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mold forms on cords, knobs, and tool handles

M

micky

Jan 1, 1970
0
My shop is in my basement, which has always seemed to be a very dry
floor. However, about 4% of my cords, my spare radio and tv knobs,
and the handles of my tools get a think layer of some sort of mold on
them. It's like a grey dust. (Or some other light color, I forget.)

I wasg them in the dishwasher and they come out clean, but once in the
basement again, after a few months, U notice that the same ones have
mold. And the rest never get mold.

I suppose I could just ignore this, since it doesn't spread, but I
wonder if any of you have ideas. No other part of my house is neat
or clean, but the shop is the most important place, and I'd like it to
be clean.

Thanks.
 
M

mike

Jan 1, 1970
0
My shop is in my basement, which has always seemed to be a very dry
floor. However, about 4% of my cords, my spare radio and tv knobs,
and the handles of my tools get a think layer of some sort of mold on
them. It's like a grey dust. (Or some other light color, I forget.)

I wasg them in the dishwasher and they come out clean, but once in the
basement again, after a few months, U notice that the same ones have
mold. And the rest never get mold.

I suppose I could just ignore this, since it doesn't spread, but I
wonder if any of you have ideas. No other part of my house is neat
or clean, but the shop is the most important place, and I'd like it to
be clean.

Thanks.

http://dpcalc.org/
 
N

N_Cook

Jan 1, 1970
0
micky said:
My shop is in my basement, which has always seemed to be a very dry
floor. However, about 4% of my cords, my spare radio and tv knobs,
and the handles of my tools get a think layer of some sort of mold on
them. It's like a grey dust. (Or some other light color, I forget.)

I wasg them in the dishwasher and they come out clean, but once in the
basement again, after a few months, U notice that the same ones have
mold. And the rest never get mold.

I suppose I could just ignore this, since it doesn't spread, but I
wonder if any of you have ideas. No other part of my house is neat
or clean, but the shop is the most important place, and I'd like it to
be clean.

Thanks.


So what are your lungs like?
Wasn't the biblical plague of deaths of the first-born sons put down to the
premium food reserved for the first-born sons, stored in the basement, being
contaminated with ergot or some-such mold
 
D

Doug

Jan 1, 1970
0
My shop is in my basement, which has always seemed to be a very dry
floor. However, about 4% of my cords, my spare radio and tv knobs,
and the handles of my tools get a think layer of some sort of mold on
them. It's like a grey dust. (Or some other light color, I forget.)

I wasg them in the dishwasher and they come out clean, but once in the
basement again, after a few months, U notice that the same ones have
mold. And the rest never get mold.

I suppose I could just ignore this, since it doesn't spread, but I
wonder if any of you have ideas. No other part of my house is neat
or clean, but the shop is the most important place, and I'd like it to
be clean.

Thanks.


Hope you wear some kind of protection when you're in your basement.
This doesn't sound good to me over time for your lungs, etc... .

Probably need more information about the basement such as what's done
there, does this occur only in one area or all over, humidity level,
etc... . You said the rest of the house is not clean so I wonder if
there is a connection to the basement?
 
W

William Sommerwerck

Jan 1, 1970
0
I wash them in the dishwasher and they come out clean,
but once in the basement again, after a few months,
you notice that the same ones have mold. And the rest
never get mold.

I'm wondering whether it's plasticizer migrating to the surface.

You might try putting the "susceptible" items in plastic bags and sealing them
tightly. I wouldn't be surprised if the "mold" continues to form.
 
M

micky

Jan 1, 1970
0
Hope you wear some kind of protection when you're in your basement.
This doesn't sound good to me over time for your lungs, etc... .

