/510747/1 "2009-09-19T21:24:32Z")

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How do you get rid of them, on colored clothes in particular? They got a long soak in Oxyclean before getting washed, to little effect.

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### Author: ![dragonlady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f8ce5/32.png) [@dragonlady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dragonlady)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2009, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mildew-stains-on-clothes/510747/2 "2009-09-19T23:14:01Z")

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Good luck.  
I’ve tried everything I can think of and nothing works short of chlorine bleach, and that’s iffy.

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### Author: ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2009, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mildew-stains-on-clothes/510747/3 "2009-09-19T23:56:43Z")

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Yes, in my experience mildew is pretty much forever.

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### Author: ![Magicicada](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c67d28/32.png) [@Magicicada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magicicada)
#### Post date: [September 20, 2009, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mildew-stains-on-clothes/510747/4 "2009-09-20T00:50:45Z")

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You might try Greased Lightning, a general-purpose cleaner/laundry aid. We use it at the motel where I work and it takes out some pretty tough stains, although admittedly we rarely deal with mildew on colored fabrics. It is sold in dollar stores (in a spray bottle) or home improvement places (in a big jug), although for some reason I’ve never seen it in the Martopias. Of course, you’ll want to try it in an inconspicuous area, but I’ve never noticed any problems with it taking dye out of fabrics, so I’m thinking it’s color-safe.

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### Author: ![JXJohns](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jxjohns/32/469_2.png) [@JXJohns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JXJohns)
#### Post date: [September 20, 2009, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mildew-stains-on-clothes/510747/5 "2009-09-20T02:01:41Z")

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Use a paste of OxyClean and really scrub it in the stain. It works for me.

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### Author: ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)
#### Post date: [September 20, 2009, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mildew-stains-on-clothes/510747/6 "2009-09-20T02:06:28Z")

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I wonder if you could Lysol them.