Fungi......

[fluidj]

I made a rookie mistake...
Two weekends ago, I rode in the rain.....but that wasn't the mistake..
Pulled over, put on my rain suit at the gas station......but that wasn't the mistake..
Got back on the road, and continued on my merry way.......but that wasn't the mistake..
Got to the shop, and it turns out i'd need to wait a few days for the part before it could be fixed....decided to just leave my bike at the shop instead of making another trip up....but that wasn't the mistake..
Got a ride back home from my wife.....but that wasn't the mistake....let's rewind and look at this in slow-mo.....
At the shop, it's recommended that you remove your side cases and everything to allow for ease of repairs. I decided to shove all my gear into my cases once I arrived on site after my rainy trip in. Gloves shoved into helmet, helmet put away into sidecase #1. Jacket and pants put away into sidecase #2 & topcase. When my ride home arrived, I simply placed all the cases and their contents into the trunk and went on my merry way.....
Unpacked sidecase #2 & topcase when I arrived home, and hung up my jacket and pant.....got distracted by the dogs or something and topcase #1 remained in the trunk....
Fast forward 1 week. Shop calls and my bike is ready, so my wife rushes me up to Jessup just before closing time....I have a chance to grab my jacket and pants...but WHERE'S MY HELMET AND GLOVES???!!! Oh yeah, they're already in the trunk packed away....great! LETS GO! .........
Close out my repair ticket, send the wife on her way back home ahead of me, and prepare to get into my SuperHero suit....
Jacket - CHECK!
Boots - CHECK!
Pants - CHECK!
Helmet & Gloves - Open up the topcase........CHee...c...cck ....
fungi!

... great.... fck'n rookie.....


I made it home......smelliest. ride. ever.

Getting the helmet mold free wasn't a problem, remove the liner, throw it in the wash....
Held gloves aren't cheap. And I refuse to chuck them since they're JUST getting broken in just right.....but the smell....ohhhhh the smell..... I've soaked them, multiple times, but nearly a week later, they still smell...
any suggestions????

[JimVonBaden]

Color safe bleach in a soak. Kills the mold, and removes the odor. You can get it in scented as well.

Jim

[fluidj]

thanks! didn't even think of this....the mold must have altered my brain cells.

What scent would you recommend?
I'm kinda fond of lilac & daffodil

[JimVonBaden]

thanks! didn't even think of this....the mold must have altered my brain cells.

What scent would you recommend?
I'm kinda fond of lilac & daffodil

Be very careful with mold, it is literally a killer. I have a friend who lost her husband to mold in their house.

Jim

PS I know it comes in lilac, don't ask me how!

[fluidj]

thanks! didn't even think of this....the mold must have altered my brain cells.

What scent would you recommend?
I'm kinda fond of lilac & daffodil

Be very careful with mold, it is literally a killer. I have a friend who lost her husband to mold in their house.

Jim

PS I know it comes in lilac, don't ask me how!

No doubt! I almost feel like the mold it'self is gone from the gloves, but an odor still lingers. It's definitely not visible on the surface like it was previously.

[ERC Scott]

The UV spectrum of sunlight might help for surface mildew. I don't know what your gloves are comprised of -- if they are deer skin you can wash them (by hand) in mild soapy water and air dry in the sun. However, Held gloves often have some exotic leathers such as Pittard, kangaroo, etc. some of which I think (but not certain) are washable. I'd check with Held to hear their advice. I'm sure there are mildew treatment products available for leather, after all humans have been wearing tanned animal skins in the wet for eons. Maybe check with REI or hiking sources. Scott

[fluidj]

The UV spectrum of sunlight might help for surface mildew. I don't know what your gloves are comprised of -- if they are deer skin you can wash them (by hand) in mild soapy water and air dry in the sun. However, Held gloves often have some exotic leathers such as Pittard, kangaroo, etc. some of which I think (but not certain) are washable. I'd check with Held to hear their advice. I'm sure there are mildew treatment products available for leather, after all humans have been wearing tanned animal skins in the wet for eons. Maybe check with REI or hiking sources. Scott

I'm gonna try the color safe bleach tonight. I tried the sport wash stuff from REI already, that didn't do anything worth noting. They're hanging off the back of the bike parked outside right now. The surface stuff is gone, Hopefully you're on to something with the UV though and works it's way on through.

[Blixa]

If completely washed and dried thoroughly and sunlight or bleach doesn't do the trick, try putting a dryer sheet in each when stored.

[lionlady]

Try Borax (Twenty Mule Team) . There are "recipes" for deodorizing all sorts of soft surfaces - mattresses, clothing, etc. on the box. A soak in a Borax solution should do the trick. Not as harsh on leather (or skin) as chlorine free bleach.

[tatort]

i rather like Lysol, myself. kills mold and mildew on contact!

[fluidj]

i rather like Lysol, myself. kills mold and mildew on contact!

Yeah, that was the first thing I tried. Surprisingly, it didn't work at all. Only made the funk fresher. ....... <<<<<<----- that'd be an awesome name for a band.

[ERC Scott]

Another thought following Pam's post. A 50:50 solution of isopropanol (rubbing alcohol) should be an effective anti-microbial. We have used it to disinfect biosafety cabinets at a former job. My guess is that Lysol is alcohol based. Scott