Milldew on Cedar wood inside closet

[jimbo 14]

Need your advise ! Have a home ( 2500+ sf)to clean next week,: clean roof & wash exterior &-large drive & walkways. Calls me today & also wants me to clean a 10X12 storage bldg that had a water leak months ago & now has very heavy milldew inside a cedar-lined closet in the bldg. He thinks the cedar (its in 4x8ft sheets) is not solid, but spliced /glued together. I have not seen it yet. What process & materials would you use on such a project so as not to damage the cedar material? Thanks. Jimbo

[StainlessDeal 16]

This paneling is a lot like aspenite (also called waferboard or OSB, for Oriented Strand Board) in appearance, but not in makeup. I believe it is specifically designed to present the most possible surface area to the air, so that the aroma stays strong.

If it is mildewed, I'd be loathe to wet it, as even structural stranded board doesn't tolerate water well, and de-laminates quickly after being wet. Don't soak it! I'm a bit surprised it hasn't begun to fall apart already.

You may have already tried to clean this, but if I was going to do it, I'd test bleach (or a percarb) folowed by Oxalic (maybe) applied as dry as possible with a pump-up or a spray bottle. Experimentation and testing a few different methods will be a good policy.

If the mildew is dry, it may sand off, and the scent will be restored as a side effect.

I'd also just price replacing the panels, they are meant to be easy to switch, and to be replaced when no longer so smelly.

Hope this helps, I'm working from ancient memories of a past profession, so I may be far off base here. Tell us how it goes.

[PressurePros 249]

Do some research on quarternary ammonium. Not sure if that is your answer but should lead you in the right direction.