Mouldy Kote?

[Sepia]

I'm not 100% sure whether it's mould but after I came home from practice yesterday, I noticed some black spots on my kote (see photo) :confused2

http://s630.photobucket.com/albums/uu27/Sepiairo/?action=view&current=DSC00234.jpg

What can I do??? It's club bogu so it wasn't exactly in the best condition to begin with. I seem to hear conflicting opinions on various cleaning products.... I've heard about dettol? Also, is this potential mould dangerous? (as in should I not touch it with bare hands/do not leave it indoors where spores would circulate etc?)

After practice, I take it out of the bag asap, wipe the bogu down with a wet (warm) cloth, then leave it lying around next to the window (though I don't open it until the next morning, because the bugs would get in during the night...) until the next practice. Is there anything else I should have been doing regularly?

Please bear in mind that a) I'm in the UK, so any specific product recommendations would have to be available over here and b) I'm living in student accommodation, so it's kind of hard to do things outside/leave bogu outside etc (as I'll be looked at as even more of a weirdo than I am now!).

Thank you very much.....
(I'm aware this question may have been asked before, but for some reason the search function is not working for me at the moment)

[MartialArtsGirl]

:ermm:
I'm not 100% sure whether it's mould but after I came home from practice yesterday, I noticed some black spots on my kote (see photo) :confused2

http://s630.photobucket.com/albums/uu27/Sepiairo/?action=view&current=DSC00234.jpg

What can I do??? It's club bogu so it wasn't exactly in the best condition to begin with. I seem to hear conflicting opinions on various cleaning products.... I've heard about dettol? Also, is this potential mould dangerous? (as in should I not touch it with bare hands/do not leave it indoors where spores would circulate etc?)

After practice, I take it out of the bag asap, wipe the bogu down with a wet (warm) cloth, then leave it lying around next to the window (though I don't open it until the next morning, because the bugs would get in during the night...) until the next practice. Is there anything else I should have been doing regularly?

Please bear in mind that a) I'm in the UK, so any specific product recommendations would have to be available over here and b) I'm living in student accommodation, so it's kind of hard to do things outside/leave bogu outside etc (as I'll be looked at as even more of a weirdo than I am now!).

Thank you very much.....
(I'm aware this question may have been asked before, but for some reason the search function is not working for me at the moment)


I'm a super beginner at Kendo....but...:ermm:

ewww that does look like mold.

I have no cleaning suggestions.

[MikeW]

The mold is unlikely to be dangerous but if you try brushing it off you should do so outdoors to prevent inhaling any mold. You can spot a mold killer on it then give it a wash with a leather cleaning soap and let it dry completely. It's best to clean both sides but that might be difficult due to its location. I've also heard of people taking them to a dry cleaners and having them do it professionally but don't know the cost. Others may have better or at least different advice.

[CH0ZEN]

Just don't inhale the mold as any spores or fungi rendered airborne may be harmful to your health. If I were you, I would just leave it out in direct sunlight for a prolonged period of time to dry the sucker out and kill the mold. It won't go back to being the color of the palm leather, but once dry, you should be able to scrape a lot of it off.

Most other mold removers contain harsh chemicals which may stain or ruin your kote.

[Martch]

My wife works in the theatrical costume business and knows a few things about this sort of thing. She says firstly you have to kill the mould - there's a company called LTT (www.LTTsolutions.net) who specialise in leathercare products, their mould killer is good apparently. Unfortunately you won't be able to get the staining out though.

[ratdeau]

Already tried that?
http://www.febreze.com/en_US/scents/febreze_antimicrobial.do

[Manuka]

Okay, does look like mold but very little.
I would use a suede brush (brass wire brush for shoes) and brush the mold off.
Outside and brushing away from yourself to avoid inhalation, a windy day would help.
After brushing leave in sunlight, inside the window is fine as long as sunny place.

Mold need heat and moisture to grow, the sunny area is to dry the area out as much as possible.

[Sepia]

OK, thanks for all the suggestions so far. I left in under the sun today and it seems to have improved slightly.

If I'm going to brush it off should I just use a dry brush or use some kind of product?

[Manuka]

Dry brush, and repeat the sunlight to dry the kote out after each practice.
Most mold must have moisture to survive.

[Alison2805]

Dont wipe your bogu down with a wet cloth anymore!

If it is club bogu, the spores were probably in it to start with, dont stress too much.

[Sepia]

Dont wipe your bogu down with a wet cloth anymore!

Thank you, but why would this be bad? (I obviously won't wipe the affected kote....) What would be the best way to keep the bogu OK after practice?

[Alison2805]

wiping bogu is fine, just not with a wet cloth, use a dry or only slightly damp on (I use a hand towel). Using a wet cloth will just wipe sweat around, or spread spores.
If your bogu is really sweaty after training, stuff your kote and the padding inside the men with papertowels, that will draw out the moisture. You can also put some of those moisture absorbing silica packets (the ones you get in shoe boxes) in your bogu bag.