Vacuum Cleaner MOLD?!?!

[vacuumkid3]

After recently visiting my "local" junk store (it's about 30 minutes away), I bought 37 vacuum attachments for the grand price of $30. I went throught practically every attachment, and found several General Electric attachments, as well as many more. But 4 of these attachments, along with an old Kirby 508 (I think) Crystalator, had a strange, white mold (yet again, I think) growing all over them. It was not fuzzy, but simply growing over the plastic. Does anyone have any clue as to WHY and WHAT that plastic is made out of? This perplexes me greatly. I also would like to know how to CHEMICALLY remove it if possible. Most people I hear use scouring pads/steel wool to remove it, but I am trying to boil the attachment in water and then bleach another one, just to see which will work best. If anyone can enlighten me on this subject, please post here! Thanks!

~~K~~

P.S. I think I can get some pictures if anyone wants any.

 

[marukap]

Dear K:

Fret not, your Kirby bits and pieces are not moldy! I know of what you speak. It would appear that the plastics used for early Cystalators was not particularly stable. Either time and/or exposure to mothballs, smog, humidity, dryness, heat . . .who knows causes it to deteriorate, develop a white, chalky coating and ultimately crumble into a hopeless pile of plastic dust. I would suggest that you NOT try to clean it. Handle it VERY gently and enjoy it for the piece of history that it is.

Yours,

Marty Kaplan

 

[vacuumkid3]

Marty:

The only thing I am curious about is why can it be scraped off? It comes off simply with a knife. Underneath is a pretty shiny, smooth finish. When soaked in water, it gets a slippery texture to it. So are you sure it is the plastic? I will be looking at this substance under a microscope soon, once I see if it does grow in a Petri dish. Thanks Marty!

~~K~~

 

[charles~richard]

Actually is IS mold...

whatever the type of plastic material that the G.E. Roll Easy and Swivel-Top attachments were made of -- and, yes oddly enough the old red and gray Kirby Crystallator -- it attracts a certain kind of mold.

There is a very simple solution: Put some regular chlorine bleach (Clorox etc) in a spray bottle. Put the infected parts in your sink. Liberally douse them with the bleach spray. Watch the white gunk disappear before your very eyes. Don't let it stand too long, no more than 30-45 seconds, then thoroughly rinse the parts off with cold water. Works like a charm.

Refinish the plastic surfaces with spray furniture polish - spritz on, then buff off. If you want a super glow, you can use Armor-All.

(btw, Anyone ever notice that the old G.E. attachments also have a certain, and very distinctive, odor?! I can identify that scent a mile away!!)

 

[vacuumkid3]

Hey Charles!

Thanks for the tip! I cannot wait to try it. I will also try and do the curious people a favor, like me, of trying to find just what kind of mold this is. We JUST did a biology lab of growing bacteria, then putting it on a slide, and THEN we stained them so we could tell if they were Gram-positive or Gram-negative bacteria, and FINALLY we looked at them under the microscope. It was great fun, as we got to use the Bunsen burners!! So, I am going to slightly repeat this experiment by growing them, putting them on a slide, and MAYBE staining them. Then, hopefully the microscope will tell it all. Thanks again!

I have definitely noticed that GE attachments smell very strange. Very weird...

~~K~~

 

[marukap]

I stand corrected

WHO KNEW? Please forgive me for sounding so darn sure of myself. I will be very curious to know what you find under a microscope. Be that as it may, wether it was an inorganic chemical reaction or mold spores pickling the old plastic, SOMETHING turned my old Crystalator into a pile of crumbs and dust with little more than a poke of my finger.

Take that as a cautionary tale when you are restoring your specimens.

Yours,

Marty

 

[charles~richard]

Well, I did not know this myself until fairly recently

I have had a really nice Roll Easy for quite a few years that originally was covered with the icky white stuff. I happened to mention it one day when talking on the phone to Tania Voigt, the First Lady of the Vacuum Cleaner and Queen of the Roll Easy! She said, "Oh gee, that stuff is just mold! All you have to do is spray it with bleach, let it stand just a few seconds, then rinse it off and finish with furniture polish." So we have her to thank for that!


http://www.137.com/rolleasy

 

[vacuumkid3]

Hey Charles, is Tania a part of the vacuum forums? I have wanted to meet her. Thanks again!

~~K~~

 

[compactelectra]

Ms. Tania

She has to be one of the sweetest people on the face of the earth. We visited with her last weekend. While she stuffs her vacuums all over the house, she has a fabulous collection. She is bit like me, she likes her machines pristine. What a doll! And her coat goes fabulously with that Miele Champagne. I am lucky to live close to her. We need to get her to start posting here.

Fred

 

[compactelectra]

Here I Am With Ms. Tania's Eureka Empress

Love this machine! This is last weekend.

 

[compactelectra]

Here Is Her Cat Buddy

He loves to get vacuumed!

 

[compactelectra]

Another One

With her Compact C-4. We love you Tania.

 

[compactelectra]

Buddy in the Compact Box!

He is fine with vacuums!