What Cleans up Mildew on Rubber?

Baking Soda

• The gentle yet abrasive properties of baking soda make it an effective compound with which to remove mildew. If your rubber object is small enough to run through a washing machine, toss it into your washer, adding a half-cup of baking soda to the water and detergent. Allow the machine to run through the wash cycle. When it’s on the rinse cycle, toss in a half-cup of vinegar to finish the removal process and add shine your rubber.

Bleach

• If your rubber item is already light or white, bleach can prove an effective way to kill and remove mildew. To clean your rubber item, such as a shower mat, with bleach, submerge it in a basin in which you have 1/4 cup of bleach and 2 gallons of water. Allow the mildew mess to soak overnight. Remove the object and rinse it thoroughly -- most of the mildew should wash away.

Toothbrush

• If mildew remains after your mildew removal attempts, or if the item you are trying to remove mildew from isn’t one that you can toss in the washer or submerge in a bucket, use a toothbrush to scrub the mildew away. To remove mildew on a stationary item, create a paste of 1 part baking soda and 2 parts water and load it onto an old toothbrush. Scrub away at the mildew with this coated brush head to scrap away your mildew.

Sponge

• Generally, a sponge will not prove abrasive enough to remove mildew by itself, but it can be a useful tool in the mildew removal process. If you have scrubbed a stationary object with a toothbrush coated in a water and baking soda combination, use a sponge to wipe away the residue that this process leaves. After doing so, you will more effectively be able to see whether mildew remains and you need to keep scrubbing.