Our below-grade family room cinder block allowed water to seep thru. I
didn't know it for a long time. The moisture had built up behind the
wood paneling and actually "ran" along the baseboard and carpeting up
against the 20' long wall. I ended up ripping all of the paneling down
and tearing up a wide strip of carpeting to remove the mold. 2 nice
homebuilt bookcases with panel doors had nasty mold on the bottom edge
and underside, and water stains that ran up the sides a few inches.
The wall has been water-sealed and new paneling installed. New
carpeting for the entire room is on the way.

The question is what to do with the bookcases (tossing is not the
preferred option!). I turned the cases upside down and used a lightly
damp rag with Lysol liquid to kill the mold, dried with a towel,
repeated, let the wood dry out, then used some Lysol spray. I realize
I can't make the stains disappear, but I want to make sure the mold is
dead for good so I don't stain brand new carpeting or have the mold
"grow" up the bookcase.

Should I seal it with polyurethane? Leave it alone?

Ideas?

Thanks!

--Jeff

wrote in message

I turned the cases upside down and used a lightly
damp rag with Lysol liquid to kill the mold, dried with a towel,
repeated, let the wood dry out, then used some Lysol spray.

Clorox ... dilution instructions should be on the side of the bottle.

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 5/6/06

"Swingman" wrote in message
...
wrote in message

I turned the cases upside down and used a lightly
damp rag with Lysol liquid to kill the mold, dried with a towel,
repeated, let the wood dry out, then used some Lysol spray.

Clorox ... dilution instructions should be on the side of the bottle.

--

Agreed - Bleach is the best for killing mold. Dry well and re-finish.

Dave

wrote in message
ups.com...
Our below-grade family room cinder block allowed water to seep thru. I
didn't know it for a long time. The moisture had built up behind the
wood paneling and actually "ran" along the baseboard and carpeting up
against the 20' long wall. I ended up ripping all of the paneling down
and tearing up a wide strip of carpeting to remove the mold. 2 nice
homebuilt bookcases with panel doors had nasty mold on the bottom edge
and underside, and water stains that ran up the sides a few inches.
The wall has been water-sealed and new paneling installed. New
carpeting for the entire room is on the way.

The question is what to do with the bookcases (tossing is not the
preferred option!). I turned the cases upside down and used a lightly
damp rag with Lysol liquid to kill the mold, dried with a towel,
repeated, let the wood dry out, then used some Lysol spray. I realize
I can't make the stains disappear, but I want to make sure the mold is
dead for good so I don't stain brand new carpeting or have the mold
"grow" up the bookcase.

Should I seal it with polyurethane? Leave it alone?

Ideas?

Thanks!

--Jeff


http://www.epa.gov/iaq/molds/moldguide.html

Clean with bleach, let dry and then repeat. Our elderly neighbor had her
basement flood last year and I got to do the cleaning.... After getting all
the water out, digging a ditch so the water would drain properly next time,
I set up fans to dry the place out. Turned up the furnace, opened basement
windows and started spraying a mixture of bleach all along the walls and
mold spots. They have particle board on all the basement walls. Treated the
area daily for a week and saw no more signs of mold but continued the
treatment for two more weeks (every other day) plus sprayed Odoban to kill
the bleach smell.

Finally had a mold remediation service come in to do an inspection for them
and they said everything looked okay. Did not have large blotches of mold
and none of it had a green cast to it. I forget what type of mold that is
but according to the experts - its nasty stuff and should only be removed by
the pro's.

Don't take this mold lightly - it can cause you and your family some real
nasty problems. Check here also
http://www.cdc.gov/mold/dampness_facts.htm

Also may want to figure out why the wall filled with water and what you can
do to prevent it. I dug a French ditch (2' wide, 2' deep) and filled it
with 2" rock when I had a wall leak in our basement but mine is a walk-out
basement and that may not work for yours.

Bob S.