Still Reacting To Clothes (from closet w/mold) Despite Washing 5 Times -- Why??

[animalcule]

Recently discovered mold in a bedroom closet, posted about it before. I'm coming to the realization that I'm probably going to have to throw everything out, even what I've cleaned. The question is ... why??
I had some clothing in the closet that I wanted to salvage. So I washed it with ammonia and a super surfactant detergent. Then I washed it with vinegar. Smelled it afterwards and had a reaction (tongue went numb, sore throat). So I washed it again, this time with more vinegar and detergent, then with essential oils that are supposedly antifungal, then with a ton of borax. Still I had a reaction to the clothing, this time pretty bad. Why?? Note: none of the clothing had visible mold on it, at any point. It all looked clean, but it had been in the closet where the mold was found.

I cleaned the mold up before I could sample it, but room samples turned up some other toxic molds in the air (but not the big bad guys like aspergillus or stachybotrys). Fusarium, penicillium, acremonium, alternaria. Could have been any of them that cause my illness. But after washing my clothing 5 times ... the spores should be gone. And the mycotoxins should have been neutralized. What gives? What exactly could it be that remains that is causing a reaction?

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

Recently discovered mold in a bedroom closet, posted about it before. I'm coming to the realization that I'm probably going to have to throw everything out, even what I've cleaned. The question is ... why??
I had some clothing in the closet that I wanted to salvage. So I washed it with ammonia and a super surfactant detergent. Then I washed it with vinegar. Smelled it afterwards and had a reaction (tongue went numb, sore throat). So I washed it again, this time with more vinegar and detergent, then with essential oils that are supposedly antifungal, then with a ton of borax. Still I had a reaction to the clothing, this time pretty bad. Why?? Note: none of the clothing had visible mold on it, at any point. It all looked clean, but it had been in the closet where the mold was found.

I cleaned the mold up before I could sample it, but room samples turned up some other toxic molds in the air (but not the big bad guys like aspergillus or stachybotrys). Fusarium, penicillium, acremonium, alternaria. Could have been any of them that cause my illness. But after washing my clothing 5 times ... the spores should be gone. And the mycotoxins should have been neutralized. What gives? What exactly could it be that remains that is causing a reaction?

We discovered a case of black mold on Easter, a couple of weeks ago, in my son’s closet. It got there from a humidifier he ran day and night with door shut at night. I put the clothes out in the sun for 48 hours before washing everything, and it turned out fine. My son is extremely sensitive to things. The sun is the best for killing bacteria and mold.

 

[animalcule]

We discovered a case of black mold on Easter, a couple of weeks ago, in my son’s closet. It got there from a humidifier he ran day and night with door shut at night. I put the clothes out in the sun for 48 hours before washing everything, and it turned out fine. My son is extremely sensitive to things. The sun is the best for killing bacteria and mold.

Holy cow... just looking at those pictures gives me anxiety. Glad he's ok - and not reacting to the clothes. I would have freaked and thrown everything out if it looked like that.

I will say that I washed the hangers with ammonia and then lay them out in the sun for a day. When I collected them to bring them in, I started feeling unwell again. Was it all in my head? I don't know. Perhaps but longer would have done it but still ... there is something very toxic that is clinging to these items that isn't mold itself, but a byproduct, a poison or something. If straight ammonia doesn't kill it, I'm doubtful that more sunlight would. But maybe. Might try.

 

[Connor888]

We discovered a case of black mold on Easter, a couple of weeks ago, in my son’s closet. It got there from a humidifier he ran day and night with door shut at night. I put the clothes out in the sun for 48 hours before washing everything, and it turned out fine. My son is extremely sensitive to things. The sun is the best for killing bacteria and mold.

Does your son feel ok? When I was in my early teens I slept in a room with a huge wall covered in black mold from top to bottom with the window shut, that had me coughing for weeks. And I haven't felt great since - couldn't see it because it was hidden behind my wardrobe

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

Does your son feel ok? When I was in my early teens I slept in a room with a huge wall covered in black mold from top to bottom with the window shut, that had me coughing for weeks. And I haven't felt great since - couldn't see it because it was hidden behind my wardrobe

Yes he is great. He had no repercussions from the mold, because the closet door was shut and he runs, continuance a hepa filter with an ionizer. I fear to know how that would have played out if he didn’t have that filter. His mold was behind the hanging clothes too. He has plantation-style closet doors, enabling the moisture to get into the closet.

 

[CSH]

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[Veritas IV]

What gives? What exactly could it be that remains that is causing a reaction?

Probably similar to the story behind Chinese Vitamin C. Despite the factory cleaning out the mold in which the product is produced , the mold remnants left behind are still enough to produce a reaction. I'll bet you're particularly sensitive to the mold that was (is) in your closet, and despite five washings there's still enough remnants left behind to produce a reaction. Maybe it's still in the clothes or still in the closet, or has been introduced elsewhere.

And if true then unfortunately i can't think of an easier/workable solution at the moment that doesn't involve gutting the closet, which can make the problem worse in the short term at least.

 

[JamesGatz]

How do you know you're reacting to mold on the clothes when you sprayed a bunch of different HIGHLY TOXIC chemicals on clothes that would give you the same symptoms? Ammonia and these types of detergents are highly toxic and make it difficult to breathe

 

[animalcule]

How do you know you're reacting to mold on the clothes when you sprayed a bunch of different HIGHLY TOXIC chemicals on clothes that would give you the same symptoms? Ammonia and these types of detergents are highly toxic and make it difficult to breathe

Briefly unmuting you James... Because this is sort of hilarious. Like, you imagine I'm standing in my laundry room with an open bottle of ammonia, huffing fumes, having trouble breathing, and thinking, "Oh no! Mold reaction!"

