MOULD GROWING ON MY GUITARS!!

[KevinTJH]

I live in the North shore of Sydney and the air here is quite humid. Mould seems to grow everywhere which is really annoying.

 

Despite having a dehumidifier directly in front of my guitar rack, my guitars now have mould on them!

 

Thank God I'm moving out of this {censored}hole house next week. But the damage is already done, is there anything I can do?

 

How do I effectively remove mould on my guitar fretboard, pickups, and god knows where else the mould is growing?

 

Professional luthiers, I really need your help here too!

[marshallnoise]

Mould is not how you spell it. Its Mold.

 

Also, if you have a humidifier in front of your guitars, you are adding more moisture to the room and consequently, to your guitars.

 

I would say Windex would work fine.

[paulisme]

 

Mould is not how you spell it. Its Mold.

 

 

Not if you're from Australia.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_and_British_English_spelling_differences

[KevinTJH]

 

Mould is not how you spell it. Its Mold. Also, if you have a humidifier in front of your guitars, you are adding more moisture to the room and consequently, to your guitars. I would say Windex would work fine.

 

 

Oh my gosh. Sorry! Not humidifier! DEHUMIDIFIER! my bad...

[Smilin' Bob]

You may have to have them fumigated. Really. Call a pest control company.

[marshallnoise]

 

Oh my gosh. Sorry! Not humidifier! DEHUMIDIFIER! my bad...

 

 

Haha, I figured as much.

 

You would do better placing the guitars in a closet that is not near a window or outside wall and placing the dehumidifier in the closet as well.

 

As far as cleaning, just do your best with the materials you have around. Don't use bleach though, it does not kill mold.

[KevinTJH]

 

Haha, I figured as much. You would do better placing the guitars in a closet that is not near a window or outside wall and placing the dehumidifier in the closet as well. As far as cleaning, just do your best with the materials you have around. Don't use bleach though, it does not kill mold.

 

 

My guitars were never near a window or closet, it has always been in an open space far from doors or windows, it's probably this house which is really humid that's all. After I move next week, I doubt I'll ever have this problem again, I just want to cure the damage that has already been done.

 

As far as cleaning is concern, do I have to use any liquid to clean it? Or do I simply just wipe it off with dry tissue? From what I heard the acid from orange oil kills mould and doesn't damage the finish in any way.

[Espresso]

I live in North shore too and I keep my guitars in their cases (even in between practice sessions in one day).I haven't had such a problem so far.I've only been living here for a few months,though.

[Reaganomics!]

Tell the Mould to finally make up with Grant Hart and reunite Husker Du.

[PunkKitty]

Tell the Mould to finally make up with Grant Hart and reunite Husker Du.

[Blackwatch]

 

As far as cleaning, just do your best with the materials you have around. Don't use bleach though, it does not kill mold.

 

 

I find that surprising as I used to live on a sailboat in the Pacific Northwest. Bleach was the only thing that killed mold

 

For mold on guitars I'd wipe with a solution of 1/10 water to bleach solution.

Hydrogen peroxide would work also. But this is only on the finished portion. The problem is if you have mold growing in the pores of the open wood inside. Even if the mold dies it's going to be hard to remove the stains without really smearing the dead mould all over the place. At least it's on the inside of your guitar..

 

You might talk to a luither....good luck

[Schtang]

 

Mould is not how you spell it. Its Mold. Also, if you have a humidifier in front of your guitars, you are adding more moisture to the room and consequently, to your guitars. I would say Windex would work fine.

 

 

Mould is the correct English spelling as is colour, labour, humour. Just a history of laziness in dropping the u.

[Spike Li]

Move to Perth, youll never see mould on your guitars again!

[KevinTJH]

I find that surprising as I used to live on a sailboat in the Pacific Northwest. Bleach was the only thing that killed mold For mold on guitars I'd wipe with a solution of 1/10 water to bleach solution. Hydrogen peroxide would work also. But this is only on the finished portion. The problem is if you have mold growing in the pores of the open wood inside. Even if the mold dies it's going to be hard to remove the stains without really smearing the dead mould all over the place. At least it's on the inside of your guitar.. You might talk to a luither....good luck

I think I feel a little bit more fortunate now that the mould/mold I was refering to isn't as bad as the one you're thinking of. This mould/mold is sorta dry and doesn't exactly smudge or anything. But I'm just a little uncomfortable with it growing on my guitar.

