Trask Research, Inc. - Mold Problem Solving

Mold Remediation on Leather

By Matthew Yurina, Mold Inspector/Remediator

CONTAIN- the mold from spreading into uncontaminated areas;

KILL- the mold;

REMOVE- the dead mold and materials used for remediation; and

PROTECT- the cleaned out area against future mold infestations

The first step in any mold remediation project is to be sure you have the proper protective equipment: P100 respirator, gloves, goggles, protective clothing. This may not seem necessary if the remediation is being done on a very small and seemingly insignificant item, (i.e. baseball glove, chair, wallet) but mold grows quickly on leather, and, depending upon which type of mold, could release toxigenic spores, so you’ll want to take all the precautions you can. Be sure to perform the mold remediation in an environment where mold spores won’t be spread to uninfected areas. You may want to do the work outside.

Second you’ll want to get the leather item as dry as possible. This will help stop further mold growth, and is an important start in saving the item. In some cases the item can be scrubbed down with the Oxy Mold product, but this would only be in very new cases where the mold hasn’t had much time to grow. The Oxy Mold is an enzyme based mold cleaner, deodorizer and stain remover.

However, if the mold has been growing for more than two or three days; you’ll need something much stronger, like the Oxy Mold MX-501™ concentrate. MX-501 is an EPA registered fungicide, designed to get to the roots of and kill any type of mold on virtually any type of surface. In some cases simply spraying the item with the fungicide may do the trick. Give the leather two good strong coats of MX-501, allowing time in between applications to dry thoroughly.

In advanced cases, where mold has grown deep into the leather it will be necessary to soak the item in MX-501 for a period of time. Do this a minimum of two times allowing 24 hours or so to dry in between the two applications. Leather is very porous, so it will readily soak up the fungicide so it can get to the roots of the mold. Once the second application is applied and the item has been given time to dry, perform a surface swab mold test. Post Testing is the only way you can be 100% sure the mold is dead.

How to remediate antique leather items:

There are some antique collectables which, depending on how old and fragile they are, you may not want to soak in MX-501 or any other industrial strength fungicide. In these cases you’ll be better off using a HEPA vacuum to remove mold spores before hand, then applying the fungicide lightly to the item with a hand sprayer.

In any case you’ll need to apply the MX-501 at least twice, allowing time in between to dry. Use the HEPA vacuum afterward also to suck up any dead spores that are still present. At this point allow the leather to dry and you can perform a Mold Test to verify that the mold is literally dead and won’t continue to grow.

Mold’s strong pigments can leave behind some pretty terrible stains, so you may need to scrub with Oxy Mold to remove some stains and kill any lingering mold odor.