Fabrics

natural fibers cotton wool leather silk hemp

synthetic fibers nylon polyester plastic vinyl rubber laminates

The selection and treatment of fabrics is central to a mold-sensitive person's strategy toward getting well.  By fabrics,  we mean all our clothes,  our bedding materials,  and other  'soft'  items with which we come into initimate contact.  The content and  'finish'  of these fabrics can determine how well they retain toxin fragments,  and to what extent they resist mold growth. 

In addition to resisting mold growth, a fabric's 'finish', or its ability to retain toxin fragments on its physical surfaces  (from both spores and secondary toxin fragments)  needs to be kept in mind by mold-sensitized persons. 

If one has a significant mold event,  all the fabric articles in that space are subject to retaining those aerosolized toxin sources when they settle somewhere.  The more porous the material  (like a thick wool shirt),  the more toxins can be retained.  There may be enough spores/secondary toxin material retained that that shirt can't comfortably be worn again without somehow removing those spores  (perhaps shaking the shirt outside while wearing a respirator;  perhaps by dry-cleaning the shirt).

Our efforts at mold avoidance need to include preventing one mold event from cascading into future resultant mold events  (and more effort,  discomfort,  and immune system stress).  Closets  (kept closed)  seem to protect such clothing articles pretty well,  though not perfectly.

An effective approach to mold avoidance appears to be to layer one's clothing;  use more layers of thin clothes.  This approach,  from a mold-sensitive standpoint,  makes it easier to keep our clothing relatively free of mold growth.  Thin clothing,  like tee shirts,  can be kept pretty clean of mold by normal washing,  using normal laundry detergent  (not bleach-type products).  Alternatively,  if one does use a mold-killing detergent like OxyClean  (Stain Remover),  there will be much less dead mold left in the fabric to decay and release secondary toxins.  It is possible that on thin clothing like tee shirts,  live mold  (as well as spores)  can be removed by a single washing using standard laundry detergent.  This has not been verified by testing.

My experience has been that 2 additional washings  (each with minimal standard detergent)  is required to successfully remove mold fragments after using OxyClean.  If one doesn't do these additional rinsings,  one may suffer the secondary toxin exposure without initially realizing one is getting hit,  and is taking on toxins.  In a couple of hours,  one will know  (headache,  naseau,  and fatigue)  and wish additional rinsing had been done.

The thicker the clothing material,  the more difficult it obviously is to get all the mold colony fragments out during a wash.  My personal decisions have been to protect thick coats and suits from mold exposure  (control the humidity and keep them enclosed in plastic in a closed closet),  and throw out thick garments  (like old work coats and luxurious bathrobes)  that have been substantially exposed.
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Our primary attention to maintaining mold-free clothing and bedding is a fabric's support for mold growth.  The 3 essentials for mold growth on fabrics are:

• adequate moisture
• adequate heat
• susceptible food  (the fabric)

It seems helpful to start an investigation with an explanation;  a theory.  In the question of fabric types  (fabric content),  our initial theory should be that all materials which are organic and which have developed in nature over the course of our evolution should be expected to be a natural food source for mold.  This since mold has had all of that time to develop an approach  (via toxins)  to consuming it.  This suggests that mold should be expected to grow on  common fabrics that we might consider as clothes or bedding,  etc.,  including:

• cotton
• wool
• leather
• silk
• hemp

Although each of these fabrics  (silk and hemp also?)  will support mold growth,  there is likely considerable variation in that growth depending on the mold species,  moisture level,  and temperature.  One thing we can be pretty sure of is that if we have become sensitized to a mold,  that version is capable of growing in the conditions in which we have been living or working.

Mold will have had less time to conquer human developments in fabrics of the last 100 years or so.  Nevertheless,  since these fabrics are also organic  (contain carbon),  they should be conquerable by mold given some time

• nylon and related creations  (rayon,  orlon,  etc.)
• polyester
• plastic
• vinyl
• rubber

The evidence seems to support the theory that natural fabrics are more susceptible to mold than are synthetics;  the following are my experiences concerning a few natural fabrics:

• cotton
  • the most susceptible common fabric to mold growth.  In my bedding area,  where 100% cotton material is exposed to adequate moisture  (my breath,  sweat,  drooling),  mold will be growing and producing toxic-laden spores in the middle of the 2nd night
  • some of the most desirable and comfortable clothes we have are made of 100% cotton  (sweats,  jeans,  tee shirts,  bathrobes,  underclothing,  etc.),  and for mold-sensitive persons,  must be worn,  washed,  and stored judiciously
  • mold can be killed in our cotton materials by using our strong chemicals.  But the subsequent mold decay involves release of secondary toxins  (from mold cell walls) into the air;  a substantial form of mold attack.  Very thick cotton items  (like plush bathrobes and heavy work coats)  I have thrown away because they can't be cleaned without compromising my program of mold avoidance.
  • fabrics are often composed of some combination of cotton and synthetic  (like polyester);  it seems dependable that the percentage of cotton in the blend is directly proportional to the fabric's ability to support mold growth
  • it is my observaton that it takes about 75% relative humidity to begin mold growth in 100% cotton.  There are 3 areas of one's body  (shown below)  that will produce 100% relative humidty in normal wear of clothes.  Clothing items worn in these areas  (normally made of cotton)  must be changed daily,  or be of a synthetic material
    • the groin area (underpants)
    • feet (socks)
    • upper body, armpits, and neck (tee shirts for example)
    
