Mold on my scrapbook pages :/

Apr '12 Cuddlefish

There is a maroon-ish colored mold on almost all my scrapbooks. It's not on anything but the pages and some of the things on the pages. I've tried looking on the internet for anyhting, and I'm having no luck
Here's the best picture I could get of it. I have no clue what it is, and was hoping someone here might :/
Help me out please! Its getting worse and worse and starting to damage cards and certificates
Apr '12 Runzalot81

RE: Cuddlefish: There is a maroon-ish colored mold on almost all my scrapbooks. It's not on anything but the pages and some of the things on the pages. I've tried looking on the internet for anyhting, and I'm having no luck Here's the best picture I could get of it. I have no clue what it is, and was hoping someone here might :/ Help me out please! Its getting worse and worse and starting to damage cards an...

Oh NO! Hopefully, someone here will be able to help you!

Where do you store your stuff? What kind of glue do you use?

You're probably going to have to throw that stuff out
Apr '12 Rockmom

RE: Runzalot81: Oh NO! Hopefully, someone here will be able to help you! Where do you store your stuff? What kind of glue do you use? You're probably going to have to throw that stuff out

ack! so sorry, and I second Alissa, you will mist likely need to toss the mold infested items.
Apr '12 Moxiegirl23

RE: Rockmom: ack! so sorry, and I second Alissa, you will mist likely need to toss the mold infested items.

Forget most likely... your options are to keep it and keep the mold or toss it. I would scan everything or take pictures before I threw it away. I would also take no chances and toss pages that look good but came into contact with the moldy pages.
Apr '12 Henri Jean (Ocala, Florida)

RE: Moxiegirl23: Forget most likely... your options are to keep it and keep the mold or toss it. I would scan everything or take pictures before I threw it away. I would also take no chances and toss pages that look good but came into contact with the moldy pages.

Are you sure it is mold? I've never seen maroon mold before.

If it is mold I would photograph or photocopy everything and get the stuff with mold out of the house.
Apr '12 Cuddlefish

RE: Henri Jean (Ocala, Florida): Are you sure it is mold? I've never seen maroon mold before. If it is mold I would photograph or photocopy everything and get the stuff with mold out of the house.

I used to store them on a shelf in my living room, then we added on to our hose, so i kept them in our attic for a few moths, and after we finished the house I've been keeping them upstairs on shelves.
I use rubber cement and a little bit of elmer's regular glue. I tried searching to see if maybe those would cause mold, but once again, no luck ( I don't know, maybe i just stink at searching for things on the internet haha).
:/ really not wanting to throw things out, but I suppose I gonna have to :/
Apr '12 CrimsonMama

RE: Cuddlefish: I used to store them on a shelf in my living room, then we added on to our hose, so i kept them in our attic for a few moths, and after we finished the house I've been keeping them upstairs on shelves. I use rubber cement and a little bit of elmer's regular glue. I tried searching to see if maybe those would cause mold, but once again, no luck ( I don't know, maybe i just stink at searching for t...

You poor thing! If it is mold then the attic is likely the culprit. You live where there is alot of humidity and that will do it.

Do you have photoshop? Or even Windows Live Photo will let you edit out the spots, if you scan them to your computer.

When we moved to Atlanta from Seattle, I made sure that my husband rented a climate controlled storage unit, otherwise a lot of things could have been ruined.
Apr '12 Runzalot81

RE: CrimsonMama: You poor thing! If it is mold then the attic is likely the culprit. You live where there is alot of humidity and that will do it. Do you have photoshop? Or even Windows Live Photo will let you edit out the spots, if you scan them to your computer. When we moved to Atlanta from Seattle, I made sure that my husband rented a climate controlled storage unit, otherwise a lot of things could hav...

Rubber Cement is very acidic and not meant for scrapbooking. That may be the discoloration you're seeing.
Apr '12 CrimsonMama

RE: Runzalot81: Rubber Cement is very acidic and not meant for scrapbooking. That may be the discoloration you're seeing.

