Mould: how do I ensure mould is washed out safely & so that any residual smell of mould is remover ?

moneyunwise

Have been having a bit of a tidy-up during these difficult months of storms then coronavirus etc.!

Found a storage box in a spare room, with some strong shopper bags in, as an overspill of bags to use for the supermarket, clothes shopping, beach, etc. Just 1 of which had been used a few years ago, then as it became surplus to requirements had been put in with the other bags. That bag still had some things in - spare glasses case, umbrella, tissues in a cloth pouch, paracetamol, water bottle, etc.

Sadly when we went to open the box the other day we noticed a distinct smell of mould ! . . . then I noticed the nasty green powder of mould on the previously used bag. It turned out the cause - YIKES! - was the drinking water bottle, that had spent its time gradually leaking into the bag, over the bag's contents, & then pooling in the base of the box. (Thanks goodness the box didn't leak!) Hey ho!

Really peeved, as have read that mould spores are a nasty little thing.

My first thought was to bin all the items (i.e. the contents of the used bag) that were unusable or completely untrustworthy i.e. unhygienic. That was most of the items. Only decided to keep a few items such as a cloth (i.e. washable) glasses case. (Also of course threw out a batch of thin plastic bags I also found that were branded from Sainsbury etc., as completely unworth saving.)

Then decided to wash the used shopper bag, & the brand new (still folded) other shopper bags. These are all the bag-for-life strong type, made from e.g. recycled plastic. (See e.g. eBay item listing 174211319525). They are nicely illustrated & (except the used one) are brand new so don't want to bin them. They are all waterproof so SHOULD survive the washing machine etc.

So washed these remaining items, pronto tonto, to get rid of the mould spores. At 40degrees, using Persil Non-Bio powder (our household favourite).

But then, after drying these items, noticed a residual smell of mould. So washed all these plastic bags again. But :-( STILL seems to be a faint smell of mould (or am I being paranoid?!)

Have I done enough? Are the bags safe to use? What else can I do to safeguard our health & safety?! Should I wash them at a hotter temperature (IF the bags can sustain a higher temperature!)? Or perhaps use white vinegar, as I think I read somewhere that that is a good cleaner/descenter of mould??

buildersdaughter

Mould is indeed horrible - the smell will linger, and the spores can be very difficult! This is what I would do:
Turn inside out and wash with a dilute bleach solution - either in the machine or in your bath. The dilution of conventional bleach is 1 measure of bleach to 20 of water (at this level of dilution it won't harm your bath) or you can check on the bottle (I always keep Milton by me for this, and it is more dilute). Wear old clothes when doing this!
Then rinse thoroughly (cold water, machine)
You will have theoretically killed the spores (although some may lurk in corners!). Then hang outside if possible and let them have a good air.
If the smell is still too much, then throw away! If it's better, then store loosely, away from anything any lurking mould might harm. I would hang them somewhere. However, if you don't realistically have anywhere, then I'm afraid that i would ditch them lesson learned. You don't want to risk any mould getting on good clothes etc.
I personally don't much like those 'bags for life' although I see how convenient they are, especially for beach, picnics etc. But you have experienced their problem - they are difficult to clean reliably (ditto those hessian ones with plastic linings). I collect, and make, cloth bags. They can be washed and dried reliably.
I hope you can salvage some!

moneyunwise

Thanks buildersdaughter for all that advice. GREAT help! 
Sadly the event of the virus has meant we have to 'stay' that enquiry for now. Fortunately by the time the event hit the UK badly we had already bagged up the shopper bags discussed, & neatly put them in a sealed bin bag at the front of the garage. The original plan was for this plastic sack to be left there until I found a solution to the mould smell that would work. And indeed we haven't been near the sack since! The onset of the virus was a disaster so at least I was happy I'd already put the sack away from the house, as that's 1 less health & safety thing to worry about during this crisis.
So we will have to hold onto this helpful advice & info till after the virus is over! ,-)
Much thanks.
Hope all are taking care.