Removing mould stains
by Valerie
(USA)
I have an old needlepoint canvas I purchased at a tag sale as part of a large box of stitching goodies that got damp in a basement. It has mouldy spots on it.
Since I have little invested in it, I decided to try and restore it myself.
It is a hand painted piece and my dry cleaner refused to touch it even though I signed a waiver in case of possible damage!
I have so far attempted to clean it with Woolite, Dawn dish soap, and Fabreeze. The stains are now light and no longer
smell, but I am still leery of working the canvas for fear the spots may re-surface the way mould does on a painted wall.
Does anyone have any advice?
Tip Also, I have always relied on the blood/saliva combo and it has always worked. But it only works when both items are from the same person. My kids used to get a kick out me having them spit on the knees of their pants to clean them after bandaging their knees from a tumble. :>)
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Moldy needlepoint canvases
by Karen
(Northern New Jersey)
I bought a very large lot of handpainted needlepoint canvases on eBay and was very pleased with myself. Cost a fair amount, but I figured I could sell some of them and recoup what I'd laid out.
The box came today. I opened it and it was CLEAR by the way my throat closed up almost immediately that there was a ton of mold. I went through the canvases and culled out what I thought to be the culprits, but the rest of the canvases seem to have picked up the moldy smell. There is no way that I would ever use them, nor would I even think to resell them if I can't get them to smell un-moldy. None of the remaining canvases appear to actually *be* moldy; I think they smell because they were shipped together with the others.
Does anybody know a solution to this dilemma? Is there a way to get the rest of the canvases smelling ok or am I going to have to throw out the whole lot and learn my lesson (i.e., only frequent my local needlepoint store)? Help!
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Mildew on needlepoint Christmas Stockings
by Diane Scibilia
(Fairfax, VA)
After opening stored Christmas stockings, I found mold on all of them. They are needlepoint and the backing is velvet. Any Ideas?
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removing iron mould from old lace
by Val Tierney
(Hampshire England)
Are commercial iron mould/rust removers too severe for use on delicate old lace and would they bleach the ivory colour of the lace too much? Have you any suggestions?
Val,
I have asked a lady who used to be a conservator and has her own collection of antique lace for advice on this one for you.
She told me that the brown spots could be iron mould but that there are a number of other stains that can mimic its appearance.
If you are happy to tackle the stain removal job yourself she gave me the following method. Otherwise you could contact your local auction house to find out who they would recommend as a local conservator.
What you will need is a real lemon (not bottled juice), some distilled water and an old net curtain.
Squeeze the juice out of the lemon and place in a saucer. Prepare your drying area by stretching an old net curtain across your bath, weighting it down on the sides. OK, let's get started.
Work on a corner or inconspicuous area of the lace first. Lay this stained test area into the saucer of lemon juice and leave it submerged for no longer than 10 minutes. The stain should start to reduce.
If nothing happens then the method isn't going to work and the piece needs expert attention.
After 10 minutes remove the lace from the lemon juice and rinse thoroughly with cold, distilled water (the type you would put into an iron or car engine). If the stain has reduced you can repeat the soaking and rinsing again.
When you are finished lay the lace on top of the net curtain above your bath to dry flat. Do not apply any type of heat to the lace!
My source is happy to talk to you direct if you would like to ask her any further questions. Please use the contact form on this website to email me and I will give you her name and phone number, she lives in the UK and, in fact, was brought up in Hampshire!
Good luck.
Regards,
Carol
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REMOVING MOULD FROM A PUSHCHAIR SEAT
by Diane Chilcott
(Bristol)
Have purchased a second hand double buggy for my grandsons but unfortunately it looks as if it has mould stains on the pale blue seats - probably put away wet - have tried oxyclean, whizz clean, white spirit etc all to no avail - does not look any different - anyone got any clever suggestions please!!
Many thanks Diane
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Holiday clothes
by Sian Cole
(ENGLAND)
I have just come home from a holiday, and my daughter's clothes have a lot of dried on stains, that have gone mouldy.
Does anyone have any ideas for getting rid of mould?
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