Probably need more information about the basement such as what's done
there,

Welll, sometimes I just watch TV, sometimes I make a fire in the
fireplace, most of the time I work on electric projects in the
"family" room and wood or metal projects in the laundry room, fright
next to it.
does this occur only in one area or all over,

I think it's all over the basement, but I guess there are only 2 or 3
areas where those three things are kept. There is a dresser at the
far side of the room, the back end of the house. I keep a lot of
knobs in one of the drawers -- knobs that go back to the 1930's but
mostly I think it's those from the 50's and 60's that get moldy -- and
4 or 5% get "moldy". I put it in quotes this time because I've been
assuming it's mold. It's some sort of dust like stuff, that I can
wipe off with my fingers, but I use the dishwasher because it gets
into the cracks and crevices. .

There is t he pair of little dressers that hold my work bench, in the
middle of the house, near the base of the stairs. That has tools in
one of the drawers and in the In-basket at the far end, plus some
bananan plug jumper wires that get moldy. Thiese 8" jumpers were two
of the few cords that got moldy. Mostly it's knobs and tools. .
(Tools with yellow plastic handles are some of the moldy handles, but
not every yellow plastic handle.)

And about 18 months ago I set up the new computer in the basement so I
could use it to fix the old computer (which needed a new cpu.). So I
do that stuff down here too.
humidity level,

I think the humidity is about 30% in the summer. Lower now. (I"ll
get a meter and measure it , sicne you ask) But I'll say this. WRT
water spilled on the laundry room floor, some of it soaks into the
cement quickly and the rest evaportates within 12 to 24 hours (even
when there is a lot of water from the laundry sink over flowing, or
the hose to the washing machine springing a leak) and the cement
itself dries out in less than 12 hours. I used to make a point of
taking the laudry upstairs as soon as it was done, but one time I
forgot and since then I've noticed that it can sit in the washing
machine wet, for days, without getting moldy or smellilng bad, and can
alos sit in the dryer only partly dried for days and it smells just
the way freshly dried laundry should smell.

20 years ago after one of the bigger leaks, some mold grew on a
sheetrocked wall, but I killed it with bleach and then painted it
over, and that was the end of that.
etc... . You said the rest of the house is not clean so I wonder if
there is a connection to the basement?

I was mostly making a joke. The rest of the house isn't that dirty,
and anyhow, it was clean for 15 or 20 years and I still had the moldy
cords, tools, and knobs in the basement. Two or three times I've
gathered them together and washed them in the washing machine. I
don't pay close attention, but they all turn moldy again, in less than
a year, probably less than 3 months.

I'm not worried about my health. Some mold is bad for all of the
people some of the time, and some for some of the people all of the
time , and some doesn't bother some people any of the time, and
whatever I've got here has never bothered me in the 30 years I've
lived here. And I'm the only one living here now. I'm just
getting tired of having moldy things.
 
M

micky

Jan 1, 1970
0
I'm wondering whether it's plasticizer migrating to the surface.

You might try putting the "susceptible" items in plastic bags and sealing them
tightly. I wouldn't be surprised if the "mold" continues to form.

So you mean clean them first and then do this? OKay, I'll try it.
It will take a few days at least to start the test and up to a month
or three to wait for resutls, but I'll get back to you. At least I
sincerely plan to.

Thanks to both of you and all of you.
 
W

willshak

Jan 1, 1970
0
micky wrote the following on 2/27/2013 2:21 AM (ET):
My shop is in my basement, which has always seemed to be a very dry
floor. However, about 4% of my cords, my spare radio and tv knobs,
and the handles of my tools get a think layer of some sort of mold on
them. It's like a grey dust. (Or some other light color, I forget.)

I wasg them in the dishwasher and they come out clean, but once in the
basement again, after a few months, U notice that the same ones have
mold. And the rest never get mold.

I suppose I could just ignore this, since it doesn't spread, but I
wonder if any of you have ideas. No other part of my house is neat
or clean, but the shop is the most important place, and I'd like it to
be clean.

Thanks.

