How Do I Remove Mold from a Painting?
How Do I Remove Mold from a Painting?”We have been through a flood and black mold is now everywhere — airborne and attaching itself to everything including my honey’s beautiful oil paintings. I have heard the vinegar and water will stop the destruction. Has anyone got any advice?” — BarbaraAnswer: I don’t know about vinegar working, nor whether it’ll damage the paint, but if you wipe the mold when it’s damp it’s going to smear horribly. I searched around a bit and found the New Orleans Conservation Guild has advice for both paintings on paper and paintings on canvas. For works on paper they say: “If there is active mold growing on it a light spray of Lysol [a brand of anti-germ/bacteria cleaner] helps to kill the mold until it can be treated, but bring them in quickly for proper treatment.”
