(Note: Include a pic of your problem and your question gets posted first. Email questions and pics with QUESTIONS in subject line to: green(at)apartmenttherapy(dot)com)
This question came as a comment on our shower curtain post from two weeks ago. It's from RebeccaCT:
I'm using a linen shower curtain from Gaiam right now. It gets thoroughly wet, but doesn't leak and dries pretty quickly. Despite the "anti-mold" claims, mine did get mildew when I went too long (2 months) without washing it ...
Does anyone have any good recommendations for getting mildew stains out of linen? (It's natural colored, unbleached and undyed, so bleach is out even if I did want to use it.)
Rubbing alcohol can help as can enzyme based cleaners.
view E to the M's profile
I often find that if something has mildewed, some really hot water and good detergent will work well.
view eaevansmd's profile
Try hanging it out in the sun. Wash it as you usually would and then either hang outside on a line, or just drape it over something so that the stained part is in the full sun.
I do this with unbleached cotton diapers and it works great.
view cdntina's profile
I'm not entirely sure if it will work as well on mildew stains but here's an old-fashioned trick that I've used to get rust stains out of linen that even a commercial rust-remover couldn't get out:
Make a thick paste of salt and lemon juice, slap it on the stains and lay out in the hot sunshine for a couple hours or all day if necessary. As the paste dries out squirt some more lemon juice on the paste to re-activate it. I've used this trick on white linen and it works wonders.
view Monica's profile