Moldy gun stocks

[Tommie]

I'm not kidding. Wish I were...

Due to a hot water heater that has apparently been leaking for a long time, my house has a "moisture issue". Not flooded but subflooring is saturated and it's going to take a while for things to dry out. Blue mildew has attacked seemingly random items (mostly wood). My guns in an spare room have heavy mildew on the stocks and slings. Obviously I'll be wiping them down, but what should I use to inhibit future mildew growth? I don't know how long it'll take for the house moisture level to normalize and rather not have to re-clean my guns constantly.

Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[47WillysGuy]

Get dehumidifiers going. Pull all the moisture your can!

 

[BMW]

Clorox Wipes

 

[snert]

Bleach everything (except gun stocks) that has mold. Dehumidify and air it out till it is bone dry (assume you fixed the heater) and get rid of all wood that is in subfloor that is saturated. Mold is dangerous...and hard on respiration. Bad stuff.

To get your guns cleaned, use the usual bore solvents, action cleaners and it may make sense to tear them right down to parts, take off the stocks, etc. use a good oil or rust prevent. I like CLP for storage. Wipe the stocks (except oil finish stocks) with light clorox. Any oil finished stocks should be gently washed (not soaked!) in a light soap, avoid wetting the open grain ends. Then you may have to re-apply whatever oil. Just make sure the mold is gone before you do. Always make sure the clorox is off.

If they are uerothane covered, just use the wipes. Polish if necessary with soft cloth

 

[Syncrowave]

You need to borax the crap out of everything that can get moldy or dry-rotted, or you could have problems with mold, mildew, fungus and dry-rot for a long time to come. The reason is that the dry-rot spores are microscopic and go EVERYWHERE and unless you kill them with borax or anti-freeze (ethylene glycol -- caution, this stuff tastes good to animals but is deadly), when the conditions are right again (proper temperature, humidity, etc) the mold and dry rot, etc., will return. I'd get some 20 Mule Team borax, mix it with boiling water in a saturated solution, then douse it on everything that got wet, moldy, mildewed, etc., and only THEN fire up the dehumidifiers...borax is FAR more effective than bleach, which normally just runs off, and it is FAR less corrosive and toxic to pets and family.

 

[olddav]

Do not wait for the house to dry, aggressively dry any and all wood the is wet by any and all means possible. The guns are the least of your worries right now, think of your health!

 

[Cold Bore]

Rather than bleach, I'd use vinegar. Just wipe down your stocks and slings, then dry them, and leave them to be. The smell goes away fairly quickly. No need to rinse with water, and much safer than bleach. By leaving the vinegar residue behind, it will help to prevent a regrowth of mold.

By the way, if you use vinegar, do NOT also use bleach (and vice versa). The combo is toxic.

 

[snert]

Rather than bleach, I'd use vinegar. Just wipe down your stocks and slings, then dry them, and leave them to be. The smell goes away fairly quickly. No need to rinse with water, and much safer than bleach. By leaving the vinegar residue behind, it will help to prevent a regrowth of mold.

By the way, if you use vinegar, do NOT also use bleach (and vice versa). The combo is toxic.

I agree, good thinking...forgot about vinegar

 

[Cold Bore]

I agree, good thinking...forgot about vinegar

Yep.

While bleach is great on other things, where you need to clean and disinfect on an industrial scale, I'd rather not use it in my firearms.

Vinegar is just a simple acid to kill the mold without the dangers and downsides of bleach.

I've used it more than once on leather slings. Not sure I want to think about what bleach might've done to them.

 

[Tommie]

Excellent information. Many thanks to everyone!