YT (Tokyo)

Now, June is approaching and rainy season has been declared in various places. Especially at this time of year, mold is a problem with leather products...

The requested item this time is also a pair of western boots that have developed mold. The results of washing are obvious if you compare the before and after results.

Here, I would like to tell you a long story about mold.

As I have introduced several times in the past, it is possible to remove the mold that adheres to the surface of products with mold, but once the mold mycelium has penetrated deep into the leather tissue, it is difficult to completely remove it. .

Also, some types of mold produce pigments, and once these pigments have penetrated, they cannot be removed by cleaning. These "mold stains" can only be hidden by recoloring, and depending on the color, it may not be possible to hide them properly.

It is important to prevent mold from growing, and to detect and remove it early.

Leather is a mass of protein, which is nutrition for mold. If the temperature and humidity conditions are right, there is a possibility that this will occur, and there seems to be no countermeasure that can guarantee that it will never grow.

The most effective way is to use it all the time, but that won't be the case in the upcoming season...

So, when storing it, it is important to ``avoid closed, high temperature, and humid places.'' This is not a problem if you have a closet with a temperature/humidity control function, but if you live in an apartment like me, this is not an issue.

In such an environment, we recommend that you avoid storing your clothes in a closet and instead hang them up to dry with a non-woven cloth in a place where air can circulate, such as inside a room.

I may be arrogant when I say this, but I once let my chaps get moldy while doing this type of work... However, my leather jacket, which had been stored under the same conditions, was not moldy!! Why!?

The answer is...to be continued.