I have a Lavacore hooded vest – black with wide light gray stripes on each side. It was accidentally left in a plastic bag in our trunk for several days after snorkeling. After I gently washed it, there are blue and pink stains present on the stripes. Do you know of anyway to get rid of these? The mildew smell that was present is gone, but these stains which may be from the mildew or dye stains, remain.
Kym
If it is really mildew washing is the first step. Then it comes drying the vest thoroughly and even leaving it in the sun for a while, to really get all the moisture out. As for removing the stains – the least invasive method that I have found is using lemon juice and salt:
1. Moisten stain with a mixture of lemon juice and salt.
2. Spread in the sun to bleach.
3. Rinse thoroughly.
I have not tried this, but I am afraid that any kind of bleaching process can cause discoloration of the fabric, so you might end up with a pale stain instead of blue and pink ones. Maybe the best thing to do would be to consult dry-cleaners, they are good with stain. Hope this helps.