Mold?

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Beskar'gam
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Mold?

Post by Beskar'gam »

Greetings all,

My wife and I just moved into a new home. Prior to the move I had stored my loading equipment, Dillon 450 and Lee Turret, and associated sundries in plastic totes in the basement of the apartment we had rented previously. Upon moving, I opened one tote and found that a leather and fabric pistol case had been covered with a greenish mold/mildew. The tote was closed but not sealed. My assumption is that the mildew likely rested on the numerous surfaces in the totes. Could anyone suggest a method for not transferring this contagion to a new house? I currently have a dry basement and do not want to bring this into the mix.

Thanks in advance
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TJW815
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Re: Mold?

Post by TJW815 »

Clean it with "concrobium". You can get it at lowes. Will either be in paint near the chemicals, or in lumber near the roof/driveway coatings.

Otherwise, if you remove any (all) moisture sources, you kill it as well.
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Re: Mold?

Post by sodbuster95 »

Never heard of the stuff TJW815 is suggesting, so I cannot comment on it.

However, before resorting to store-bought chemicals, it's worthwhile to note that mold can be effectively killed with many normal household agents such as bleach, borax, ammonia, baking soda, and hydrogen peroxide (among other things). For something porous (such as a fabric pistol case) I'd probably go with 3% hydrogen peroxide in a spray bottle. Like bleach, however, hydrogen peroxide may fade fabric colors. However, it's non-toxic and leaves behind no residue. Also, bleach is far less effective at cleaning porous materials as the bleach itself won't absorb - only the water will.
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djthomas
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Re: Mold?

Post by djthomas »

I would also expose it to several days worth of sunlight (be sure to bring it in at night or when it rains). UV light is excellent at killing many pathogens while doing little to no damage to the underlying surface other than perhaps a bit of color fade. Alternatively if you have access to a good source of UV such as a metal halide grow light or a germicidal lamp you could use those for 72 hours straight.
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AlanM
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Re: Mold?

Post by AlanM »

Just a nit pick. Hydrogen Peroxide IS bleach. Where do you think the term Peroxide Blonde comes from?
Many forms of bleaches are oxygen bleaches.
Regardless of the chemicals used the final outcome is to provide free oxygen in higher than normal concentrations which then bleach the item in question. Chlorine bleaches release chlorine which reacts with H2O to produce HCl and free O2. The HCL, of course, is hydrochloric acid which damages the article also.
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Sevens
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Re: Mold?

Post by Sevens »

At the price and availability of soft zippered pistol cases -- and my fondness for the handguns I would ever put in to one, I would absolutely throw out one with mold on it.
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Klingon00
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Re: Mold?

Post by Klingon00 »

Sevens wrote:At the price and availability of soft zippered pistol cases -- and my fondness for the handguns I would ever put in to one, I would absolutely throw out one with mold on it.
^This. Unless it had real sentimental value like Grandpa's old war souvenir, I wouldn't mess with it.
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Re: Mold?

Post by sodbuster95 »

AlanM wrote:Just a nit pick. Hydrogen Peroxide IS bleach. Where do you think the term Peroxide Blonde comes from?
Many forms of bleaches are oxygen bleaches.
Regardless of the chemicals used the final outcome is to provide free oxygen in higher than normal concentrations which then bleach the item in question. Chlorine bleaches release chlorine which reacts with H2O to produce HCl and free O2. The HCL, of course, is hydrochloric acid which damages the article also.
When I think of the generic term "bleach", I think of household chlorine bleach (the stuff with sodium hypochlorite (NaCLO)). Hydrogen Peroxide (H202) will "bleach" (verb) but it is something different from household bleach.

There are things in which the use of hydrogen peroxide is safe while the use of sodium hypochlorite is not. Specifically, I've used both in certain circumstances to kill mold and algae in fish tanks. The use of household bleach is excellent for both but has the unfortunate side effect of killing the fish and cannot be reliably rinsed after the fact (making the tank uninhabitable). Hydrogen peroxide, in contrast, will also kill algae and mold, but will revert to H20 and free oxygen after contact with water, making it much safer for disinfectant purposes. In other words, I distinguish them, because they are distinguishable.

So, to pick your nit, hydrogen peroxide - while a bleaching agent - is not "bleach."
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TJW815
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Re: Mold?

Post by TJW815 »

Fire, fire will kill it.

Kill it with fire! :twisted:
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Re: Mold?

Post by JustaShooter »

TJW815 wrote:Fire, fire will kill it.

Kill it with fire! :twisted:
Nuke the entire site from orbit--it’s the only way to be sure.
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Re: Mold?

Post by WY_Not »

And, don't limit bombardment to a single warhead.
JustaShooter wrote:
TJW815 wrote:Fire, fire will kill it.

Kill it with fire! :twisted:
Nuke the entire site from orbit--it’s the only way to be sure.
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BigBill
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Re: Mold?

Post by BigBill »

Am I the only person that saw this in the Handloading section and thought...

Bullet Mold!

Then it took me a few entries to realize the OP was about the fungi...

DOH!
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Re: Mold?

Post by Cruiser »

Mildew as the subject would have gotten more attention!
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