Musty Clothes

After washing the clothes and blanket, try hanging them in the sun to dry. The sun has wonderful deoderizing powers. I believe it will be sunny for the next couple of days :)

I realize chemicals can be a harsh thing, especially for a newborn....but adding ammonia to a load of laundry will eliminate odor. The clothes come out smelling clean with no residual odor in them. I usually run a 2nd rinse cycle and add the fab softener at that time....same as i do with bleach loads. You can also try baking soda....but it may take a large quantity

I did this with moldy clothes but I assume that it would be the same for the smell. Take 1 cup Oxiclean and some color safe bleach and boil. boil for about 5 minutes and then put a lid on the pot and leave over night. Sounds weird but it worked for me. Hope this helps!

try using vinegar in your wash (1 cup per load)without using fabric softener,it will get rid of the smell in your clothes and won't be harmful for the baby.

Wash all the clothing in vinegar along with your regular laundry soaps. Add about a 1/4-1/2 c with the wash cycle. This will also help take out any ring around the collar. You can also use oxyclean in your wash as well,,, but don't mix it with vinegar or bleach. Run it thru a couple of extra rinse cycles and use downy or other fabric softener in your last cycle.

If you do not want the clothing brought into your home,,if you have a garage of your own,,have her sit them in there til you have the time to go thru them.

I had sinus surgery in which they found mold in my nose,,YUK but I didn't have any mold in my home,,so I am puzzled by that. I was told to avoid mold as well, so if you come across something that has been damp,, wear a mask to go thru them.
After a few times of going thru clothing and items while wearing this mask,,it just may drive the point into your mother that they stink.
If all else fails,,tell her politely no they are not needed,,you have enough clothes.

Everyone has good ideas for you about the laundry. About a year ago my husband bought an inexpensive mold test kit for our basement because I was complaining about my allergies and wondered if we had mold in our basement. I think he purchased it at one of the home improvement stores. You could try getting one for your mother so she can see the problem for herself. She also, may not be aware of the seriousness of mold problems to her health. There has been a lot published on the problem and you could pass along the information to her as you are concerned for her health as well as your child's.

Are you able to hang things outdoors? Have you tried baking soda in a soak or wash? Sunshine outdoors should be a big help especially if things have been laundered.

I'm not sure that the smell alone, as awful as it is for you, is dangerous, but I'm not sure. Dry cleaning might be another, though more expensive, option, if all else fails.

If she brings stuff over, either leave it on the porch and explain why, or take it immediately to the laundry room and put it in the washer.

Instead of bleach at all, use peroxide. Maybe not on colors, but it's better to use than bleach. Think in terms of women who peroxide their hair. Same concept.

I would check out the cleaning supplies at Whole Foods or Better health. I know they have Lysol type products to offer. Just ask a clerk.

I agree that putting things in the sun works wonders. Do this after you wash the blanket and clothing.

You mom probably can't smell the mold and mildew because she lives with it. Do some research and suggest she get a dehumidifier and improve air flow in her house, or whatever area of the house seems worse. In my parents house, it is their basement. Too much stuff and too much moisture.

You could also do a google search on other 'natural' products you can use to remove the odor. The following website lists lemon juice as being good for mildew stains as well, http://www.essortment.com/home/howtocleanup_sbhh.htm.

Good luck, particularly with educating your mother.
In health, D. www.dianeshealthed.com

I've always heard the best thing for musty stuff is to let them set out overnight (when you know the next day is supposed to be sunny). Apparently the dew evaporating off in the sun is supposed to take out the smell. This also works with your no perfume no dye.

When it comes to your mom just keep telling her how you feel and when she brings you something just ask her to keep it. With you being so far along pregnant throw a fit if you need to, you really don't need this extra stuff or stress.

I recommend adding vinegar and baking soda to the wash. I also do a second rinse cycle to make sure the clothing are rinsed thoroughly.

I'm not sure about getting the moldy smell out of things. I thought once they had the smell it's hard to get rid of. Try washing them in really hot water.

As far as your mom you could tell here that it's really dangerous for the baby's health. I found that if the concern is for the baby usually it gets through to them.

Good Luck

I have the same problem with my Grandmother's house. Not mold per say but ancient-house-on-a-lake smell. We find that washing the clothes with a cup of vinegar in the wash helps a ton. You can do that with infant clothes as well. Or if you're worried you could wash them in vinegar only load and then wash again in regular Dreft with Oxi Clean mixed in. Oxi Clean never harmed or irritated my baby's skin.
Hope that helps, A.

My Mom and I rarely agree, however she is still your Mom. Be respectful and relax about the newborn. Then when she leaves, get back to your life the way you want it.

Hey M.,

To get the smell out I would use 1 cup of vinegar with each load of laundry. It has worked everytime I leave a load of laundry in the washer and forget about it and it smells like "wet dog".

On a side note: the relationship with your mom sounds just like mine. When I was pregnant I had actually made up my mind that my son would never spend the night at her house due to her smoking and the entire house/clothes smelled of smoke. But in the end, the loving relationship has won out. All the gifts she brings for birthdays have a "scent" and if he spends the night, she will smoke outside but his clothes still smell a bit so I just wash everything right away. You will realize that you can not control what other people bring you and what they do in their own homes. You can control what happens to them when they enter your home. So, just accept them with love and do what you must to "fix" them.

I too have a mold allergy so does my 16 3/4 year old son. I have had some success with baking soda and non chlorine all fabric bleach. Soak in baking soda water I used 1 box in a 5 gallon pail. If that doesn't work try a non chlorine all fabric safe bleach. These are the things that have helped me in the past.

As for the mom advice if she has had a lifelong habit of ignoring your wishes, chances are she's never gonna change. Ask her to put these things she brings in the garage, on the porch ect.... Then just throw them away. I hope this helps.

E.

Try adding a little bit of white vinegar to your wash and see if it helps.

As far as your mom, a firm no thank you, or take it out to the curb when she leaves. You've made yourself clear. You don't have to agree and you don't have to keep it.

I've soaked my daughter's clothing in a product I buy at Trader Joes (they may have it at Whole Foods too). It's similar to Oxy-Clean but it's safe for the environment and safer for little ones' skin. I typically soak things overnight in water with up to 5 scoops of this product and it's gotten some pretty major stains out so I imagine it would help with smells as well.

As for your mother not respecting your wishes, I'm really at a loss here... I have a mother-in-law who is the same way and it drives my poor sister-in-law crazy (she is a little better about respecting my wishes but not she rarely listens to her own daughter). Perhaps you can find a mold test to use in your mom's basement and then show her those results (to prove the mold problem) along with some literature on just how incredibly bad mold can be for everyone's health (especially for a newborn whose immune system isn't fully developed)... You can try to ask her to fix the problem so that your children have their grandmother around for many years - you don't want her to get sick from the mold...

M.,

I would use some vinegar in the rinse water in your washing machine (vinegar is an anti-fungal) I know my girlfriend had a baby that kept getting a yeast infection only where his cloth diapers touched him, after she washed them in vingear his yeast infection cleared right up.
If using it in the rinse water isnt enough, since your considering throwing it out anyway, I would soak it overnight in a solution of 50% vinegar to 50% water. I don't know if it will fade it or not, but its something to think about as a last ditch effort.
In the interest of keeping the peace in your family, if your mom brings you things that you dont want (even after you've asked her not to) just wait for her to leave and then take them straight to the garbage. No need to even mention it.

I had a bin of winter clothes get wet and Borax washed in hot water works, make take two washings.

Try putting vinegar in the wash. That should work. Good luck! :)