Haha... no. Ammonia is a common laundry aid that I’ve used before with no reaction (I don’t breathe in the fumes or mix it with bleach, it’s diluted in a giant drum of water, and it’s rinsed out multiple times). Stop fear mongering. It’s a powerful chemical that adults with certain goals and objectives are capable of using responsibly without poisoning themselves (why am I even typing this out?). I’m also capable of recognizing a mold reaction now -- it makes my tongue numb and taste metallic, not something typically associated with ammonia anyway.

Vinegar, hypoallergenic detergent, essential oils, and borax: used them all before. No reaction. Also all of them are non toxic, apart from the borax which has the potential to be toxic if used in large amounts and not thoroughly rinsed, but even if so would not cause my reaction, especially just from smelling the clothes.

 

[animalcule]

Laundry | EC3 Air & Clothes Bundle | Micro Balance Health Products

EC3 Laundry Additive is designed to cleanse towels, linens, gym clothing, pet beds, and other machine-washable items that are often damp and close to the skin for long periods of time

microbalancehealthproducts.com

Look into using these products …i use and love them!….I have no affiliation

Thanks! I'll look into it.

 

[animalcule]

Probably similar to the story behind Chinese Vitamin C. Despite the factory cleaning out the mold in which the product is produced , the mold remnants left behind are still enough to produce a reaction. I'll bet you're particularly sensitive to the mold that was (is) in your closet, and despite five washings there's still enough remnants left behind to produce a reaction. Maybe it's still in the clothes or still in the closet, or has been introduced elsewhere.

And if true then unfortunately i can't think of an easier/workable solution at the moment that doesn't involve gutting the closet, which can make the problem worse in the short term at least.

I scrubbed the walls of that closet with vinegar. Repainted it. I don't know. I'd like to move back into that room but I just get a weird uncomfortable feeling every time I enter. I don't know if it's just in my head, or if there's still mold fragments elsewhere. The fact that I've washed the clothing so many times, with so many chemicals, and I'm still reacting, makes me think that maybe washing down these walls and repainting might not be enough, if I'm hypersensitive.

 

[JamesGatz]

Briefly unmuting you James... Because this is sort of hilarious. Like, you imagine I'm standing in my laundry room with an open bottle of ammonia, huffing fumes, having trouble breathing, and thinking, "Oh no! Mold reaction!"

Haha... no. Ammonia is a common laundry aid that I’ve used before with no reaction (I don’t breathe in the fumes or mix it with bleach, it’s diluted in a giant drum of water, and it’s rinsed out multiple times). Stop fear mongering. It’s a powerful chemical that adults with certain goals and objectives are capable of using responsibly without poisoning themselves (why am I even typing this out?). I’m also capable of recognizing a mold reaction now -- it makes my tongue numb and taste metallic, not something typically associated with ammonia anyway.

Vinegar, hypoallergenic detergent, essential oils, and borax: used them all before. No reaction. Also all of them are non toxic, apart from the borax which has the potential to be toxic if used in large amounts and not thoroughly rinsed, but even if so would not cause my reaction, especially just from smelling the clothes.

Why do you have me muted? You should have my posts FULL VOLUME on blast

LITERALLY EVERYTHING YOU SPRAYED ON THE CLOTHES IS TOXIC AND STAYS ON THE CLOTHES

AMMONIA IS TOXIC, DETERGENT IS TOXIC, BORAX IS TOXIC

Borax kills ant colonies, do you really think it doesn't affect people?

I CAN SAVE YOU from this mold illness you're having, but you'll NEVER GET BETTER if you have me muted

 

[JamesGatz]

Also, the mold is probably INSIDE THE WALLS TOO, thats probably what you're reacting too

 

[akgrrrl]

Because spores can last for millenia. Some create a biofilm over a small colony to survive. Some burrow into dirt, soft wood, sand in cracked concrete---hundreds of ways these have stayed alive even thriugh an ice age and resurrected themselves.

 

[makaronai]

I scrubbed the walls of that closet with vinegar. Repainted it. I don't know. I'd like to move back into that room but I just get a weird uncomfortable feeling every time I enter. I don't know if it's just in my head, or if there's still mold fragments elsewhere. The fact that I've washed the clothing so many times, with so many chemicals, and I'm still reacting, makes me think that maybe washing down these walls and repainting might not be enough, if I'm hypersensitive.

Maybe something like Homebiotic spray or similar product could help?

 

[akgrrrl]

Maybe something like Homebiotic spray or similar product could help?

Only Kilz will work. Then your paint. I had to repaint and entire 1000sqft level after basement flood. Dumped in 3 bottles Thieves therapeutic grade YoungLiving aromatic botanicals in each 5gal bucket of paint. Nary a prob since.

 

[ALS]

Borax kills mold and fungus down to the 'root'. Use that. Soak them in a solution before washing. Borax kills mold and fungus - Google Search

 

[AlaskaJono]

Kilz primer works. Used it many times, post Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast... where it is moldy often in the older houses. For washing clothes here in Australia there is Bosistos, a Eucalyptus oil and various products. I would get this or similar where you are in the states and pour it into the washing machine, and or soak it for a while, like hours first. Also use the moisture collector pots from the 2$ shop, the ones with no fragrance, or get Damp Rid, etc, for the closets and corners of the room. It is a common problem in humid places like Queensland.

 

[Panopticon]

ai is trying to kill you and it uses the mold as a reference point, it Doppler clones the smell among other things in space and time(they don't exist)