Lambs wool coat with mould

[Shorty Down Under]

Roger, this is the coat that I spoke of in my email, can you please explain the method to restore this coat.

Thanks,



















In Cairns, it is very tropical, as such we get a lot of mou(u)ld

Usually by the time we get to see an item, whether it be furniture or clothing, the owner has usually tried something that a friend has told them to do, again, usually with dire results

Any help down this track would be most helpful.

Thanks again,

Shorty.

[Roger Koh]

Besides going into the technicalities there might be other important health and safety issue Leather Cleaning Technicians ought to know.

Do we need to understand more about mold before we touch them?

Therefore expert opinions on these issues are most welcome!

Your input is much appreciated on the awareness of “mold”.

Roger Koh
Leather Cleaning Technician (IICRC)

[Charles]

FABULOUS! Thank you.

[Nathan K.]

Well, from the get-go I'll state the obvious: this is going to be a challenge, as mold (that's mould to you, mate) can sometimes be impossible to remove from protein fibers/fabrics. There's lots of mold hysteria out there, but we prefer a common sense approach. Since this is such a tiny amount, and assuming you'll be working in-plant, I don't think PPE is really necessary. That said, if you have a mold allergy or are even sensitive to mold, I'd recommend wearing an N-100 face mask and nitrile gloves.
I'd start by meticulous dry vacuuming with a HEPA filtered vac, while brushing with the stiffest bristled brush that will not injure the leather. Take your time. Next I would wash the jacket, using a VERY foamy detergent and agitation appropriate for the leather. I like LST for washing sheepskin RUGS, but I use LeatherMaster's stuff for upholstery. I heard Roger has a superior leather care product line, but I have no personal experience with any other products... Of course, when wet-washing leather, agitation throughout the drying process is very important, or it will dry with a stiff hand.
Beyond suspension/agitation techniques, I'd carefully test very mild oxidizers with a Q-tip in a hidden area, and remoisturize the leather regardless of results.
Hope this helps a little, my friend. Good luck, and hopefully someone with more leather experience will come along. It might be worthwhile checking with the Restoration Drycleaning network.

NK

[Roger Koh]

Nathan, thank you for your input!

The next concern is surely a need to control or stop such growth with a Bacteriostat, Fingistat or Sporicide?

Products that contain Diethyl Benzyl Ammonium Chloride or Diethylene Glycol Monomethyl Ether shall be used in this instance.

It’s either to control the odor causing bacteria on the wool side or the mold on the suede side.

And especially mold on jacket, should the customer be brief prior to application?

What do you think?

Roger Koh
Leather Doctor® System

[Roger Koh]

Of course, when wet-washing leather, agitation throughout the drying process is very important, or it will dry with a stiff hand.

I'd carefully test very mild oxidizers with a Q-tip in a hidden area, and remoisturize the leather regardless of results.


NK

Leather when wet and dry again will always be stiffer than before is a true experience.

A simple explanation why agitation throughout the drying process is important is “preventing the fibrils within the leather structure for being sticking together” therefore stiffer.

Answer to this “stiff hand” is introducing fatliquor into the fibrils that coats and lubricates each fibril thus preventing it from sticking together during the drying process.

When dry; milling, massaging or flexing the leather will make it as soft as you wish with increased strength too.

Mild oxidizer even at a 3% dilution is a risky undertaking.

Protein fibers can be “cooked” with oxidizer (we cannot uncooked an egg once it been cooked)!

Hope this information helps us understand leather better!

Before going into the detailed procedures.

Roger Koh
Leather Doctor® System

[Roger Koh]

How to Restores a Mold Infested Shearling Jacket (Double-Face Lambskin).

Step 1
Customer must be briefed of use of Bactericide and Fungicide.
This may include providing customers with MSDS and informed consent of products use in writing.

Step 2
Remove all dry soil and mold responsibly - Avoid cross contamination work place, with health and safety in mind.
As mentioned above with N-100 Face Mask, Nitrile Gloves, HEPA Vacuum, suedeBrush3, nubuckEraser4 or equivalent.
Remove from the suede side first then the wool side.

Step 3
Reverse the entire jacket and work on the wool side with shearling5.5 > rinse4.0 > d’Bacteria3.7 with d’Lanolin5.6 as option on heavily soiled areas.
Products are sprayed then agitate with suedeBrush3™ and extract with dry absorbent towel.
Let dry naturally.

Step 4
Reverse back to the suede side and work with d’Grease4.9 > clean3.8 > rinse3.0 > fatliquor5.0 > d’Mold3.6.
Method of cleaning is similar to above step 3.
Let dry naturally.

Step 5
Use nubuckEraser4 to exfoliate the suede surface especially working on the mold stains.
Sunken pits are evidence of prolonged mold growth.

Step 6
Refinishing with matching color mix of nubuckColor94.

Step 7
Then fixing the color with nubuckFix99 to abate it from crocking.

Step 8
Airbrush with leatherScent’S (a non-stick silky feel conditioner with a classic leather scent).

Step 9
When dry groom again with suedeBrush3 for a “finger writing effect”.

Step 10
Suggest an eight monthly application of d’Mold3.6 for long term effectiveness against mold reoccurrence.
That’s the only guarantee in a tropical climate!

Questions are welcome!

Roger Koh
Leather Doctor® System

[Care 4 Leather]

Good Morning, The coat sure has a problem. Been to Cairns so I know what the humidity and temperatures are like. Whoever cleans the coat will need a lot of time and effort to restore it to its former glory. First of all it needs a good clean using a recognised leather cleaner.Clean only on the effected areas. Once most of the infestation has been removed, it is vital to use a mould killer to kill and spores that remain. Remember to dry the areas after cleaning and before applying the mould killer.

You should now be left with a mould free coat showing darker areas where the surface was wet and staining from the pigmentation left behind by the mould. This is where you need time and effort. Each individual area of mould pigmentation can be removed using a fine sandpaper (400 grit) Be very gentle and only rub to remove the stain. This has to be done on every stain there. Once removed the darker areas from the cleaning can be removed by flexing the leather strongly between your fingers.

Good Luck

care 4 Leather

[Shorty Down Under]

Thank you all for your very helpful information.

My apologies for being slack in answering this, I have been fairly busy and been away from Cairns for the last three/four days.

Roger, I shall be sending an order through this week to you, probably about Wednesday, work permitting, got another busy week ahead.

Thanks again and also good to see Nate on here

Ooroo,

Shorty