New to Cleaning Ponies: Did I Kill the Mold?

[Baby Sugarberry]

Other than both being too tiny to see with the naked eye, mould spores and the influenza virus have nothing in common.  You don't get the flu from mould.

Sea Ponies are the most likely to be afflicted with mildew, given that they were sold and used as bath toys though any pony can crop up with the problem.  Usually you can see some kind of sign of the condition from the outside.  The hair roots may be dark, squeezing result in a mouldy damp smell, discolouration around the base of the tail, or dark areas visible when held up to a strong light. 

It would be more accurate to say that rust and mould occur in the same conditions (dampness) but neither causes the other.

[hathorcat]

Denture cleaners are also pretty awesome at freeing up any yuckiness thats clinging on. Break one into quarters and shove them down into the pony's legs. Fill with hot water That should help clear things out as well.

[retrogradenova]

I didn't mean to imply I thought that mold causes the flu. I had just been wondering if it was possible the reason he was sick was because of the mold and I was mistaking it for flu like symptoms.

That is a great idea hathorcat! I really appreciate all the suggestions guys! I'm gonna try a few of these suggestions and see how they work. Really thanks so much

[ashlyne]

... Mould does not in general come back unless you are keeping your ponies in a very unfavourable environment - vinyl is not organic, mould cannot eat it, and it requires humidity to thrive.  That's why we get mildew in bathrooms, because of the regular high humidity.... Keep your ponies <50% humidity and you'll never have a mould problem again.

I always figured this was the case. I know collectors who "quarantine" ponies if they have mold because they think it's contagious.  But mold doesn't exactly spread, so much as it develops.  So it'll still show up, even if you removed contaminated ponies, if the environment is right for mold developing.

I've heard temperature can contribute to mold growth, combined with a humid environment, is this correct?    I keep a small temperature and humidity reader in my collection room. I also have a small HEPA purifier, just in case.   And these weird dessicant eggs that I put on the shelves with the ponies for humidity.   

[Baby Sugarberry]

Prefacing this by I am not a medical professional since we are addressing a health concern.
To my knowledge yes, mould can cause flu-like symptoms, but you'd generally have to either have a severe allergy or be exposed to a lot of hazardous mould for a significant period to get sick from it.  Most household moulds are harmless, just unsightly. Did your husband have more close contact with the inside of the pony than you?  If not, it's probably not the fault of the mould.  It takes a lot of actively growing mould to make a building or environment sick, and there's (usually) nothing for mould to live off of inside a pony /and/ it's almost always dormant.  Vinyl is inorganic, so is nylon, neither is a food source. 

Temperature and humidity are related (so is pressure but temperature has the biggest effect, given most of us live ~1 atmosphere) - the warmer the area, the more moisture it can hold before becoming saturated. As air gets colder, a given volume of space loses its ability to hold water.  Warm temperatures are also necessary for mould growth, as it is a living organism. Too cold or dry and it goes dormant.

[summerday]

These are two moldy ponies I'm working on. I could tell they were icky just by their outside appearances. They tend to get a dark undertone, especially in their feet. I agree that those Munchkin bottle brushes work well, except for an end coming off of one of mine. The set has a couple of different brush thicknesses. But it's also easy to add more by wrapping a pipe cleaner around it. Also, if you have a pony with glitter, watch the Oxy. It causes it to rust.

Glory
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Baby Ember with star.
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[Artemesia's Garden]

Just a note against using bleach - sorry I don't want to argue with what anyone has said but bleach should be avoided with soft plastics. Also boiling also is best avoided as may speed up plastic breakdown. Harsh treatments can cause problems that are not immediately obvious and can appear over time, so milder methods e.g. soap and toothbrush are best used first. Hope this helps.