🧪 Special casesHow to remove mildew stains
Black spots · a living stain
Black spots or gray patches on clothes in a closet during the rainy season, on towels left damp, or on winter clothes stored for a long time are mildew (mold). Unlike other stains it's alive, so it spreads if left alone, and the pigment the mold produces dyes the fibers and may not come out completely.
🔬 Why this order works
Brush off the spores, then kill the remaining mold and remove the pigment with bleach. For white cotton chlorine bleach is the most reliable; for colors use oxygen bleach and sunlight. If you don't get rid of the moisture, it will come back.
🧺 Step by step
Tap a step when it's done to tick it off.
👕 By fabric
Chlorine bleach (if the care label allows) is the most reliable. Follow the dilution ratio in the directions and ventilate.
Oxygen bleach + drying in the sun. Black spots may remain.
Brush off wool, silk and leather, then take them to a dry cleaner. Bleach will damage the fibers.
🚫 Don't
- Brushing off spores indoors.
- Mixing chlorine bleach with vinegar or acidic cleaners — toxic gas.
- Putting clothes back in the closet before they're fully dry.
⏳ If it has already dried
With old mildew stains, color may remain even after bleaching, and the fibers there may have weakened. If the smell persists, wash again and dry completely.
💡 Tip
Keep a dehumidifier pack in the closet, and always wash and fully dry clothes before storing them for the season, and mildew won't form.
❓ Common questions
Is a sour smell in towels also mildew?
It's often the smell of bacteria that grew while the towel wasn't fully dry. Washing with warm water and oxygen bleach and drying completely gets rid of most of it. If you see black spots, it's mildew.
What about mold on a leather bag?
Never use bleach on leather. Brush it off outdoors with a dry cloth, wipe with a dedicated leather cleaner, and dry it in the shade. The method on this page is for fabric.
🔗 Related stains
🧭 All stains
- Coffee stains
- Red wine stains
- Kimchi & tteokbokki sauce stains
- Curry stains
- Tomato sauce & ketchup stains
- Jjajang (black bean sauce) & soy sauce stains
- Chocolate stains
- Grease & oil stains
- Milk, formula & spit-up stains
- Blood stains
- Mud & red clay stains
- Yellow sweat stains
- Shirt collar & cuff grime
- Lipstick & lip tint stains
- Foundation & cushion compact stains
- Sunscreen stains
- Nail polish stains
- Hair dye stains
- Ballpoint pen ink stains
- Permanent marker & name pen stains
- Grass stains
- Chewing gum
- Candle wax & crayon stains
- Rust stains
- Mildew stains
- Egg stains
- Green & black tea stains
- Fruit, juice & cola stains
- Baby poop & diaper blowout stains
- Urine stains & odor
- White deodorant marks
- Mascara & eyeliner stains
- Water-based & acrylic paint stains
- Sticker, tape & adhesive residue
- Highlighter stains
- Fountain pen & printer ink stains
- Hat sweat stains & forehead marks
- Fabric sofa stains
- Carpet & rug stains
- Mattress stains
- Yellow stains & grime on white sneakers
- Leather sofa & bag stains
- Cup rings & water marks on wood tables
- Yellow pillow stains
- Kimchi stains & smells in plastic containers
- Wooden cutting board stains, mold & smells
- Coffee stains & scale in tumblers and flasks
- Dye transfer & color bleeding (color from another garment)
- Shrunken knit & wool sweater
- Sour, musty-smelling towels
- Washing puffer jackets & clumped filling
- Whites turned yellow or gray
- Pilling on sweaters & clothes
- Lint, hair & pet fur on clothes
- Sweat smell in workout & performance wear
- Stiff, scratchy towels
- White marks from detergent & fabric softener residue
General home methods. For valuable garments or unknown fabrics, take them to a dry cleaner and say what the stain is. Follow product labels for bleaches and solvents, ventilate, and never mix them.