What kind of handles do these tools have? Steel, plastic, rubber, wood?
You say these things have a 'dust like' layer. Could it be brushed off,
or has to be washed off in a dishwasher?
I know many of my tool handles get a gray or dark covering after a
while, but I attribute it to an accumulation of dead skin cells from my
hands.
This could also be attributed to the handling of the TV knobs.
I don't know about the 'mold' on the cords.
All my tools are in an attached garage.
I doubt whether this is mold if there is no other mold in the basement.
 
D

Doug

Jan 1, 1970
0
Welll, sometimes I just watch TV, sometimes I make a fire in the
fireplace, most of the time I work on electric projects in the
"family" room and wood or metal projects in the laundry room, fright
next to it.


I think it's all over the basement, but I guess there are only 2 or 3
areas where those three things are kept. There is a dresser at the
far side of the room, the back end of the house. I keep a lot of
knobs in one of the drawers -- knobs that go back to the 1930's but
mostly I think it's those from the 50's and 60's that get moldy -- and
4 or 5% get "moldy". I put it in quotes this time because I've been
assuming it's mold. It's some sort of dust like stuff, that I can
wipe off with my fingers, but I use the dishwasher because it gets
into the cracks and crevices. .

There is t he pair of little dressers that hold my work bench, in the
middle of the house, near the base of the stairs. That has tools in
one of the drawers and in the In-basket at the far end, plus some
bananan plug jumper wires that get moldy. Thiese 8" jumpers were two
of the few cords that got moldy. Mostly it's knobs and tools. .
(Tools with yellow plastic handles are some of the moldy handles, but
not every yellow plastic handle.)

And about 18 months ago I set up the new computer in the basement so I
could use it to fix the old computer (which needed a new cpu.). So I
do that stuff down here too.


I think the humidity is about 30% in the summer. Lower now. (I"ll
get a meter and measure it , sicne you ask) But I'll say this. WRT
water spilled on the laundry room floor, some of it soaks into the
cement quickly and the rest evaportates within 12 to 24 hours (even
when there is a lot of water from the laundry sink over flowing, or
the hose to the washing machine springing a leak) and the cement
itself dries out in less than 12 hours. I used to make a point of
taking the laudry upstairs as soon as it was done, but one time I
forgot and since then I've noticed that it can sit in the washing
machine wet, for days, without getting moldy or smellilng bad, and can
alos sit in the dryer only partly dried for days and it smells just
the way freshly dried laundry should smell.

20 years ago after one of the bigger leaks, some mold grew on a
sheetrocked wall, but I killed it with bleach and then painted it
over, and that was the end of that.


I was mostly making a joke. The rest of the house isn't that dirty,
and anyhow, it was clean for 15 or 20 years and I still had the moldy
cords, tools, and knobs in the basement. Two or three times I've
gathered them together and washed them in the washing machine. I
don't pay close attention, but they all turn moldy again, in less than
a year, probably less than 3 months.

I'm not worried about my health. Some mold is bad for all of the
people some of the time, and some for some of the people all of the
time , and some doesn't bother some people any of the time, and
whatever I've got here has never bothered me in the 30 years I've
lived here. And I'm the only one living here now. I'm just
getting tired of having moldy things.


I used to think like you ... that my body was pretty strong (and it
was) but lately I'm experiencing things that never used to be so I
think age is the culprit. My point is that even if your body was
strong against the mold before, it may change with your age now. And
it may be too late after you begin to notice it. Sorry if I seem
overly concerned but I've had to deal with Cancer patients going to
the doctor, etc... .
 
M

micky

Jan 1, 1970
0
I used to think like you ... that my body was pretty strong (and it
was) but lately I'm experiencing things that never used to be so I
think age is the culprit. My point is that even if your body was
strong against the mold before, it may change with your age now. And
it may be too late after you begin to notice it. Sorry if I seem
overly concerned but I've had to deal with Cancer patients going to
the doctor, etc... .

No, I appreciate your concern. If you were my mother, I'd be annoyed,
but she never knew when to stop.
 
