mold prevention tips
Ad Code Here
mold prevention tips
________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Facts
Mold
belongs to a group of micro organisms which includes yeast, mildew and fungi.
They form powdery type formations on the surface of fabrics.
Mold
requires 3 things to grow;
1)
Temperature (approx 20 degrees and above)
2)
Moisture (65% relative humidity and above)
3)
Food source – paper, leather, natural fiber, latex, oils, dirt or dust (even
microscopic dust particles are enough for mold to feed on).
Moldcan
remain dormant for long periods and then grow when conditions are right. Mold is well designed for rapid infection and
propagation, and can grow on anything even on synthetic fabrics. Mold has many fruiting bodies and each one is
loaded with thousands of spores that are easily dislodged in to the environment
to spread the mold. In every room there
will be about 30 different species of mold.
Fungi
&mold grows well in neutral to acidic conditions, it forms distinct spots
(colonies) and can be several different colours. Green mold is usually less harmful and some
black mold can be harmful.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
At risk products
Mold
mainly grows on leather, wool, cotton, and wood, but can also grown on
synthetics and plastics. On products
such as coated synthetic fabrics and plastics, mold can feed on the oils or
latex in the plastics or even unseen particles of dust on the products.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Prevention
There
is no complete prevention against mold but steps can be taken to prevent it by
reducing food and water for mold to grow on.
1)
Housekeeping
First and foremost for
prevention of mold is good housekeeping and a common sense approach
·
If
you can smell mold and damp you have it.
·
Clean
working surfaces is key in preventing mold.
·
All
working surfaces must be kept clean, use dilute detergent, disinfectant or
dilute bleach on walls and floors. The
type of disinfectant will dictate how often cleaning is required.
·
Walls,
ceilings and floors have to be kept clean
·
Clean
the walls with disinfectant
·
Remove
dust from shelves
·
Clean
the factory on regular basis
·
Disinfection
– use dilute detergent, disinfectant or dilute bleach on walls and floors.
2)
Product & material
storage
Materials need to be kept clean so good
warehousing procedures are vital, materials to be stored on racks and kept off
the ground
·
Store
old and new materials separately.
·
Keep
materials, finished goods and cut parts off the floor.
·
Keep
material, finished goods, stock & product 50cm away from walls.
3)
Humidity &
temperature control
·
Ideal
conditions are clean and dry with less than 20oC, and less than50-60
% relative humidity.
·
If
packing garments at relative humidity levels over60% the risk of mold is
greatly increased, so preventative action must be taken.
·
Air conditioning &
dehumidifiers with silver particle filters should be used in sealed off
environment for final packaging.
Note - As air temperature rises relative humidity also
rises at a faster rate.
Note - Silver particle filters will kill mold spores as the
silver is an antibacterial.
·
Never pack wet or damp
products.
·
Garments should not be pressed
and immediately packed as some moisture from steaming will still be in the
garment.
·
Do not stack pressed garments
too high as garments in the middle will not cool properly and will remain damp.
·
Keep steaming to a minimum.
4)
Moisture content levels
When relative humidity in the atmosphere is
greater than 65% there is a higher risk of mold. Higher relative humidity in the air leads to
higher moisture content in fabrics which in turn leads to a greater risk of mold
in products.
Moisture
content risk in materials (general guide)
Low risk 10-15%
High risk >15%
Danger zone >20%
Limit
levels for materials;
Cardboard e.g. Swingers and boxes 8%
·
Use
moisture meters to check moisture levels of stock/ fabrics.
·
Incoming
trims and components should be checked for moisture content.
5)
Packaging
0 Response to "mold prevention tips"
Post a Comment