    
• wool
  • There seems substantial difference of opinion how much moisture  (relative humidity)  is required to support mold growth in wool.  These opinions seem to range from about 60% to 80% RH
  • Initially,  I somehow picked up the idea that wool would not support mold growth.  This now appears to be false
  • Perhaps there really are variations,  depending on the type/breed of sheep from which wool is taken
  • Wool items likely will need to be dry-cleaned;  I now refrain from purchase of woolen items
  
  
• leather
  • I know little about how much moisture is required to support mold growth on leather
  • I generally avoid wearing leather boots/shoes while working on the computer,  because my feet will generate 100% moisture,  which will surely produce mold
  • I generally try to keep my leather articles  (what few I have)  dry
  
  
• silkand   hemp
  • I know nothing of any value to others about silk,  or hemp.  Both materials are possibly useful to mold-sufferers

• nylon and related creations  (rayon,  orlon,  etc.)
  • thin nylon clothing,  like nylon 'shells'  (coats),  works well for me;  its slick surface tends not to let spores and secondary toxin particles stick,  and a simple washing cleans it pretty thoroughly
  • thicker nylon which I purchased for use as 'bib' material did not work.  It intitially off-gased  (from the dye or manufacturing process?)  highly irritating chemicals which I had? to use bleach on to remove.  This left a bleach smell,  and tended to degrade the material.  I finally abandoned it as bib material  (much wasted effort and expense)
  • Also,  if mold did grow on the above mentioned thicker nylon  (perhaps from something on the nylon),  the mold hyphae/roots would grow down into the nylon fabric,  making it very hard to wash out.  Killing the mold roots then resulted in secondary toxin release from the decaying mold
  • tent nylon
  
  
• polyester
  • polyester clothing is my first choice in fabrics when the material will be next to my body,  will be worn day after day,  and will be regularly exposed to significant moisture.  The exception to this guidline is underpants,  which are changed  (and then washed)  daily.  Cotton works ok in this situation,  and is the most common material
  • I am not aware of any disadvantage of polyester.  However,  one usually finds that cheaply priced clothing contains a blend of polyester and cotton  (cotton probably added for comfort).  I choose the highest percentage of polyester I can find;  50% polyester is marginally acceptable for  'next-to-the-skin'  clothing
  • There are likely variations between manufacturing processes in producing polyester,  relative to its ability to resist mold growth.  I have no information on this
  
  
• plastic
  • common grade plastic,  for example plastic purchased in hardware stores to cover things,  in my experience gives off offensive chemical smells when used to sleep on,  or for other intimate use.  It seems OK until one starts to sweat,  and then the combination of heat and moisture causes off-gassing.
  • food-grade plastic,  for example that used in food storage bags,  seems acceptable for use in intimate situations,  is relatively inexpensive,  and is surprisingly tough.  It has proven successful in combating mold,  being pretty resistant to being a mold food.  One must be careful of moisture collecting on the underside of the plastic in warmer situations.  A down-side seems to be that bacteria find this plastic acceptable as food,  and the plastic must be treated with an anti-bacterial to prevent this growth.  Simply cleaning the plastic  (in my experience)  resulted in the bacteria eventually reproducing again in short order  (in several hours),  making this approach unsatisfactory
  
  
• vinyl                              to top
  • there are many different grades of vinyl,  as it has been around for quite a while.  The earlier versions of vinyl are notorious for giving off chemicals in close situations.  These chemicals  (polyethelene for example)  are sometimes quite irritating,  and some are cancer-causing. 
    
    My first successful fabrics for resisting mold were vinyl cut from old rain clothes and an old tent.  The vinyls from rain clothes  (heavy duty)  were stiff and thick and unwieldy,  but successfully resisted mold.  The tent fabric was quite thin,  and could be washed easily,  removing any mold.  Neither of these sources of vinyl did any offensive off-gassing that I could detect.  They were 10 - 20 years old.
    
    Some of the more recent versions of vinyl are less dangerous and less offensive,  being made with different materials,  and having to conform to government health standards.  The vinyl noted below as part of a laminate is used with government approval in baby's bibs.
  
  
• rubber
  • I have essentially no experience with using rubber in any form to combat mold
  
  
• laminates
  • I have found a laminated material  (vinyl laminated to polyester)  which I have used somewhat successfully as bib material for the upper part of my sleeping bags.  The material is white,  making it easier to recognize the presence of mold and bacteria with the naked eye,  and the hand-held microscope.  Seemingly,  mold would not grow on the vinyl surface,  but would of course on any organic material which accumulated on the vinyl  (Like drool/sputum).  Per my experience,  use of chlorine-based bleach to kill mold on these bibs resulted in deterioration of the material,  and mold then seemed able to penetrate the fibers and be very difficult to remove.  This was basically an error on my part in treating the material
    
    My most recent intended use of this white laminate material is backing for food-grade plastic bibs in the summer when moisture is expected to otherwise condense between the plastic and a sleeping bag cover or other cover material
    
    Specific use of the white laminate is a work in progress,  but the laminate is considered a valuable find in the battle against mold and bacteria while sleeping.

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