Mold removal off of objects or within a structure are best left to professionals who are trained and equipped to handle it. Your friend could not only put herself at risk but if the public can get close to these objects then you never know if someone who is especially sensitive will suffer from exposure. You have to treat a mold outbreak as if it is radioactive. Everything around those objects can have very elevated levels of spores and whatever you touch or wear is contaminated. The best solution is to find other non-moldy objects for their exhibit. 

Dave

David Harvey
Conservator
Los Angeles, CA 

On Thu, Aug 28, 2008 at 3:01 PM, Martha Katz-Hyman <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
I know this question has been discussed on the list before, but I suspect not in this form, so I hope I can impose on list members for some advice for a friend of mine who lives in Vermont and is working at the moment for the Vermont State Fair, which opens shortly.  The Fair has, as a part of its exhibits, a museum of agricultural and domestic equipment, and my friend is helping to get it ready.

However, she has run into a huge problem:  mold on everything (it has been a wet summer in Vermont, and the building evidently has no climate control)!  She asked me what to do, as she looked online and the CCI Bulletins cost money, and she couldn't find the NPS bulletins.  Here's her message to me:

I am in the process of opening up the museum at the fairgrounds and I have uncovered a lot of mold.  It has been really wet here this summer and the mold seems to be on about every type of artifacts, wood, metal, glass, leather, felt you name it and there seems to be mold.  There is no way for me to control the humidity in the building.  Do I just wipe off the mold with a rag or a dust cloth and put the item in the sun?  Should I then burn the rags or wash the dust cloth?    I tried to find something on line but the CCI tech. bulletins cost money and I couldn't find the ones from NPS.  Any suggestions I would greatly appreciate.

I have already told her to get a mask or a respirator, but I didn't know what else to tell her about how best to remove the mold, since there are such a variety of materials, and there is really not a lot of time to do anything but triage, I think.

My thanks to all list members in advance for their help.

Martha Katz-Hyman
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