We live in an apartment, and during our intense winter the ceiling in our storage room developed a horrible leak. Mold developed only in the ceiling, not on any objects in the room (we had to dodge buckets all winter long when we went looking for anything). So everything in the room has an odor. YUK. We kept extra school supplies in storage, so I don't know if we can get the smell out of books and papers, but what I am SO SAD about is all my craft stuff was stored in that room.
I have fabrics that I could put white vinegar in the load to cut the smell, but I have some quilt blocks that I am afraid to wash because I don't want the edges to fray. They got shoved in a bag, so they are wrinkled - I don't want to make my ironing board stink when I iron them. Should I make the quilt and then wash it, hoping I can get the smell out? Is there anything else I can do? Thanks in advance for any advice I get.
Soak the blocks in a vinegar water solution in the tub for a couple of hours. Then drain the tub and turn on the shower to rinse. Do not ring them out. Let them sit in the tub for a little while then lay them on towels outside to finish drying.
I have removed all kinds of odors, even mold, by putting about 2 TBSP. of fresh coffee grounds into an envelope, seal it, put items in a garbage bag with the envelope of coffee. If you have quite a bit you may need more than one envelope. Leave for at least a week, longer if necessary. I have removed cat pee from a worn varnished floor with coffee also.
Hate to tell you this, but it is next to impossible to get that smell out. Not only that, but being exposed to mold can (and usually WILL) make you sick. I hope you have a new ceiling in by now and thrown out any insulation the water may have touched.
I can smell mold a mile away. If I open a book that has mold in it, in just a few minutes, I will have a terrible headache and will be sneezing.
I'd pin pieces together and place in a mesh laundry bag in a bucket of weak cold bleach water, testing hourly until no more moldly smell. Only bleach kills molds, and only a mesh bag will reduce the chance of fraying. God Bless and help you. : )
Try dusting them heavily with dry baking soda. Layer OLD newspaper between the blocks with baking soda under it. Put them in a clean paper bag and let them sit for about a week. Remove, unlayer and shake off the baking soda. Repeat at least once more or a couple of times more if necessary with fresh newspaper, baking soda and new paper bag, turning the blocks over each time you change the paper and soda.
I think would start with laying them out on the grass or somewhere in the sun. You'd probably need to anchor each one with a rock. Then I'd spray very heavily with vinegar water. They'd need to staqy long enough to dry and maybe a bit more. As far as the school supplies are concerned, I've read quite often that you can put paper 'stuff' in a box with crumpled newspaper and maybe some charcoal. Can't hurt, might help.
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