Mold on wood furniture

[greg Forster]

We have had a bit of rain in the SouthEast U.S.
this past 10 days
A piece of wood furniture I have stored in an
unconditioned space has a little mold just starting;
It has a shellac finish I think; how should I go about cleaning this

[Charlie Velasquez]

Mold cleans with regular soap and water. If you feel strongly, they also sell mold specific detergents. Then dry thoroughly.


Shellac has average water resistance, but I would be surprised if there was no water damage.
Mold tends to work its way into finishes (it is in fact using any organics on the surface or in the finish as food). So I would expect damage from that. Then you had to use the water and detergent to remove the mold. So, I would expect damage.

In any case, inspect the finish. Be prepared to repair the finish.

[charlie knighton]

add some Clorox to water, use cloth, use qtips in hard to reach areas....dry afterward

I have used this system with estate auctions furniture

then use Howards Feed-N-Wax.....follow directions.....wood polish and conditioner.......beeswax and orange oil mainly

[Allan Speers]

I strongly urge you to NOT use Clorox or other bleach, even though it can work in some cases. Bleach has a lot of surface tension and rarely penetrates the surface, whereas the mold spores tend to embed themselves deep down. What often happens is that the bleach kills the "fruit," but not the spores. I have personally seen mold come back, with a vengeance, 6 months after a heavy bleaching.

YMMV, but why take the chance. Buy some Sporicidin, and be done with it. Kills it dead, as in forever.