How Do I Get Mildew Out of Colored Shirts??

Hi Emma,

Ok, this is going to sound crazy, but I'm a frugal hack nut. Which means I am always looking for cheaper and better ways to do things. Recently, I came across a DIY recipe for stain remover from a Mom with 3 boys. I tried it, and I'm completely impressed! I was even able to remove a dryer set make-up foundation stain from my favorite purple shirt! It's safe for colors and whites and is super cheap.

1/3c Dawn dish soap (must be Dawn!)
1/3c household ammonia (at Walmart or Target in the laundry aisle)
3 tablespoons baking soda
1c water

Put all the ingredients together adding the Dawn last. Stir/shake to combine. Either spray on with a bottle, or just pour some onto your mildew/stains. Wash with your regular laundry soap and water temperatures. Hope this helps!

I would try soaking it in plain vinegar, then washing in hot water (as hot as the fabric can tolerate)--with Oxiclean.

I'd try washing them in your regular detergent, maybe add some borax (powdered for laundry) or Biz, or try a detergent with color-safe bleach, and then lay them out in the sun to dry (maybe turn them inside out in case of fading).

I have never had any luck getting mildew spots out of my kids clothes. But my aunt has suggested using oxy-clean and soaking the clothes over night adding more oxy-clean and repeating for a couple days. I haven't tried this so I don't know if it will work. But that is the tip I recieved at one time.

I would try leaving it sit out in the sunshine. Sunshine bleaches clothes anyway, but it's not that nasty bleach you get from a bottle. I had some mildew starting on one of my son's receiving blankets (it's light green) and I laid it out next to a window where sunlight was coming in. The mildew wasn't very advanced, but it all came out anyway. :)