How Much Vinegar Do You Use to Get Mildew Smell out of Laundry?

Adding to Wash Cycle

• If you add vinegar to your wash cycle, you can kill mildew and its associated odor without any manual labor. Insert the fabrics into your washing machine, along with a cup of your standard laundry detergent. Afterward, pour 1 cup of vinegar right over the fabrics and begin a standard wash cycle. To stop mildew from coming back, you will need to dry the clothes thoroughly, so hang them in the sun or place them in a dryer after the cycle concludes.

Soaking Fabrics

• You can also remove mildew and mildew odor by soaking your affected fabrics in white vinegar. Use a ratio of 2 tbsp. of vinegar for each cup of water, and soak your fabrics inside for about 15 minutes (to allow maximum disinfection), which is especially useful after dabbing chlorine bleach (2 tbsp. to 1 qt. of water) over the affected area. Rinse and dry your fabrics after the vinegar soak.

Spraying Fabrics

• You can pour white vinegar into a spray bottle and spray it directly over the affected fabrics; you do not need to add water. Always allow the vinegar to remain on the fabrics for at least 15 minutes because the acetic acid does not fully neutralize mildew spores immediately. Rinse the clothing and dry it. Alternately, you can place the fabric in your washing machine and clean it using a regular wash cycle.

Why Vinegar Works

• Acetic acid is the active ingredient in vinegar, and like all acids (such as citric acid and phosphoric acid), it has strong fungicidal properties. The acetic acid stops fungal spores in their tracks, preventing them from releasing volatile organic compounds (odorous fumes) into the atmosphere and killing the fungus altogether.