How to protect your clothes in the humidity

A typical New England summer usually involves a fair amount of humidity. Here are some tips on how to protect your clothes from mold, mildew and fungus:

1. Do not shake out anything that has mildew or mold on it inside your house. You will just be spreading the spores. Take it outside. Sunshine and fresh air will kill the mildew.

2. Use dehumidifiers or leave a light bulb turned on in areas where the fungus is most likely to breed (it must be an incandescent bulb to create heat).

3. Mildew thrives in plastic, if your clothes are not stored in a cool dry place they are susceptible. If this is the case, make sure to remove plastic bags from your clothes as a preventative measure.

4. Mildew needs dirt or dust to survive. Make sure to check your clothes for spots or stains before you place them back in your closet.

5. Don’t over crowd your closet. Try and keep about an inch between your clothes, which will also help with wrinkles. Keep your closet door open or ajar to help with air flow.

6. Never hang clothes in your closet unless they are completely dry.

7. Stuff shoes and handbags that are not worn wear daily with a little tissue. Check the tissue when you discard it, it could be an early warning signal.

8. If you are building or renovating a home, avoid using outside walls as closet walls and avoid putting closets near or in bathrooms.

9. If your renovating a closet, opt for paint, not wall paper, on your closet walls.

10. If you see mildew/mold, act early and quickly. There are many pre-bottled solutions on the market today that help to remove mildew from different surfaces or simply bring them to Best and we can take care of it for you.