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**Stahlhelm** · 01-26-2008, 11:29 AM

Hello:

This will not answer your question, but I will reiterate a few things I know about mold, just in case I can be of any help in doing so. Since you may already know much of this, just bear with me, since going through a process helps me think a little better myself.

Mold spores are present almost everywhere on everything all the time. There's nothing you can do to get rid of all the mold spores, of course; they are far too tiny and microscopic. The spore protects them for excessive periods of time (years and years), so the only thing you can really do is deprive them of the one ingredient they need to sprout from their spores and grow. As you know that one essential ingredient is humidity which winds up as condensation and life for the mold.

So, having said all that basic stuff, I can only say the obvious, which is what is sounds as if you are already doing

. Monitor the hygrometer reading regularly and control the humidity level so that it does not exceed 60%. I say this because that's the humidity level which I've read allows for the growth of mold. Other articles also advise something else you say you're doing--keep the area well-ventilated.

However, since it sounds like you're doing this stuff, I must say that I'm ultimately perplexed by your situation. As we know, mold must have the proper humidity level to exist; otherwise it never begins to grow and/or dies if it had begun. Those are just the scientific facts about mold and what it needs to exist. So, technically, it seems that, if you are doing everything you say, then the mold you have should not actually exist.

However, in consdering that your situation specifically involves leather, I'm just wondering if the amount of moisture remaining in your leather items is somehow enough to allow the mold to grow. That's just an idea, since you say you're already controlling the environment so well. The bottom line is that the mold MUST be getting appropriate moisture/condensation somewhere in your environment. What further complicates this idea, however, is that you say you have also previously dried your affected leather items in the sun

Wow! Not to sound inappropriately funny or anything, but I'm hoping you don't have some new mutant form of low-humidity mold!

Seriously, I highly doubt that, of course...

As a last bit of information, I'll give you a link to a very informative article on mold I found on the internet:

http://www.epa.gov/mold/moldresources.html

It's about as thorough as it can be, I think. Maybe you can read through that and find something we haven't already thought of.

Our member, Paul R. has done lots of work with conservation, as well. Hopefully, he'll jump in here and give advice, as well. Hopefully, he'll know something else that I don't.

Hopefully helpful, and let me know how this works out for you. Who knows? I could have the same problem someday myself.

Chris

**Paul R.** · 01-26-2008, 08:23 PM

Hi. My first thought is that the humidity in the area where your leather is stored is to high. If I read your post correctly you said in the winter it's 48%. Thats good. The basement den is between 60-85% that's tropical. First thought I would buy a good dehumidifier, and a good humidity gauge. Place them at opposite sides of the den. Pull down the humidity to 40-48% year round. Mold also loves stagnant air add a fan to circulate it. Keep doors open to move air. My next thought is the leather treatment that you applied. If you had mold spores on the leather while applying it. The mold has a source to live in. Leather treatments attract moisture. Next thought is. Are the leather items laying on something? Is it a source to attract mold and moisture to the leather. If they are cased in something like plexiglass, or glass that too has moisture and mold in cased in the leather display area.

Chis add a good resource the EPA site. A good place to start.

**Wijtman01** · 01-27-2008, 07:22 AM

hy guys same problem here only in a helmet liner, the helmet has some white dots and stripes wich come bacj when you whipe them away, what to do??
cya mates

**The Arctic Fox** · 01-27-2008, 11:19 AM

Thanks Stalhelm and Paul. It reads 56% in my den now middle of January. The leather I have displayed on a panelled wall. This basement has no windows and 2 or 3 times a year it leaks at a wall or two. This room is completely insulated by me,I think I will add a fan. Run it often. The de-humidifier I use about half the year in warm weather, every other day and fills the bucket usually, so I will have to decide on raising my electric bill or maybe move the display to the main floor or upper rooms. Right now a fan is being added.
I have just picked up a German Police helmet complete and so far nothing on it's leather,yet.
I have even used a wipe down of my leather using mild bleach, then set in hot sun, in summer. So far no visible damage in last couple years, but I would rather kill off the mould once and for all and not have anymore. As mentioned above a couple leather items are very suseptable to getting mould.Others seem okay.This leather is old and I'm trying my best at this problem,thanks again.

**Paul R.** · 01-27-2008, 12:13 PM

Hi. You may want to further reconcider a couple of things. Keep that dehumidier running year round. Seriously that humidity is 75% your problem. Adding the fan is great to keep stagnet air moving. Never, never use bleach of any type on leather. It will destroy leather faster that anything. Bleach residue keeps on working after it's applied to a surface. Take a scrap piece of fabric (colored) splash some breach on it and watch what happens. Come back 2 days later that bleach area has broken down the fabric so much you can put a hole it the bleach area with your finger. Wipe off leather with a dry cotton cloth. Use a clean cloth for each item, and wear gloves. You don't want to spread mold from one item to another. Paul

**Stahlhelm** · 01-27-2008, 08:25 PM

Great advice above from Paul R. !

Chris

**ChrisCook** · 01-30-2008, 10:08 PM

Mold spores on leather

Timely thread....I just pulled out some holsters tonight, and bam...white little specks all over the outside. It almost resembles a lite coating of talcum powder.....so, just wipe it off is about all I can do? I have had them in a somewhat airtight plastic container. Thinking about moving them back into cardboard containers that have some vent holes punched in them. I live in Alaska, and it's relatively dry here in the winter...I'm puzzled as to how this occurred (maybe the plastic?) Chris.....

**Stahlhelm** · 01-30-2008, 10:52 PM

Yes. I agree that the airtight container could have very well had a lot to do with it. Perhaps some amount of humidity and consequential condensation had become trapped in the container with your holsters. It's also likely that the airtight container provided the needed lack of ventilation which mold likes so well.

I'd also agree that keeping the holsters in a ventilated box like you describe, in your naturally-dry environment, should solve the problem.

That's just a few of my thoughts about it.

Chris

**Paul R.** · 01-31-2008, 08:59 AM

Before you put those leather items into a cardboard box. Make sure that the box is acid free. If the box is not acid free the out gasing from cheap cardboard boxes can create another problem. You can put a dozen air holes into the NON acid free cardboard box, and you will still have problems. I put my leather in acid free boxes, and add a couple of silica gel sorbit packets. These little gems are great on removing moisture, some silica packs of beads are reusable. Of course along with dehumidifier in spring, summer, fall. There are several conservation companies that carry these items. They sell to the public. Since I no longer can post supply links to these companies. You'll have to search for companies that carry acid free materials. Paul

**Stahlhelm** · 01-31-2008, 05:29 PM

Yes! I should also have thought of telling you that the cardboard boxes should be of the acid-free type.

The silica gel (dessicant) beads that Paul mentioned can also be purchased at flower and craft shops, since they are also used to dry out flowers. Of course, you can also use and reuse those paper packets of silica gel that are found in the packaging of many things these days.

As the instructions on my own canister of silica beads recommends, you can simply microwave the beads in one minute increments, until they are again dry. Drying time may, of course, vary depeding on the quantity used. They are reusable for indefinite amounts of time, as far as I know.

Chris

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Mould on old Leather.

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