Cleaning mold

[Henrique Schneiter]

This body blank was stored on a humid room for a few days and got covered in grayish mold. Anyone got some advice on how to clean it? It's very light colored and I'm concerned about the mold staining the wood. TIA

Before

After

[Barry Daniels]

Scrape it down till it looks clean. Use a respirator so you don't expose yourself. Then you might want to put it out in the sunshine for a few days.

[Henrique Schneiter]

Thanks Barry! I'm thinking of vacuum clean it, than scraping. Just trying to avoid staining the wood.

[Barry Daniels]

A vacuum won't be sufficient. Mold grows into the wood a bit. You need to remove the top layer of wood to get it all. Also, a vacuum's exhaust will blow mold spores all around the room. Not a good idea.

[Clay Schaeffer]

I have used vinegar to kill mold on wood. as long as you coat the entire surface, scrub and rinse it well, and allow it to dry evenly you should avoid "water" staining. If mold has penetrated the surface you may have to sand it after the vinegar treatment to remove discoloration from mold.

From Restoration Master:
White distilled vinegar is effective for killing small amounts of mold. It can kill over 80 percent of mold species commonly found in your home and as a mild acid, it can help prevent mold as well as remove it. Make sure you follow these steps when cleaning mold with vinegar:

Protect yourself from exposure to the mold by wearing protective gear such as gloves and a mask.
Pour the vinegar into a spray bottle but do not dilute it. Diluting the vinegar will reduce its effectiveness.
Spray the moldy areas and let the vinegar sit for an hour so that the mold can absorb it completely.
If you need to scrub the mold, do so with a baking soda solution. Pour 2 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of baking soda into a spray bottle and shake well.
Spray the moldy area with the baking soda mixture and use a scrubbing brush or scouring pad to scrub the mold. Wearing protective gloves will protect you from direct contact.
Use clean, warm water to rinse the area.
Spray the vinegar again over the area and let it dry naturally to make sure all the mold has been killed.

[Henrique Schneiter]

Hmm. No vacuum then. I'll try just scraping on one side (that will receive a top wood) to see how it goes. If it goes bad I'll try the vinegar on the other side. Thanks guys.