We are still in the process of repairing after Sandy. Furniture in the (non-air conditioned) family room has been covered with a tarp for months. We took the tarp off yesterday. I have a few pieces of This End Up and they are pretty well covered with a thin layer of green fuzz. We also have three pieces of pretty new, nice leather furniture that have some mold in scattered locations. The furniture was never actually wet in the flood (we raised it up on lawn chairs) but humidity at the beach is very high.
Can this stuff be successfully cleaned? It seems to me that the wood furniture can be easily scrubbed or pressure washed and a new coat of Minwax or whatever applied. The mold on the leather wipes right off but the boss is leaning toward throwing everything out. She is cursed with a nose that would make a Bloodhound jealous and is a little OCD when it comes to cleaning. I think that she is overreacting and the knowledge that there was once mold on the furniture skeeves her out and she will smell things that may or may not be there. The room will have AC when repairs are completed. Help me out here. This could cost thousands as we didn’t have contents insurance.
Typically I would say get rid of the furniture. It may not be that your wife is cursed with a great sense of smell but that she is is more sensitive to to the byproducts (MVOC) microbial volatile organic compounds. Each person reacts differently to these off gassing compounds particularly immune compromised, young children, and older folks.
It’s been my experience that woman have a much keaner sense of smell than men.
For settled spores on porous material it is considered acceptable practice to hepa vacuum the furniture thouroghly. If you have a wet dry vac there are hepa filters available at home depot (around $35) If the piece has been affected by actual growth It is recommended to dispose of it.
In any case if it is bothering the “boss” take note. She may not be nagging and it may truly be a reaction. While I sympathize with the cost issue, furniture can be replaced eventually. Your families health and happiness is more important.
Not what I was hoping to hear. The This End Up stuff I may try to salvage. I’ve read that white vinegar is an effective mold cleaner and that that Minwax finish is also a moldicide/preventer. The leather stuff has what appears to be mold spots but they don’t come off with soap and water. Its like they are stains as opposed to actual mold. I haven’t tried denatured alcohol yet, something else that I read is a leather mold cleaner. We bought an “we will fix (almost) anything for free” extended warranty for the leather stuff. Naturally, mold is excluded. The technician is going to come anyway and tell us if we have any options.