Treating mould on leather clothing

A mould smell or musty cellar smell from leather clothing, shoes or bags? Incorrect storage is usually the cause. How well the problem can be remedied depends greatly on the item affected.

Why does mould develop?

Mould develops because of incorrect storage: too damp, too warm, too little air circulation. If leather clothing is kept in plastic bags or poorly ventilated places, moisture cannot dissipate. Mould often develops faster than expected. Read more about correct storage in our article “Storing leather clothing correctly”.

Important to know: mould spores are not completely removed by surface cleaning. Much of the mould is often not visible at all, and hand-cleaning alone is generally insufficient.

Leather clothing

Affected garments must first be pre-treated in a fixing bath with Colourlock Leather Fixative, which reliably kills the mould. Then wash the entire garment according to the washing instructions with Colourlock Leather & Fur Wash Concentrate; this also washes out the smell.

Strongly smelling clothing sometimes needs to be washed several times. In extreme cases, complete restoration cannot be guaranteed even after repeated treatment. In such cases, contact us in advance for an honest assessment.

After treatment, care for and protect the leather according to the care recommendations in the washing instructions.

Shoes

Mouldy shoes are wiped several times while damp with Leather Fixative and then cleaned again with our Shoe Cleaner.

Bags

For bags that cannot be washed as a whole, the surface can be wiped with Leather Fixative and then cleaned and cared for. Please pay attention to the type of leather; otherwise, send us a few photos of your bag and we will be happy to advise you.

IMPORTANT:
With bags, the smell can almost never be completely eliminated. It is usually beneath the lining, in the cardboard inserts and on the reverse sides of the leather – all areas that surface treatment does not reach.

NOTE:
Never store the affected items or any others in a bag or place without air circulation again. Otherwise, the mould will reliably return.