mold removal from suede

[JackAubrey]

Ah the cruel twists of circumstances!Having packed all my worldly possessions and moved to the state of Florida last year, I have just recovered a suede leather shooting bag from boxes misplaced.It has been exposed to the damnable humidity of this place and developed a type of white mold.How might one remove this mould w/o ruining the leather,I wonder?best regards,J.A.

 

[bob1961]

suede cleaner after some brushing to remove some if not all the mould....or dry cleaner....just looked up how clean suede..........bob

 

[Norskie]

How thick is this mold? Is it located where your fingers have touched the bag repeatedly? You might try a gum eraser for physical removal. Spray fungicide might help keep it away.
If it was smooth leather you could saddle soap it, but that'll ruin the nap of the suede. I'm thinking you're already looking for a dehumidifier, right? You're going to need climate controlled storage in Florida for such an exotic thing as suede. There are no native suede bearing animals there! :grin:

 

After 40+ years of repairing/making leather goods, plain ole cider vinegar is the best thing I've found for stopping mold on leather - clean off as much as possible of the surface mold - as noted above let it dry and then brush it off - then wipe down good, inside and outside, with straight vinegar. Let it air dy until the smell completely dissipates before packign away - it may discolor a bit but then the mold usually does that to and it will stop further degradation. After wards use a good conditioner to match the type of leather.......

other mileage will vary.........

 

[musketman]

I clean my buckskins by rubbing yellow cornmeal onto the leather, let it set a while to absorb the dirt and oils, then brush or shake it off...

This works fine with buckskin, I suppose it could work on suede as well...

 

[JackAubrey]

I was able to get the white mold off w/ a suede brush and soap and water.Now the bag does have some discolouration,no worries there.I'll be trying thae vinegar soak,that sounds like a great idea!Thank each of you for your assistance in this matter,Best regards,J.A.

 

[Bountyhunter]

The problem with mold is that it isnt all on the surface. It has "roots" that go down into the leather itself, and you need to kill them. The vinegar should do that. Make sure you put some good leather dressing on it after the vinegar dries.

 

[Legionair]

Just a thought here... the molds alive, so could you just nuke it in the microwave to kill it completely (inside and outside of the leather)?

Then it would just be a matter of soaking it in and oil or other treatment to keep the moisture from starting a new batch.

This SHOULD work.... anyone else think so?

Legion

 

[musketman]

Just a thought here... the molds alive, so could you just nuke it in the microwave to kill it completely (inside and outside of the leather)?

Then it would just be a matter of soaking it in and oil or other treatment to keep the moisture from starting a new batch.

This SHOULD work.... anyone else think so?

Legion

It could blanche it, but I would be more concern about the traces of lead that was in the shooting bag that has now been placed in a devise that is used to cook your food...

 

[Zonie]

Any water in the leather will boil and might harden the leather if it is put into a Microwave oven.

I think the acid in the vinegar will kill off the mold and the spores it has created.

 

[pathfinderifh]

If you can find a furniture repairman who can fix leather, He has a product called "Spew remover" that we use for blooming and mildew, followed by a de-greaser[spray powder type] then a Nu-Buck cloth. Seems like a lot of trouble, but it works.

 

[Legionair]

Never thought of that... or the moisture hardening the leather...

Guess I should run all my ideas past you guys.... :hmm:

Legion

 

[musketman]

Never thought of that... or the moisture hardening the leather...

Guess I should run all my ideas past you guys.... :hmm:

Legion

If you already used the microwave, be sure to clean it real good...

If you want to use the microwave, place the item in a microwave safe cooking bag and seal it, this will keep all little nastys from being splattered throughout your magic-oven...