responding to http://www.homeownershub.com/mainten...es-738618-.htm
DA wrote:
Jeff Liebermann wrote:

It's not mold. It appears to be mold, but if you look carefully, it
doesn't "grow" in a radial pattern, as you would expect real
mold to
grow. I've put the dust under a microscope to be sure. It's plastic
dust.

*Plastic* dust that grows? Sounds like a new life form! The OP did not say what exactly is he doing in the workshop but I am pretty sure if it was something that creates a lot of dust of any kind, he'd mentioned it.

Perhaps it's technically not mold per se (not fungal) but it's still biological - you've touched the handles, you've left some residue behind (sweat, skin flakes), bacteria are thankful for it, eat it and multiply. Still the same type of concern as with mold - something grows in your basement that you don't want. I would think some air movement and dryer air, just like with mold, would help and perhaps introduction of UV light in there wouldn't hurt either. Like those disinfecting lights in hospitals.

Also, I would think that just wiping the handles with alcohol would do pretty much the same thing as spray-painting Krylon on them - it will kill most of the bacteria that's on in now (though not all of course) and will simply delay its growth until some later point in the future when bacteria will inevitably catch up if they still have something to feed on.

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