M

micky

Jan 1, 1970
0
micky wrote the following on 2/27/2013 2:21 AM (ET):

What kind of handles do these tools have? Steel, plastic, rubber, wood?
You say these things have a 'dust like' layer. Could it be brushed off,
or has to be washed off in a dishwasher?
I know many of my tool handles get a gray or dark covering after a
while, but I attribute it to an accumulation of dead skin cells from my
hands.
This could also be attributed to the handling of the TV knobs.
I don't know about the 'mold' on the cords.
All my tools are in an attached garage.
I doubt whether this is mold if there is no other mold in the basement.

Good questions. I'll look at all the stuff again and get back to you.
Within 24 hours I hope.

Micky.
 
T

tuinkabouter

Jan 1, 1970
0
My shop is in my basement, which has always seemed to be a very dry
floor. However, about 4% of my cords, my spare radio and tv knobs,
and the handles of my tools get a think layer of some sort of mold on
them. It's like a grey dust. (Or some other light color, I forget.)

I wasg them in the dishwasher and they come out clean, but once in the
basement again, after a few months, U notice that the same ones have
mold. And the rest never get mold.

I suppose I could just ignore this, since it doesn't spread, but I
wonder if any of you have ideas. No other part of my house is neat
or clean, but the shop is the most important place, and I'd like it to
be clean.

Try to store it in a plastic bag together with a package desiccant
(Silica gel).
 
C

chaniarts

Jan 1, 1970
0
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. Hit is with some heat, and watch it melt. I get this plastic
"mold" on most of my cheap plastic handle tools. The plastic breaks
down along the surface and sorta crumbles. It's probably caused by
exposure to something in the air, which condenses onto the surface
when wet. Washing the stuff off with any kind of kitchen cleaner
works, for a while.

the usual culprits are ozone or uv rays.
 
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.  Hit is with some heat, and watch it melt.  I get this plastic
"mold" on most of my cheap plastic handle tools.  The plastic breaks
down along the surface and sorta crumbles.  It's probably caused by
exposure to something in the air, which condenses onto the surface
when wet.  Washing the stuff off with any kind of kitchen cleaner
works, for a while.

I've tried a few things to prevent its return.  Dipping or spraying
with acrylic coating (clear Krylon) seems to work best.  I have one
old plastic handle nut wrench, that I coated only half with acrylic
spray.  I can see tiny pits starting on the uncoated side, but the
coated side looks like new.  Note that you have to really clean the
plastic with sandpaper and solvent before spraying or it will flake
off.  Also, don't worry about the dull finish after sandpapering, as
the clear acrylic will make it shine again.  Also, the acrylic
sometimes feels kinda "sticky".  I'm not sure what causes that.

Unfortunately, I haven't had any luck preserving rubber and flexible
handles that have the same problem.  The acrylic coating just cracks
and falls off.  Even worse, I haven't found a fix for the rubberized
paint coating on plastic, that eventually turns to a sticky gooey tar
mess.

--
Jeff Liebermann     [email protected]
150 Felker St #D    http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann     AE6KS    831-336-2558begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 831-336-2558 FREE

Your explanation makes more semse than "mold". The OP did not say
what type of handles or tools were/were not affected, or if the tools
were in a dark airless corner or out in plain sight, etc, so we really
need more information.
 
R

Red

Jan 1, 1970
0
I think it's all over the basement, but I  guess there are only 2 or 3
areas where those three things are kept.  There is a dresser at the
far side of the room, the back end of the house.   I keep a lot of
knobs in one of the drawers -- knobs that go back to the 1930's but
mostly I think it's those from the 50's and 60's that get moldy -- and
4 or 5% get "moldy".

