If you plan to place some of your wooden furnishings into a public storage facility, but they contain mold, take steps to get rid of the mold and treat your furnishings now. Although storage units usually feature climate-controlled conditions, mold spores can lie dormant until you expose them to moisture and heat. If the storage unit loses power due to a storm or outage, the mold spores can activate and destroy your items. Here's how you get rid of the mold on your wooden furnishings permanently.
Remove the Mold
The first step to protecting your furnishings during storage is to remove the mold from them. To do this without damaging the wood of your furnishings, you need to purchase a mold killer specifically designed for wood. The product should contain natural ingredients, such as tea tree oil, to protect your wooden furnishings from fading and other problems that age or damage the material. Tea tree oil contains antifungal properties that help protect your wooden furnishings from mold.
Although a number of DIY sites recommend using white vinegar on wood, you should avoid doing so. Even when you dilute vinegar with water, it contains strong acids that can still eat away at the wood. After you clean the mold from your wooden furnishings, seal or coat them.
Protect Your Furnishings With Oil
Sealing or coating your wooden furnishings with olive oil protects the integrity of the wood by adding shine and resilience to it. Oil also wards off mold spores because it creates a protective barrier on the surfaces of your wood. You want to use an olive oil with a light and smooth texture, such as extra virgin, to avoid saturating the wood.
Also, add a drop of lemon oil to the olive oil. If you can't find lemon oil near you, make your own. Here's how you do it:
- Purchase one large ripe lemon.
- Use a cheese grater to remove the outer peel from the lemon. The peel contains the oil you need for your furniture.
- Place the peels in a 4-ounce cup or container filled with hot water, then wait 24 hours. The hot water will draw out the oil from the peelings.
- Mix the lemon oil with 5-10 tablespoons of olive oil.
- Use a soft cloth to rub the oil mixture into the wood of your furniture.
Wait 24 hours for the oil to penetrate the wood, then place your furnishings into storage. You successfully got rid of the mold and protected your furniture.