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Moldstrut (RR)

soulbrono1soulbrono1 205 Posts
edited February 2007 in Strut Central
So I buy this amazing 90's hip hop collection for super cheap because of major water damage. It's a shame, all of the covers are shot to hell, but many of the records are still playable...some of them in quite good condition. I noticed quite a bit of mold on the trashed covers, as well as what I can only assume to be mold on the many of the records.Is it for my whole collection if I merge them in?Am I doomed to die a terrible death for beathing in the crap? Have I endangered my family for bringin it in the garage?

  Comments

  • karlophonekarlophone 1,697 Posts
    best to clean it off the records. the covers are debatable, some say trash em, some say they can be wiped off and the remaining stains are ok.

    unless thats some active fuzzy yeasty cultures, they wont affect your other records. but id wipe the stuff down to save your lungs!
  • ariel_calmerariel_calmer 3,762 Posts
    best to clean it off the records. the covers are debatable, some say trash em, some say they can be wiped off and the remaining stains are ok.

    unless thats some active fuzzy yeasty cultures, they wont affect your other records. but id wipe the stuff down to save your lungs!

    My mother is a professional book & collections conservator... here's what she had to say:

    About mold - The most important thing is to put the record in a cool, dry
    place, which will make the mold dormant. Then clean off the surface. Once
    the mold is dry, it can be brushed off with a soft brush. I use a dry
    cleaning sponge and would be happy to mail you a piece. If the mold spores
    have eaten into the surface and caused staining, this is difficult to
    remove.

    Is there a plastic sleeve over the cover? If so, remove and do not replace.
    The plastic creates a micro environment that traps moisture which will cause
    the mold spores to regrow. You can't remove all the mold, only keep it
    dormant.
  • spelunkspelunk 3,400 Posts
    Is there a plastic sleeve over the cover? If so, remove and do not replace.
    The plastic creates a micro environment that traps moisture which will cause
    the mold spores to regrow. You can't remove all the mold, only keep it
    dormant.

    Interesting advice...everyone seems to like having the plastic joints on their records but if they foster mold that's no good.

    Personally, I'd get the mold off the records completely, buy some blank 12 inch sleeves and store the old moldy sleeves somewhere else. No use risking the rest of your collection just to have them in the same place.
  • Controller_7Controller_7 4,052 Posts
    I've picked up a few moldy ones along the way and I always sparayed a little lysol on the cover and wiped it off. Tried to kill the mold. I put it back in a plastic sleeve so as not to contaminate the other records. maybe it's actually a breeding ground. Who knows.

    If the covers are totally trashed water wise, but you still want to keep them (as warped and wobbly as they may be), you could probably cook up some sort of bleach type solution to attack the mold. If the water damage is already done, maybe you can just add some more water, but the disinfecting kind.

    This is by no means professional advice.
  • karlophonekarlophone 1,697 Posts
    this is key:

    The most important thing is to put the record in a cool, dry
    place, which will make the mold dormant. Then clean off the surface. Once
    the mold is dry, it can be brushed off with a soft brush.

    99% of the moldy records we find/buy are 'dormant' or in many cases dead mold thats been dry n dusty for super long time.

    BUT

    you still gotta clean em up as best you can just so the old dust/spores dont get in yer system. i dont think they can "infect" fellow records unless they are damp and the cultures are still active. but dry mold dust can mess your bronchial zone up.

    lysol: good idea.

    bagging them after cleaning em (once theyre dry) is good because any stray nastiness wont smear on its neighbors. not that it will poison them, but its just good to keep it contained.

    bagging records in general is still a good idea, so long as they arent damp. 'dry' is the key.

    dry and cool as opposed to hot and humid is best for anything paper. but if you can only have one, go for dry.
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