The four letter word - - - - MOLD

[atx840]

I used a q-tip on a mouldy T206, pretty straight forward to get rid of it, only time trying.

[Directly]

What's the humidity in these areas? High or low?--average temperature ?

[Exhibitman]

By the coast in Cali, high moisture, so high and corrosive that there are special construction guidelines for things like flashings and waterproofing materials. What the OP should do (we all should) is get some commercial silica dessicant packets and seed them throughout storage bins and boxes. That should help mitigate moisture in the boxes especially. Thankfully, I more or less live in a freakin' desert, so I've never had an issue, but I still keep dessicant packets in my safe deposit box and other storage. Cedar blocks too, to ward off any moths or other pests.

[philo98]

I spend half the year in Southeast Asia, usually split between the Philippines and Thailand with the other half of the year in the US, during MLB season.

SE Asia is hot and humid year round, although the worst months are when we are in the US. April-September temperatures will generally be between 92-100F with 85%+ humidity. The cold season which is now is around 85-92F during the day time, but humidity is much lower, usually 40-50%.

Mold is constantly a problem although worse in the rainy season. The main things we do is make sure the rooms of the house are getting circulation and we also run dehumidifiers. The dehumidifiers are mainly run in the bedrooms while the main living area (living room, dining room, kitchen) we will have ceiling fans running and also use the air con consistently. When we are in the US, since its SE Asia and labor is cheap, we have year round household help. The main job when we are away is for them to be mold busters. Running the dehumidifiers at night, ceiling fans and windows open during the day getting circulation, etc. Also, we move all furniture away from the walls while in the US, pretty much congregate in the middle of the room. This is one of the keys that really helps us as you will find most people who leave for extended periods, will have mold growing behind the furniture within a week or so. I'm also allergic to mold which I never knew until I moved to SE Asia decades ago. Same feeling as someone with Asthma so I am told.

As for the sports collection, this is kept in the US. Sporting events that I typically attend in SE Asia are quite a few of the OneFC events as well as boxing, especially when Pacquiao was doing the majority of his fights in Macau. All of the tickets to this events never survived the humidity, in fact, the ink vanished off of those tickets within 1 year. Im in some ticket groups and I use those as examples as to what the humidity can do to collections. Sportscards will warp very easily here.

The only main collection we have in SE Asia are Persian carpets which also need to be protected from the mold. This is a constant battle, but again it falls back to air circulation and sunlight and dehumidifiers. Besides mold, moths are another issue.

There are some good points in this thread, but you may also find the dehumidifiers to be a big help. Just get ones with a large enough reservoir so you dont need to keep dumping out the water multiple times a day. Also, for cleaning any mold, we keep it simple, a mixture of vinegar and water. Ive been told though that this type of mixture is not effective towards all kinds of mold but for us it works.

[JustinD]

I think you need to hire a remediation expert for a home inspection. This is definitely a signal of a a larger problem in my mind.

[obcbobd]

Originally Posted by JustinD

I think you need to hire a remediation expect for a home inspection. This is definitely a signal of a a larger problem in my mind.

I agree. I think I'm more concerned about your health than the cards. I would think that living with so much mold could lead to serious health issues.

[cornhusker]

I use plastic tubs similar to this with desiccant to protect my 3d print media from Spring time humidity here on the east coast. I've found they help protect my ABS during storage... might help you with your cards?

https://www.amazon.com/IRIS-Weathert...s%2C110&sr=8-8

Also... asking a remediation expert to assess for mold and fungi is a bit like asking a fox to watch your chickens. If you think that you may have a real health issue, I suggest an indoor air quality inspection first (3rd party consultant) and go from there. Remediation outfits will always find a problem to get the work even if it's not necessarily needed imo.

[Dead-Ball-Hitter]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

By the coast in Cali, high moisture, so high and corrosive that there are special construction guidelines for things like flashings and waterproofing materials. What the OP should do (we all should) is get some commercial silica dessicant packets and seed them throughout storage bins and boxes.

Good advice. I likewise put desiccant packets in my safes, safety deposit boxes and storage boxes. I learned the lesson from a fellow collector who keep items for 20+ years in a cool, dry basement in a fireproof safe and still had serious problems. Its a small price to pay. Two greatest enemies of ephemera: sunlight and moisture!!

There are many great, inexpensive marine grade (used on boats) gel packs available. Here's a pic of a fine, cheap product, available on ebay for $9. In areas of relatively low humidity, they can last 5 years.

[Leon]

That's really good. I have never tried getting mold off of a card. Did you use the Q-tip dry?

Originally Posted by atx840

I used a q-tip on a mouldy T206, pretty straight forward to get rid of it, only time trying.

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