Released Aug. 24, 2007

STILLWATER, Okla. – With flood waters recently covering various parts of Oklahoma, restoring personal possessions will be very important to these victims once the water recedes.

For those affected by the flood, saving as many of their personal garments as possible will become a new priority, said Recia Garcia, Northwest District Cooperative Extension family and consumer sciences program specialist. There are a few tips a person can use to help salvage garments affected by flood waters.

“First shake and scrape dirt and residues from the fabrics and rinse or wash quickly. This will help prevent the growth of mildew,” Garcia said. “A person may want to wear rubber gloves when doing this to avoid exposure to heavily contaminated soils.”

Use cool water to pre-wash fabrics and use a powdered laundry detergent.

Garcia said these detergents are effective on clay and ground dirt. It is also important not to use hot water since it may set in stains.

When pre-washing fabrics, Garcia suggests these following steps:

• If the washer has a pre-wash cycle that includes a short soak period, the machine may automatically advance to the regular wash. If this is the case, set the washer for automatic pre-wash cycle or manually set the controls to agitate then spin.
• Use small loads of garments with a full water level for best results.
• Add an enzyme pre-soak product to remove protein stains such as sewage, grass or blood.
• Measure detergent into the washer first, then add water. Allow the detergent to dissolve completely before adding clothes.
• Clothes should be rinsed and spin dried. Do not dry in the dryer at this point.

“If you have garments that are heavily soiled, pre-treat with a pre-wash soil and stain remover or with an enzyme pre-soak product. It is also important to follow the label directions,” she said.

It is worth repeating, for flood stained garments, use small loads and a full water level. Be sure not to overload washer with garments, washable linens, etc. Following the steps below will aid when washing.

• Use the hottest water safe for fabrics being washed.
• A powdered laundry detergent is preferred. It is more effective in removing clay and ground in dirt. Add a little more detergent than is recommended on the package.
• Wear rubber gloves when handling flood affected garments and washable linens.
• Clothing may have come in contact with sewage, therefore it is important to add a disinfectant to the wash. Use liquid household bleach and follow the label directions.
• If the label does not recommend bleach, color-safe oxygen bleach can assist in removing stains and odors and will not set rust stains. Many detergents have color-safe bleach or a bleach alternative in the product. Remember these products do not disinfect.
• Other products will sanitize and control odors. Be sure to read the label for proper use.

“For rust or rust-colored stains on fabrics, try a commercially prepared rust remover,” Garcia said. “Usually they are intended for white or colorfast fabrics because they can cause color removal. Follow package directions and test on a small area before applying to an entire garment or washable item.”

Fabrics which have been wet for a length of time may have mildew.

Garcia suggests using liquid household bleach if it is safe for the fabric. Soaking in oxygen bleach and hot water then laundering may help remove the mildew.

“Mildew is hard to remove. If the garment is badly mildewed, it may be damaged beyond repair,” she said.

Wash garments as many times as needed.

The condition of the rinse water in the washer is a good sign of whether or not the clothes or items are clean. If the water is dirty or cloudy, repeat washing steps until the rinse water is clean, Garcia said.

“Another important note is not to dry fabrics in the dryer until you are satisfied with the results from washing and rinsing,” she said. “The dryer’s heat can set stains, which makes them very hard to remove later on.”

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Katie L. Reim, (405) 744-6792, katie.reim@okstate.edu