How to Clean Mold Bean Bag? – Answer With Complete Guide


Lack of care may cause to generate mold on the bean bag surfaces. If mold builds, it will lose the beauty of the bean bag and emit an unpleasant order. 

Mold can create an awful feeling about your favorite bean bag. So, what should you do? Do you like to throw away your favorite bean bag? 

However, if you have already experience molds in your bean bag, there is another chance to get rid of them. It means you can clean mold from bean bags. Another good news is cleaning a mold from a bean bag is manageable with proper knowledge. 

Before turning into the topic, shall I ask a question? What is this mold?

I know you may have a rough idea about it. So, let me clarify it further!

Mould is a fungus that grows on any surface in a humid environment. Generally, these fungus needs three things to survive. These are air, water, and source of food. 

clean mold bean bags

Table of Contents

How to Know When Growing Mold in Your Bean Bag?

  • Generally, when mold grows in your bean bag, the affected areas look dark green or black color 
  • Also, it has a fussy or slimy texture
  • It emits an odor

However, before learning how to clean mold from the bean bag, first look at why your bean bag is affected by them. Prevention is better than cleaning. 

Why Does Mold Grow in Your Bean Bag?

Placing the bean bag in a warm but moist environment.

When you place the bean bag that connects with the mist and rain, it fulfills the requirements to grow molds.

For example, if you place your bean bag near the balcony or window, you can experience this. On the other hand, nearby pools and outdoor areas are highly humid; if moisture does not evaporate soon, it provides the best condition to grow mold. 

Placing the bean bag on or near the surface where it already is affected by mold

If you place your bean bag on a surface like wood or carpet affected with mold, there is a high possibility of spreading the mold over the bean bag too. 

Some materials are highly susceptible to fungi.

Most fabrics and fillers used to make bean bags highly absorb water. Velvet, cotton, and linen are the most relevant examples. So, when the material is wet, it is highly susceptible to growing mold. 

Leather does not absorb water. But when leather is wet and not dry well, it is not different from cotton. In that type of situation, mold can overgrow in leather too. 

Dirt your bean bag with liquid-like oil

Some of the liquid may cause the growth of mold. Oil, coffee, wine, and tea are some of them.

Why Should You Clean Mold Bean Bag?

Mould can badly affect your health because it can cause respiratory issues, joint pain, fatigue, migraine, heart problems, and even symptoms of depression. 

In addition to that, mold can trigger an allergy someone, and consequently, it causes sneezing, irritation, and congestion. Further, mold gives an unpleasant and dirty appearance to your bean bag while emitting an unpleasant odor.  

Because of these reasons, you should clean your mold bean bag quickly and try to prevent your bean bag from this fungus. 

cleaning mold bean bags

How to Clean Mold Bean Bag?

First, before following one of these methods, you should wear a face mask and follow safety measures to avoid health complications. 

Another important thing is to read the manufacturer’s instructions carefully before you select the method to clean mold bean bags. Because it includes what you can do and what you cannot. Also, it is better to do a spot test for any solution before you apply it to the whole bean bag. 

Method 1: Oxygenated Bleach

Here, you can only clean mold bean bags by following a few simple steps. 

Step 1: Remove the outer cover of your mold bean bag

First, carefully remove the outer cover of your mold bean bag. 

If you do not know how to remove the bean bag outer cover, click here. It will guide you to accomplish that task.

Step 2: Use a better mild detergent

Mix the detergent with hot water. Here also you should follow the instructions. 

Step 3: Add oxygenated bleaching to the mixture

Here the most important thing is you should follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Another thing is some people tend to use chlorine bleach to clean molds on hard surfaces like walls and floors. 

But it is not recommended to use chlorine bleach for bean bags. Most probably, it will cause discoloration of your bean bag. It can burn and fade the fabric of the bean bag

That’s why I recommend using oxygenated bleach for better results. However, do not forget to clean the inner cover of the bean bag if mold affects it too. 

Step 4: Wash the bean bag cover properly 

Step 5: Let it dry under the sunlight

Method 2: White Tree Tea Oil

If you fear using chemicals, you can use natural solutions. The white tree tea oil is best for it. It has effective elements to kill fungus and bacteria. 

Step 1: Mix one teaspoon of tea tree oil with a cup of water

Step 2: Sprinkle the mixture using a spray bottle 

Here, spray the tea tree oil into the mold but before spraying, shake the bottle well before spraying. Keep it dry.

However, it does not make an issue. Because tea tree oil has a pleasing aroma, it remains for a few days. 

Method 3: White Vinegar

Step 1: Spray distilled vinegar onto the moldy area of your bean bag 

Week nontoxic acid, white vinegar, has the 82% ability to destroy the mold, and it is not dangerous and does not have hazardous fumes. 

Step 2: Wait one hour 

After spraying it leave for about one hour. 

Step 3: Wipe the area using a wet dump cloth. 

After about one hour, you can wipe the sprayed white vinegar from the mold area using a wet dump cloth. 

Step 4: Let it dry 

The Air dry process is ideal for this. However, you may have doubts about the smell of vinegar. But don’t worry, the smell will disappear within a few hours. 

Method 4: White Grapefruit Seed Extract

If you are searching for an odorless solution, use white grapefruit seed extract. This extract can remove mold effectively from the fabrics. 

White grapefruit seed extract includes citric acid, which will cause the molds to become fatal. Below are steps to get rid of mold in your bean bag.

Step 1: Create a solution 

Take a cup of water and add ten drops of white grapefruit seeds. Then mix it well. 

Step 2: Put the solution into a spray bottle and shake it well 

Step 3: Apply the mixture to the mold area of the bean bag directly 

Step 4: Let it remain 

Here it does not need to wash off. Because the remaining grapefruit seed extract treats to mold, it will prevent mold growth again. 

Method 5: Borax

Borax is also a natural mold killer, and it is water-soluble. However, this is available in powder form.

This is also known as sodium borate, a booster for laundry detergents. Further, Borax removes the stains by combining sodium, oxygen, and boron. 

Step 1: Make the borax solution to remove the mold 

Add ½ cup of Borax to a gallon of warm water. 

Step 2: Spray the solution to the mold area of the bean bag 

Here you can fill the solution into a spray bottle and sprinkle the mixture into the mold. However, if mold spreads over the whole bean bag cover, you can soak the cover in the solution. 

Step 3: Leave it about 3 minutes or one hour 

Step 4: Rinse it off and dry well 

Final Thoughts

Caring for your favorite seat is your responsibility. But you may miss it due to this busy life. So, when your bean bag is affected, you should know the best method to get rid of mold and save your bean bag. Here I include more effective options to remove molds, and the choice is yours. Start your work!

Sarah Williams

I’m Sarah Williams. A true fan of Bean Bag Chairs. The story of Bean Bags Expert goes to beginning of 2016. At the mid of 2016, I have planned the web site and bought this domain. Slowly this grew up like a little kid.

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