Brand New Item From Large Retailer Arrived With Mould on it

[hitmanNo2]

This is a first for me in my many years of wasting money on airsoft nonsense.  I received a bit of gear from a large airsoft retailer this week that had some mould/mildew on it.  It was otherwise new with various components in plastic etc.  The main area of mould was on the leather? chinstrap of a helmet fwiw.  I e-mailed the retailer on the day (Monday) to inform them and got an auto reply and nothing since.

You're probably thinking "just wipe it off and don't be a baby" but I know mould can be an issue and not everyone appreciates how it spreads invisibly, the root system etc so I'm a bit concerned about lingering elements of it that might still be present even after cleaning and for it to continue to produce spores.  Especially with something that is going to be a few cms from my mouth when it's being used.

So yeah, I'm kind of a bit miffed I didn't even get a sorry.  I'm just wondering what others thoughts are.  Would you expect a replacement, partial refund etc?  Or just put it down to "because airsoft retailer" and clean it and move on?

 

[EDcase]

Some of these items can sit in warehouses for years.

I've had a bit of something on a strap before.  As long as the structural integrity isn't compromised I wouldn't mind.

I know mould can be a concern but I don't believe leather mould is harmful to humans. (Worth a check)

I would spray the area very well with Isopropyl alcohol or equivalent.  Let it dry out and then should be safe to use.

 

[Tommikka]

As well as drying it, leave it with some silica or rice (uncooked) for a while.

As EdCase says, well cleaned mould shouldn’t affect most people.

If you’re healthy and have no underlying respiratory concerns then once clean you should be good to go

 

[Enid_Puceflange]

Mould spores can be really quite damaging to the respiratory system , especially to an asthmatic,  mostly if indoors .

I have seen vehicles with bad Inside mould being condemned 
I would send back for a replacement / exchange item

Lets face it, could be at least a good month until you get to use it in anger anyway.

 

[Stratton Oakmont]

It's normal for leather to go mouldy over time when its been handled by human hands,

go in any tack room and if a saddle/bridle doesn't get used for a couple of months you get a very flat covering of mildew/mould on it, especially where it was handled( not tall fungus like mould), a quick wipe down and it's good to go. If it's leather it's dead skin so expecting it to behave like pleather is unreasonable.

 

[Encore]

Research scientist by trade (Biochemistry if any one cares for specifics). 

First off lets address what you can do. 

Return the items - you've got  a 30 day window and are well within your rights to do. Email them and state that you want to return the items for a full refund under the consumer goods act 2015. State the reason for the return (mouldy items) and send a picture as proof in the same email. 

Secondly with the advice on how to clean and if its okay to wear the items. 

Mould releases spores which can be harmful to your health. If you want to risk it, then by all means go ahead. Its your choice, but depending on the type of mould you'll be fine or made seriously ill. There's no way for you to identify if the mould growing on your stuff is a really harmful species or not outside of a lab test. 

Isopropyl alcohol is not guaranteed to kill the all mould and will do absolutely nothing to the spores. Moulds are fungi and they are very resilient, far more so than simple bacteria etc, they'll have little trouble with alcohol.

If you want to be sure the mould is gone you need either wash at the highest temperature possible for the garment (don't bother if you can't wash at 50 or higher, won't help). Use wash detergent as normal.

Pre treatment is a good idea, Borax, white vinegar or bleach. I'd go with the first two simply because the later tends to fairly damaging to clothing and will make colours fade or completely strip them. NEVER MIX VINEGAR WITH BLEACH. You'll produce Chlorine gas which is highly corrosive, and if you breath that stuff in, it'll form hydrochloric acid on contact with water. Your body is 70% water.

 

[Davegolf]

@Encore T-virus? ??

 

[Encore]

@Encore T-virus? ??

Click to shrink...

If someone wanted to give me a well equipped lab and pay me enough money to work on it, sure why not? ?

Else I'll stick to my current plan of finish my research project and then leaving to greener pastures.

 

[Shamal]

Research scientist by trade (Biochemistry if any one cares for specifics). 

First off lets address what you can do. 

Return the items - you've got  a 30 day window and are well within your rights to do. Email them and state that you want to return the items for a full refund under the consumer goods act 2015. State the reason for the return (mouldy items) and send a picture as proof in the same email. 

Secondly with the advice on how to clean and if its okay to wear the items. 

Mould releases spores which can be harmful to your health. If you want to risk it, then by all means go ahead. Its your choice, but depending on the type of mould you'll be fine or made seriously ill. There's no way for you to identify if the mould growing on your stuff is a really harmful species or not outside of a lab test. 

Isopropyl alcohol is not guaranteed to kill the all mould and will do absolutely nothing to the spores. Moulds are fungi and they are very resilient, far more so than simple bacteria etc, they'll have little trouble with alcohol.

If you want to be sure the mould is gone you need either wash at the highest temperature possible for the garment (don't bother if you can't wash at 50 or higher, won't help). Use wash detergent as normal.

Pre treatment is a good idea, Borax, white vinegar or bleach. I'd go with the first two simply because the later tends to fairly damaging to clothing and will make colours fade or completely strip them. NEVER MIX VINEGAR WITH BLEACH. You'll produce Chlorine gas which is highly corrosive, and if you breath that stuff in, it'll form hydrochloric acid on contact with water. Your body is 70% water.

Click to shrink...

Cool.interesting tips there?

Regards