 

 

 

By the way, spelling isn't really a concern here so we should probably let that pass!

[ArpeggiateTHIS]

This is a guitar forum, not a spelling bee.

 

I'd recommend that you keep them in their cases until you move, then sort the mould out once you're in your new place.

[KevinTJH]

 

This is a guitar forum, not a spelling bee. I'd recommend that you keep them in their cases until you move, then sort the mould out once you're in your new place.

 

 

That's a great suggestion. But my 2 guitar cases are covered with mould as well. I'm guessing the inside should be alright, but I can't fit 6 vulnerable guitars in the case though.

[BG76]

 

Mould is not how you spell it. Its Mold. Also, if you have a humidifier in front of your guitars, you are adding more moisture to the room and consequently, to your guitars. I would say Windex would work fine.

 

 

1- He is in Australia

 

2- He said dehumidifier

 

3- I would be less worried about the guitars and more worried about your health.

[Mo' Cowbell]

I'm trying to get Bob Mould to grow on my guitar. Any suggestions? I would never take bleach or ammonia to clean a guitar. Why anyone would consider using something more than guitar polish and fretboard conditioner is beyond me.

[caveman]

Yep, mould/mold = serious health issues.

[stevieb]

NOOOOO! STOP! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, STOP!!!

 

Yes, the mold (or mould, or muld, or moooooolllllddd) needs to be killed, and yes, chlorine bleach will kill it- but we are not talking hardwood floors, here- these are GUITARS. You do not know what the bleach (or Hydrogen peroixde) will do to the guitars, and there is about a 99% chance that the excess humidity already did some real damage to the guitars- the moisture and chemicals will likely only worsen that damage.

 

I KNOW from whence I speak- I had a house that did the same thing to my guitars, and all my hollowbody guitars STARTED TO COME APART from the glue being desolved. Guitars are put together, by and large, with WATER SOLUBLE GLUES. Fortunately, the Martin rep was very understanding, and both covered my Martin under warranty (he could have called it abuse and I would have been on my own) AND pointed me in the direction of a luthier who was about the best and made things right.

 

Your BEST course of action is to get your guitars out of there, NOW, bring them ALL to a luthier you trust, and follow his recommendations. I would NOT clean them myself until I knew the whole picture. Regardless of your level of expertise, it is time to call in a true expert, or at the very least get a second opinion.

[d_dave_c]

 

Tell the Mould to finally make up with Grant Hart and reunite Husker Du.

 

 

+1

[mike42]

I have absolutely no expertise in mold/mould treatment. But a couple of ideas seem reasonable, and won't be harmful.

 

If it's a dry kind of mold - that seems to be what you're describing - you can probably do a good cleanup job with a vacuum and a 1 - 2" paint brush. The brush does a good job of sweeping out crevices and corners. With a little ingenuity you can probably even get inside the hollow bodies. Attach a small flex hose to the regular vac hose. If the affected areas are stained I would agree you'll have to use some kind of liquid cleaner to get the stain.

I would start with something mild, and work up to stronger stuff if necessary. I wouldn't use anything wet on an unfinished interior surface unless it was required to kill the mold.

 

If you're moving soon, maybe the new environment will be more hostile to the mold, and any residue will die off on its own.

[paradisel0st]

Using Bleach to kill mold on a NON porous surface is *OK*, probably not the greatest thing but it's not too bad.

 

Now people that use it to "kill" mold on drywall..and other porous surfaces it's actually one of the worst things you can use, because the bleach removes the color and gives the illusion the mold is dead when in reality the moisture you added seeps through the surface feeding the roots and makes the mold grow back substantially worse.

[Yavin]

 

That's a great suggestion. But my 2 guitar cases are covered with mould as well. I'm guessing the inside should be alright, but I can't fit 6 vulnerable guitars in the case though.

 

 

Ick. Yeah, you need to be out of that house. Mold can cause major health issues. I would case the guitars, pack your stuff and bail as quickly as possible. If you are renting, I would let the landlord know that is why you are leaving too.

[zuzuman]

Tell the Mould to finally make up with Grant Hart and reunite Husker Du.

Beat me to it.