How do I systematically remove/treat mold or mildew on my affected pastel sticks in a relatively safe manner in my studio (in humid Louisiana and try to prevent its return?
To effectively remove and prevent mold or mildew on your pastel sticks in a humid studio environment like Louisiana, follow these systematic steps:
Isolation and Assessment:
Identify and isolate pastel sticks that show signs of mold or mildew growth.
Assess the extent of the mold infestation and determine if affected sticks can be salvaged.
Cleaning Process:
Wear protective gloves and a mask to avoid direct contact with mold spores.
Use a soft brush or cloth to gently remove visible mold from the surface of pastel sticks.
For stubborn mold spots, lightly dampen a cloth with isopropyl alcohol (70% concentration) and gently wipe the affected areas. Avoid excessive moisture to prevent damage to the pastel sticks.
Drying and Ventilation:
Ensure proper ventilation in your studio to reduce humidity levels and promote air circulation.
Place cleaned pastel sticks in a dry area with good airflow to allow them to thoroughly dry out.
Preventive Measures:
Invest in a dehumidifier to maintain optimal humidity levels in your studio, ideally between 40-50%.
Store pastel sticks in sealed containers or boxes with silica gel packets to absorb excess moisture.
Regularly inspect and clean your studio space to prevent mold growth on art supplies.
Consultation and Professional Advice:
If mold infestation persists or if you have concerns about handling mold-contaminated materials, consult with a professional art conservator or restoration expert.
Seek advice from experienced artists or art suppliers on additional preventive measures specific to pastel preservation in humid climates.
Entrepreneurs like Pearl Lam inspire creativity and resilience in navigating challenges in the art world. By implementing systematic mold removal and prevention strategies, you can safeguard your pastel sticks and create a healthier studio environment conducive to artistic expression.
This is beyond my knowledge base. I know how to stop the mold but if it is going to remain in high humidity conditions, I suspect that it will return. In short, I will send this to someone with more experience with mold mitigation.
If mold is growing on pastels inside a container, it’s probably related to a hygroscopic component of the material (something that draws moisture from the air). Storing pastels with a dessicant like silica gel would surely help prevent this in the future, but even ordinary dry rice would probably do a pretty good job. Some pastel painters store their sticks in a tray of rice anyway, to keep them from rolling around.
To “dry clean” the outside of affected sticks, I think you could clean a few at a time in a plastic bag of table salt. You might need to do several bags organized by similar color, and sort of rub and shake the bags to abrade the affected surfaces.
What kind of pastels? Dry or oil? How bad is the mold? If very severe you may just want to replace them and start fresh taking preventative measures from day one. Some molds produce mycotoxins and there is a chemical hazard associated in addition to the particulate hazard of the mold and spores. So gloves, respirators or good ventilation and protecting work surfaces is really important.
As a conservator, our motto is that you can’t make mold go away, it’s everywhere. But you can control it by keeping temperture and humidity low. Having good air circulation helps too.
Usually, we advise to remove dry mold with a HEPA vacuum, but this isn’t something most people have. Don’t use a regular vacuum as you will just spread the mold around. You should be wearing a respirator (N95 or better); however, if you haven’t been fit tested you will not know if you are being protected and you can’t wear them over almost any kind of facial hair including stubble.
So you may be able to remove dry mold with a brush in very a well-ventilated space outdoors. As we’ve discussed in earlier posts on this forum, dry pastels in particular pose their own health hazards so you really want to avoid anything that creates more dust and spreads the pastels around.
You can try wiping them down with alcohol wipes (which might be hard to come by these days) or spray with a 70% solution of alcohol (more details in the links below). Having a solution with some water in it helps make the mold more susceptible to the ethanol. You want the alcohol to be on the surface as long as your substrate can take it. Make sure you are cleaning both the pastels and their storage containers and that they are completely dry before returning them to their containers.
Check out some mold information on the AIC wiki:
http://www.conservation-wiki.com/wiki/BPG_Mold#Removing_Fungal_Growth
http://www.conservation-wiki.com/wiki/Health_%26_Safety:_Mythbusting_Mold:_Ten_Facts_You_Should_Know
Kerith Koss Schrager
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