Wait, you are right, Some glues will discolor and get a brownish look. Maybe that's it?
Apr '12 HuskerMom98

RE: CrimsonMama: Wait, you are right, Some glues will discolor and get a brownish look. Maybe that's it?

I don't think it's mold--I've had similar looking spots in books before (not the scrapbooks I've made, but older books that have had photos and other memoribilia). I just recently took photos from 1991 out of a magnetic photo album and there were similar colored spots on some of those photos too.
Apr '12 SherylEb

RE: HuskerMom98: I don't think it's mold--I've had similar looking spots in books before (not the scrapbooks I've made, but older books that have had photos and other memoribilia). I just recently took photos from 1991 out of a magnetic photo album and there were similar colored spots on some of those photos too.

Could it be some form of rust? Have they been stored in anything metal in the attic?
We had a cabinet in our storage building that was totally metal and closed up. Everything in them would get this rust looking stuff on them whether they were metal or ot. I figured it had something to do with lack of temp control and the metal.
Apr '12 Prittb

RE: Runzalot81: Rubber Cement is very acidic and not meant for scrapbooking. That may be the discoloration you're seeing.
runzalot81 Said:
Rubber Cement is very acidic and not meant for scrapbooking. That may be the discoloration you're seeing.

I would check into the rubber cement and see if that is the cause.
Apr '12 Just G

RE: Runzalot81: Rubber Cement is very acidic and not meant for scrapbooking. That may be the discoloration you're seeing.
runzalot81 Said:
Rubber Cement is very acidic and not meant for scrapbooking. That may be the discoloration you're seeing.

I was going to say this....
with the temp change in the attics as well (very cold to very hot/humid) it's probably a chemical reaction.

Scan things if you can and toss them.
Apr '12 Just G

RE: Just G: runzalot81 Said: Rubber Cement is very acidic and not meant for scrapbooking. That may be the discoloration you're seeing. I was going to say this.... with the temp change in the attics as well (very cold to very hot/humid) it's probably a chemical reaction. Scan things if you can and toss them.

If you have been scrapping with non acid free materials they have a spray by 3M called "make it acid free" See if it it helps your future pages.

Are you using papers that are meant for scrapbooking or just normal construction paper/printer paper? that might be the problem as well.
Apr '12 SherylEb

RE: Just G: If you have been scrapping with non acid free materials they have a spray by 3M called "make it acid free" See if it it helps your future pages. Are you using papers that are meant for scrapbooking or just normal construction paper/printer paper? that might be the problem as well.

Maybe take a couple of pages to a good photography shop that specializes in restoring photos. Just to see if they can tell you what it is, so you can make sure you get rid of enough of it. And so it doesn't happen in the future.

I would bet those places have seen about everything on a picture. My best friends son is a professional photographer in Las Vegas. If you'd like me to I can send him the photo and see if he knows.
Apr '12 Wilbur

RE: SherylEb: Maybe take a couple of pages to a good photography shop that specializes in restoring photos. Just to see if they can tell you what it is, so you can make sure you get rid of enough of it. And so it doesn't happen in the future. I would bet those places have seen about everything on a picture. My best friends son is a professional photographer in Las Vegas. If you'd like me to I can send hi...

I wonder if the brown could be something about the lignin in the paper?? Would a spot of bleach help? I think you can use bleach on paper as a technique..............Anyone else know about this?
Apr '12 T-scraps

RE: Wilbur: I wonder if the brown could be something about the lignin in the paper?? Would a spot of bleach help? I think you can use bleach on paper as a technique..............Anyone else know about this?

Looks like a type of mold to me.... probably from the attic storage. So sorry your stuff is getting ruined. That is awful.
Apr '12 GemGirl

RE: T-scraps: Looks like a type of mold to me.... probably from the attic storage. So sorry your stuff is getting ruined. That is awful.
t-scraps Said:
Looks like a type of mold to me.... probably from the attic storage. So sorry your stuff is getting ruined. That is awful.

I agree--it has that look of a colony, thinking back to microscope views in Biology class. Really feel bad for you, hoping you're able to salvage your most important items in some manner or another.