Mold growing on leather

[emarsh]

Hi Folks,

My car has been sitting for a while and some water got in during the rain. I was out of town for a while and when I returned yesterday I discovered mold growing on the interior.

I'm going to dry things out but does anyone have any suggestions on how to clean it up?

Thanks,

Eric

[ruf-porsche]

A capful of bleach in a gallon of water. Wipe the area with the mold and towel dry.
Check in a spot that you will not see before using the solution.

[jmohn]

Originally posted by ruf-porsche
A capful of bleach in a gallon of water. Wipe the area with the mold and towel dry.
Check in a spot that you will not see before using the solution.

That will work, but I'd be more inclined to use plain white vinegar mixed about 50:50 with water. Vinegar will clean up/kill the mold and be much less likely to affect the color of the leather. Of course, clean and treat the leather with your conventional procedure after cleaning off the mold with the vinegar mix.

Jerry M
'78 SC

[ChrisBennet]

I'm borrowing a car that has a moldy smell so I've been doing some research on mold. Here's a couple of links:

This one was a real surprise because everybody "knows" that bleach kills mold.
WHY NOT TO USE BLEACH TO KILL MOLD

WHY NOT TO USE BLEACH TO KILL MOLD

1) Chlorine Bleach DOES NOT kill mold, it merely BLEACHES it - meaning that it takes away the color of the mold.

2) Chlorine Bleach does kill bacteria and viruses, but has not been proven effective in killing molds. Bleach itself is 99% water. Water is one of the main contributors of the growth of harmful bacteria and mold. Current situations using bleach re-grew and regenerated mold and bacteria twice the CFU counts than were originally found before bleaching, within a short period of time. Bleach is an old method used for some bacteria and mold. It is the only product people have known for years. The strains now associated within Indoor Air quality issues are resistant to bleach.

3) What potential mold 'killing' power chlorine bleach might have, is diminished significantly as the bleach sits in warehouses, on grocery store shelves or inside your home or business 50% loss in killing power in just the first 90 days inside a never opened jug or container. Chlorine constantly escapes through the plastic walls of its containers.

4) The ionic structure of bleach prevents Chlorine from penetrating into porous materials such as drywall and wood---it just stays on the outside surface, whereas mold has enzyme roots growing inside the porous construction materials---however, the water content penetrates and actually FEEDS the mold---this is why a few days later you will notice darker, more concentrated mold growing (faster) on the bleached area.

5) Chlorine Bleach accelerates the deterioration of materials and wears down the fibers of porous materials.

6) Chlorine Bleach is NOT registered with the EPA as a disinfectant to kill mold. You can verify this important fact for yourself when you are unable to find an EPA registration number for killing mold on the label of any brand of chlorine bleach.

7) Chlorine bleach off gases for a period of time. Chlorine off gassing can be harmful to humans and animals. It has been known to cause pulmonary embolisms in low resistant, and susceptible people.

8) Chlorine bleach will evaporate within a short period of time. If the area is not dry when the bleach evaporates, or moisture is still in the contaminated area (humidity, outside air dampness), you could re-start the contamination process immediately and to a greater degree.

9) Chlorine is a key component of DIOXIN. One of the earliest findings of dioxin's toxicity in animals was that it caused birth defects in mice at very low levels. This finding led to dioxin being characterized as "one of the most potent teratogenic environmental agents". The first evidence that dioxin causes cancer came from several animal studies completed in the late 1970's. The most important of these, published in 1978 by a team of scientists from Dow Chemical Company, led by Richard Kociba, found liver cancer in rats exposed to very low levels of dioxin. This study helped establish dioxin as one of the most potent animal carcinogens ever tested and, together with the finding of birth defects in mice, led to the general statement that dioxin is the "most toxic synthetic chemical known to man."

This link has tips on removing mold:
Say Goodbye to Mold and Mildew

-Chris

[ruf-porsche]

Thanks for the info. I'll stop using bleach on mold in the house.

[bigchillcar]

lol..i think most of us members are the types who would take a bazooka to kill a mosquito..
ryan

[rattlsnak]

Ok, so what do we use??

Vinegar? or?

[ChrisBennet]

Originally posted by rattlsnak
Ok, so what do we use??

Vinegar? or?

According to the 2nd link I supplied there are 3 things you can use:
- tea oil (stinky & expensive)
- vinegar (stinky)
- grapefruit seed extract (NOT stinky but expensive)

See the link for dilution formulas. I don't know where you'd get grapefruit seed extract but that sounds like the best bet.
-Chris

[randywebb]

I promise you that [1] strong bleach will kill mold - but [2] it has to touch the mold.

[1] this is elementary chemistry - a strong bleach will destroy the chemical bonds that form the body of the mold - just like it will kill your skin for the same reason.

[2] molds are fungi with hyphae (simple, root like structures) - bleach on the surface will not reach the hyphae.


All in all, I would contact a good leather shop.
Also, some of the places that sell allergy supplies, or do mold remediation work would be good to contact.