How to permanently rid a statue of mildew?

[Doctor Pym]

Well, I'd thought I'd sealed away a few statues in un-air conditioned storage adequately enough (in a de-humidified room, I closed them up and double-sealed each in thick plastic bags, before putting them away)... but I guess not. A couple of years later, each just-unpacked statue has either some dusting of grey mildew, or a few patches of yellowish-brown stuff (??) Somehow, the humidity and fungi got in there, anyway... or were present in trace amounts when I sealed them, and the warm temperatures did the rest.

So, painting pros, what's the best way to banish this stuff, permanently? I've never had this problem with unpainted resin kits, so it must be the paint that these fungi groove on.

I'm guessing water will take most of it off, and then either boiling water or Lysol will kill whatever's left, before a second thorough wipe. But will this damage the paint?

I tried water and then Lysol on one of the statues I didn't really care about (a Thor mini-statue with a shoddy paint job, to begin with), and the Lysol didn't seem to damage the paint... but then, who knows? It could come peeling off in a week, for all I know...

So painting masters, I'd be grateful for any advice you can give me, on how to banish fungi without trashing a statue's paint. Many thanks in advance, and Happy New Year!

[Bullseye]

Mix alittle bleach into some warm water. Dip the cloth but rinse so that it's not soaking wet. And commence cleaning. Not sure what effect it will have the paint though, it will kill the mildew.

[polystoned]

I was reading about cleaning PVC figures recently and came across the idea that the body oils in fingerprints, among other things, are contaminants that can provide a nutrient source for microbial attacks:

Care & Conservation of Smurfs

[Doctor Pym]

Thanks for the ideas... I'm a little reluctant to try bleach on the paint, though: I may experiment with a statue I'm going to repaint, anyway.

So far, no peeling or discoloration on the Thor mini-statue I nuked with Lysol, so that may be another way to go.

[Averone]

May I ask where you are located?

I wish I could help. Maybe we will find a solution for you.

[Jesse321]

Whatever you deside to try, try it first on a small inconspicuous area of the statue ... that way if it does something it shouldn't at least the whole thing won't be ruined.

I would suggest using some of those Clorox disinfectant wipes .. before using out and out bleach.

[Doctor Pym]

Originally Posted by averone

May I ask where you are located?

I wish I could help. Maybe we will find a solution for you.

Thanks!
I'm in Guam... home of year-round heat and high humidity!

That's another reason I did all I could think of to make sure those statues were sealed away in climate-controlled air and double-bagged; but I guess it just wasn't enough.

[Doctor Pym]

Originally Posted by Jesse321

Whatever you deside to try, try it first on a small inconspicuous area of the statue ... that way if it does something it shouldn't at least the whole thing won't be ruined.

I would suggest using some of those Clorox disinfectant wipes .. before using out and out bleach.

Thanks, Jesse... I also wondered about boiling water, which should kill any lingering fungi... but I will definitely try it on soles of the test statue's feet, first, if I go that way.

[polystoned]

Originally Posted by Doctor Pym

those statues were sealed away in climate-controlled air and double-bagged; but I guess it just wasn't enough.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mothballs