Get mold off your precious leather items:
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Leather is one of the most valuable and costly cloth materials. This expensive and elegant piece of cloth must be protected from the potential damage caused by bacterial or fungal attacks.
Mold and mildew are some of the most commonly occurring fungal microorganisms in the environment. Mold belongs to the kingdom of fungi, comprising of small spores that are propelled in the atmosphere. These spores contain mycotoxins, which are potent to cause crucial respiratory damage. This fungal attack can even deteriorate your leather products and make them unusable.
Whether it is a mold spot on your favorite leather jacket or a mark on your suede shoe, you need to handle the mold carefully and take it off before it causes more damage. This 3-minute read will help you decide if a mold has attacked your leather goods and provide easy tricks to protect your precious commodities.
What is the effect of mold on leather or suede?
Leather or suede are two highly precious cloth materials. These luxury items usually cost a lot, and they are equally prone to damage by molds. Molds can attack such products because of humidity, moisture, dampness, or uncleanliness.
It Is always safer to do basic things that provide security to your products and prevent future damage. Mold growth can not only reduce the newness of your leather products, but also it can make your product useless for the next time.
So, how can one save their commodities from mold attack? Are there any preventive measures that can protect the product before loss? Are there any health-related consequences of using moldy products? Unfortunately, molds have a detrimental impact on your goods and health. It is necessary to take immediate actions on spotting mold growth because it can cause damage in the long run.
Five basic tricks to protect your precious leather from mold and mildew:
Here are five tips and tricks to protect your valuable leather goods from the attack of mold and mildew:
- Separate from other dress pieces for treatment: The first thing is separating this dress from others. Even if it’s a shoe, wallet, purse, or jacket, it has to e separated from the rest to ensure the safety of other products. Mold can propagate in the environment. It keeps expelling spores in the atmosphere that can further attack the nearby commodities. Therefore, the first step is taking the moldy piece out and separating it from the rest.
- Brush off the mold particles: If you see greenish-black color appearing on your leather product, it is mold or mildew. The powdery texture and mushy smell are two critical indicators of the presence of molds in excess quantity. If you observe mold growth on your product, you must use a brush or cloth to rub it off the product. In this way, you will take out the mass colony, and only minute traces will be left behind.
- Use vinegar to clean: Vinegar is one of the oldest disinfectants in the history of mankind. White vinegar is an excellent cleaning agent, and it immediately kills of sorts of molds. Vinegar also can remove the pungent earthy smell of mold growth from the clothes. Lastly, this disinfectant is also helpful in removing the stains caused by mold or mildew. It is safer to test a small patch of the cloth, jacket, shoe, etc., before applying the vinegar all over it. This preventive measure saves your product from being damaged in case of a vinegar reaction.
- Scrub alcohol on the affected area: Many of you must be familiar with alcohol pouches or cleaning. Rubbing alcohol on your purses, clothes, shoes, couches, and leather jackets can eradicate the molds. It is always safer to patch test before applying alcohol all over the product to ensure safety.
- Use soap for full-cleanse: After removing the primary mold colony, you need to wash it. Use a powerful detergent or soap to remove all the stains and smells left by the mold. It is also intelligent to clean the damaged good after washing it twice.
How to identify mold growth on your leather piece?
If you see a green-black colored powdery spot on your leather piece, you spotted mold growth. Furthermore, a very earthy and mushy smell indicates the presence of molds. Sometimes moisture, humidity, and dampness can signal mold development. Furthermore, there might be mold if you or your loved ones are experiencing nausea, cough, sneezing, wheezing, redness, allergies, headaches, or dizziness. In any of these cases, you must take immediate steps to protect yourself primarily from mold hazards. However, you can also seek professional guidance for complete mold remediation.
When do I need professional help?
You need professional help if you see mold growth on your property, leather goods, or assets. You may want to handle it on your own if it is a small spot. However, if you are constantly experiencing respiratory or other health issues, you must seek expert advice. Molds are airborne infecting agents. So, they can impact the quality of the air you breathe. Seeking professional guidance will help you ensure a safe future for you and your assets.