I also have a parts drawer with an assortment of old knobs and I
recently had the same experience you have. Out of an assortment of
about 25 there were 6 that had an off white coating similar to mold.
The coated knobs were identical and appeared to come off the same
piece of old test equipment. The rest of the knobs were perfectly
normal. Thinking they were moldy I soaked them overnight in a clorox
solution and it didn't phase them. So it definitely wasn't mold. But
with soapy water and a old toothbrush they cleaned easily so I
determined it was an old plastic compound reaction.

Contrary to what some are saying I don't think you have a health
problem in your dry basement.

Some Craftsman tools with plastic handles left in a car trunk or hot
toolbox for a long time often get real stinky. That again is the type
plastic they use and giving them a soapy bath usually helps a lot.
 
D

Doug

Jan 1, 1970
0
No, I appreciate your concern. If you were my mother, I'd be annoyed,
but she never knew when to stop.



My adult daughters say the same about me :-(
 
B

Bill Rotham

Jan 1, 1970
0
micky wrote on Wed, 27 Feb 2013 02:21:50 -0500:

micky wrote on Wed, 27 Feb 2013 02:21:50 -0500:
and the handles of my tools get a think layer of some sort of mold on
them. It's like a grey dust. (Or some other light color, I forget.)

Does it look like this?
http://www5.picturepush.com/photo/a/12297573/img/12297573.jpg

Or this?
http://www1.picturepush.com/photo/a/12297574/img/12297574.jpg

The former I always attributed to some kind of persistent "moldy"
like white paste (which I've long ago painstakingly scraped off
handle that tool you see in the picture so that only remnants remain)

The other is on my pool pump - which - you can imagine - isn't
mold but a white chemical covering (calcium carbonate?).

So, the first question, is whether it's a mold or a chemical?
Note: I don't know the answer for either of my tools above.
 
B

Brian Berg

Jan 1, 1970
0
and the handles of my tools get a think layer of some sort of mold on
them. It's like a grey dust. (Or some other light color, I forget.)

Does it look like this?
http://www5.picturepush.com/photo/a/12297573/img/12297573.jpg

Or this?
http://www1.picturepush.com/photo/a/12297574/img/12297574.jpg

The former I always attributed to some kind of persistent "moldy"
like white paste (which I've long ago painstakingly scraped off
handle that tool you see in the picture so that only remnants remain)

The other is on my pool pump - which - you can imagine - isn't
mold but a white chemical covering (calcium carbonate?).

So, the first question, is whether it's a mold or a chemical?
Note: I don't know the answer for either of my tools above.
 
B

Brian Berg

Jan 1, 1970
0
about 25 there were 6 that had an off white coating similar to mold.
The coated knobs were identical and appeared to come off the same
piece of old test equipment. The rest of the knobs were perfectly
normal. Thinking they were moldy I soaked them overnight in a clorox
solution and it didn't phase them. So it definitely wasn't mold. But
with soapy water and a old toothbrush they cleaned easily so I
determined it was an old plastic compound reaction.

That's exactly my experience.
http://www5.picturepush.com/photo/a/12297573/img/12297573.jpg

The plastic on the handles was coated with a thin white layer
which I could scrape off with a sharp tool (the results in
that picture are of a screwdriver scraped years ago, but some
of the persistent white stuff is still on the handle, in spots).

I don't know WHAT it is!

Like you experienced, it wouldn't 'wash' off and chlorine bleach
didn't faze it (of course, if it 'is' mold, it would be dead but
still there if bleach did kill it, since it's white).

I don't know if it's a "mold" or a "chemical".
It does seem to 'infect' other tools - but both a mold and a chemical
'can' do that (think hydrochloric acid).
 
B

Brian Berg

Jan 1, 1970
0

That's EXACTLY what this screwdriver USED to look like!
http://www5.picturepush.com/photo/a/12297573/img/12297573.jpg

So, whatever it is, it's common.

Again, I don't know if it is a mold or a chemical.
It does NOT happen to all tools of the same type.

It just happens to select tools which were stored in a
different environment (I think my affected screwdrivers
were used when I worked at a hospital on oxygen respirators).
 
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