[NHCOLL-L:4245] Mold Outbreak

[Mary Beth Prondzinski]

I have been tackling a huge mold outbreak for some months, starting in the
fall of 2008.  The mold is the very common Cladosporium variety. The room in
which the mold is attacking the natural history specimens has a very low RH
and does not usually require dehumidifying.  However, there is no air
circulation in the room and it is adjacent to an outside wall.  It is not a
climate-controlled room by any means and is in the basement of a 120 year
old building in the very wet state of Vermont.  
 
I have vacuumed everything with a HEPA filter and spot cleaned with 70%
ETOH, but the mold is creeping into the metal cabinets where Victorian bird
trees are stored, and now I'm seeing mold spots on the vermiculite bases and
moss-draped (real or fabricated?) branches where the birds are mounted.
I've also discovered some small mold spots on the birds' tail feathers.
Short of bagging all the bird trees, is there something I can or should do
to stop this insideous attack inside the cabinets?  I've already bagged all
the hanging head mounts to curb the attack on those where the mold was first
discovered, but I'm not sure about what to do with the cabinets.
 
We cannot afford to remediate the building at this time...which is on our
future "to do" list.  Any offers of advice would be greatly appreciated!  I
do not wish to spend the rest of my working life cleaning up mold
outbreaks...thank you.
 
Mary Beth Prondzinski
Director of Collections
Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium
1302 Main Street
St. Johnsbury, VT 05819
(802) 748-2372 x110
mprondzinski at fairbanksmuseum.org
 
http://fairbanksmuseum.org/
http://vermonttv.net/
 
 
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