Is This Mold on This Record?

MOLD usually came from sleeve/cover. A record is easy to clean(water, alcohol, etc.), but the paper sleeve/cover is almost impossible. I have tried to clean a cover and the record with UV-C, but the result was no very good. And a molded sleeve infects all the collection of records. My room smels of MOLD now.

 

I would try to gently clean off one of the spots on the shiny inner run out area of the disc. If it wipes away easily without a mark you will get some idea of how imbedded or not the contamination is.

I have one of those cheap and cheerful 'Disco Antistat' baths which you suspend and rotate the disc through the supplied cleaning fluid, but satisfactory results with mouldy records are not guaranteed.

 

Over 9 minutes of pure ZTT bliss .
'Frozen Faces' is very good b-side too!

 

This amount of damage is not irreparable by any means, but I reek of paranoia.

A risk is a risk. I have cleaned mold before using distilled water, soap, 91% IPO, and a Glue cleaning to top it all off.

It's just too much to go after a record with that amount of mold, since the records I own range in values, (from 3$ to 150$), then this somewhat irrational fear for things like this become a bit too strong for me to ignore.

But yes, that amount of mold can be successfully mitigated.

EDIT: I just checked the record I cleaned over a month ago and there is no mold on it, so if the OP wants specific details for my cheap @$$ method, then I would be more than happy to specify it in a subsequent post.

 

Have you tried cleaning it yet?

 

Why not wash it first with the appropriate cleaner then report back?

 

As I mentioned in a post above, I plan on cleaning it, and I'll do that when I get a few moments. I'll certainly report back with results.

 

In spite of what some say, my experience with hi-test alcohol and record cleaning is good.

 

Good news: I wrote to the Discogs seller about the mold, and he kindly gave me a full refund without having to return the record, and was very apologetic about it. It's nice when Discogs sellers step up and make things right when there's a problem like this.

 

That's good news and was the right thing for the seller to do.

 

Generic DJ style jackets with a cut-out center hole are perfect for these types of situations.

 

Have you tried ozone? This is usually what's recommended. I've never had to try it, so can't comment on its efficacy.

 

Other than putting the jacket in the sun to get rid of the mildew odor, you may wish to reconsider ozone - Potential Risks Associated With The Use of Ozone and Ultraviolet (UV) Light Products for Cleaning CPAP Machines and Accessories: FDA Safety Communication | FDA.

 

Yo, Kev, it's a beautiful night for a walk on the beach, wouldn't you say?

Just FYI, I heard a Ween song for the first time on a TV show (Netflix's Sex Education). Does that mean we are old now?

 

The fungus is among us

 

Yes, you must use it in a sealed container. I know people who use ion generators to control static buildup in the vinyl as the record plays. I stand quite a distance from these as the smell they produce is quite unpleasant. However, if one needs to restore a smelly record jacket, it may be a case of putting up with one permanent unpleasantry over another, temporary one.

 

This record has Mould on it:

 

I'm glad you were able to amicably solve this challenge. I was faced with a similar situation recently and the seller was also very reasonable in coming to a resolution.

 

UV-C is used INTENSE in hospitals for cleaning in rooms WITHOUT patients and it works very good. The same, can be used at home. You can feel the smell in the air after 30' of using a UV-C lamp.

 

Wood glue. Removes anything that isn't vinyl. ANYTHING.

 

Looks like mold indeed.
If it’s not a rare collectible, it’s probably ready for the dumpster.
Or if the seller sold it as VG+ without notes about the mold, you should sent it back at their cost.
Don’t let ripoffs get away with it unless you want to perpetuate these problems.

 

I agree that based on those photos that it is not VG+. However, it could clean up very well indeed, maybe increasing the grade slightly. It’s hard to see on photos but a dirty record can be often rectified somewhat. A scratched or marked record is a different matter. On this occasion, most of the issue seems to be an extremely filthy record that needs deep cleaning before you do anything…

 

A deep clean is made first time with Knosti and then with ultrasonic machine IMHO...

 

UV-C is also used for water sterilization and is a common component of some RO systems and salt-water tank enthusiasts - such as Residential Archives - Polaris (polarisuv.com). However, its the UV-C that is doing the killing - the ozone odor is a by-product. FYI - UV-C can damage the record but would be dose/time dependent. If curious here is recent Guideline for Disinfection and Sterilization in Healthcare Facilities, 2008 (cdc.gov).

Note that the odor threshold of ozone is very low - ~0.02 ppm. From Ozone Regulations | WQP (wqpmag.com) The FDA’s maximum allowed ozone concentration in the air for residential areas is 0.05 ppm ozone by volume. For work environments, OSHA’s Permissible Exposure Limit for General, Construction and Maritime Industry is a 0.1 ppm time-weighted average (0.2 mg/m3). OSHA’s 15-min exposure limit is 0.3 ppm. OSHA further breaks down the regulation with Threshold Limit Values: 0.05 ppm for heavy work, 0.08 ppm for moderate, 0.10 ppm for light work, and any workload under two hours is 0.20 ppm.