Preventing mold

[Mungo]

I’ve been searching the forums about mold on leather. It seems some people use Listerine in their casing water, I assume to prevent the mold from starting in the first place. Does it work? I’ll probably use an antique dye so I don’t think discoloration would be a problem. I’m thinking about doing a western scene which would take several days to tool. It would be stored damp, in a sealed bag, and in my fridge between sessions. Thank ye kindly.

[Bert03241]

Maybe post this in the  all about Leather Thread

1 hour ago, Mungo said:

I’ve been searching the forums about mold on leather. It seems some people use Listerine in their casing water, I assume to prevent the mold from starting in the first place. Does it work? I’ll probably use an antique dye so I don’t think discoloration would be a problem. I’m thinking about doing a western scene which would take several days to tool. It would be stored damp, in a sealed bag, and in my fridge between sessions. Thank ye kindly.

 

[Northmount]

2 hours ago, Mungo said:

I’ve been searching the forums about mold on leather.

Moved to all about leather.  There are past threads and topics about both preventing and removing mold.  Worth searching them out.  They may be in the tooling area, or in dyes, finishes, etc.

I have used Listerine, just the amber color.  I wouldn't use the blue stuff for fear of it leaving a blue stain.  It works.

 

[Mungo]

Thanks, I’m going to try it.

[Johanna]

Vinegar. Doesn't stain, and kills mold spores. Can be used on finished or unfinished leather. I use white vinegar and sunshine to get rid of mold and mildew, and I will wipe down leather I plan to store with vinegar. If you're using veggie tanned leather (absorbent) test an inconspicuous area first, just to be safe.

[SUP]

6 hours ago, Northmount said:

I have used Listerine, just the amber color.  I wouldn't use the blue stuff for fear of it leaving a blue stain.  It works.

Do you use it diluted? What about the smell?

 

[fredk]

19 hours ago, Mungo said:

. . . I’m thinking about doing a western scene which would take several days to tool. It would be stored damp, in a sealed bag, and in my fridge between sessions. . . .

I found the best way was to refresh the casing water every few hours. Make sure the casing water is pure. Filtered or de-ionised water. Its the impurities in water, not noticeable to us, that encourage the growth of mould

[Mungo]

Thanks for all the replies.