[Cured] Holster With Mold/Mildew Smell

[John Kloehr]

Not a SASS holster, but leather is more a SASS subject than saloon material.

 

Just bought a Zastava M57 Serbian LE gun (refurbished) and it came with a holster. The gun is in my gun room, the holster is on the back porch. Can. Not. Bring. It. In. The. House. The FFL has my serious sympathy, he should have put it in his garage or even said "no way, pard, I can't handle this!"

 

I do have an ozone machine, but that might destroy the holster. It might not even be salvageable. Been googling... White vinegar. Baking Soda. UV. Ozone. Conditioners (unspecified). Other less common ideas. No clear guidance on what might really work or what to try first. Willing to give saving this holster (former Serbian LE carry) a chance if I can, also willing to toss it if the effort is a failure. Figure some here have saved leather stuck in storage for too long. Or failed, which is also something to consider.

 

But for those who have saved leather, what to try first, then second... And what conditioner or other products? I can try to get some pictures tomorrow, too dark now. Pics will be from up-wind.

 

Edited March 4 by John Kloehr
typo

[Wild Eagle]

Lightly spritz it with Scrubbing Bubbles and then wipe it down.  Don't get the leather too wet.  Will probably take several treatments.  I know it sounds messed up, but it works.  When the mold/mildew is gone and the smell is gone treat the leather with Lexan or a similar product.  

[Griff]

  ;is your friend!

Edited February 7 by Griff

[Lucky R. K.]

Rub it down thoroughly with alcohol and let dry, then use your favorite leather conditioner. I used to use walnut hulls to make leather dye. Stored in a plastic container it would develop a skim of mold on the surface. I added some alcohol to the solution and fixed the problem.

Lucky 😁

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

 

I would carefully place it in a clear plastic ZipLoc and then carefully drop it in my very oversized Trash Kart (compliments Waste Management).  Taint worth it McGee.

[Cypress Sun]

 

I had one like that. I set it next to a smoker that was smoking mullet. Didn't remove the smell, but it changed to a smoked mullet smell....all the other Florida shooters drooled over it.

[Waimea]

Water and a rag.

Then leather conditioner.

That was Florida.

Haven't had the problem since we moved to the Dry Heat State.

[John Kloehr]

Thanks all for the input so far, main question now as I develop the plan is I need leather conditioner recommendations.

 

I'm leaning toward Isopropyl, hit it hard, brush it well, and hit it again for a rinse. I'm kind of favoring the Isopropyl over vinegar. Then I will then pause to consider ozone but that might destroy the holster.

 

It may end up in the trash, per @Colorado Coffinmaker's recommended shortcut, but I will make an effort. May post some pics in the coming days. I have no favorite leather conditioner (have not used one in ever) and the web ads when searching do not build any confidence in me.

[Sedalia Dave]

You can't really kill all the mold spores just by cleaning as they penetrate deep into the leather. However, some leather conditioners contain anti mold additives that will prevent it from coming back. Two highly recommended are 

 

Lexol leather conditioner  

Obenauf's leather oil.

 

Be sure to store it in an environment that discourages mold growth.

Edited February 7 by Sedalia Dave

[watab kid]

interesting - some of those i thought of right away some only when i read it but that smoker one i had never imagined 

[Lazy Eeyour]

The local hardware store sells a product called Wet and Forget.   . Wear a mask and goggles; the stuff is hard on the lungs.

[Go West]

Ballistol is supposed to be ok for leather. I can't imagine smelling mold after a treatment with it.

[Eyesa Horg]

Not sure which would be worse though! Balistol or mold. 

[Go West]

My wife would agree.

[John Kloehr]

13 hours ago, Sedalia Dave said:

Obenauf's leather oil.

This looks promising.

[John Kloehr]

18 hours ago, Sedalia Dave said:

Obenauf's leather oil.

And now ordered from Amazon, along with same brand leather cleaner.

 

Will also use isopropyl, diluted to 50% (mine is 91%). The extra water is needed to prolong drying, otherwise the iso evaporates too soon and is not as effective against bio contamination.

 

This thread on hold for about a week, then will post pics and if it does or does not work.

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

 

Don't forget to hang on to a nice lightly used clear plastic ZipLock 🤪🤠

[joachim slim]

I have had luck by hanging leather in a thunder/lightening storm. Let it good and soaked. The key part was the lightening and thunder. Might be an ole wife's tale but it worked for me.

[T.K.]

Wipe it down with a cloth wetted lightly with lemon juice which will kill the spores, then wipe with a damp cloth. Let dry thoroughly then use LEXOL leather conditioner.

[John Kloehr]

Stage 1 attempted today. First I had to unbag it. For this, I stood upwind. This released the Kraken after being in a bag since last Friday.

 

 

Be glad these pics do not include Smell-O-Vision.

 

 

I went with isopropyl alcohol for the first step. This is a heavy attack, kept spraying it until it would not take any more. Did the inside too, the inside of the mag holder, and behind the belt loop. Soaked it good (or bad, awaiting judgement).

 

 

Needed a couple more shots after this pic. Then into the bag again to slow evaporation and let the IPA do it's magic.

 

 

I set a 10 minute timer, then decided to restart the timer and run it again; and felt no need to hurry at this point, probably close to a half hour in the bag.

 

Now the holster is drying. Leather felt OK wet, this project may end when it dries, cracks, and still stinks. It may not dry enough today to go the next step, the bottle of Obenauf's leather cleaner.

[John Kloehr]

For the isopropyl, it helped. maybe even 90% better. Not good enough to bring it in the house.

 

The cleaner arrived, used it liberally inside and out with a microfiber cloth. Let that dry. Made a mental note to wear gloves as the mildew seemed stuck to my hands.

 

And the verdict after a couple days.... Another 90% better, not good enough. Bought a grout brush at the grocery store, scrubbed it real good with the cleaner, another microfiber cloth to sop up the  extra. Then rinsed it in the sink to wash off a bunch of the soap and dirt.

 

Let that dry for two days. Now getting better. Smells mostly of leather and the cleaner, faint whiff of the stink underneath.

 

 

Looked at the instructions for the oil. And google shows it can be used on the "meat" side of leather too, but try not to completely soak the leather. Might have applied a bit much, but kept removing extra and then applying a bit more as it soaked in. Here is a day after this, allow a week or two for full color change.

 

 

Next sniff test will not be until after tomorrow.

 

Edited February 18 by John Kloehr
Otto

[Griff]

Certainly LOOKS better.  You can alway hang an air freshener under the flap tab... 😁

[Texas Maverick]

Check out this stuff. I use it on old saddles that have dried and cracked. It works well in bringing the leather back to life. 

 

horse_2 – Luxgrove

 

TM

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

 

I have a couple of lightly used ZipLoc bags I can send ya!!

[John Kloehr]

58 minutes ago, Colorado Coffinmaker said:

 

I have a couple of lightly used ZipLoc bags I can send ya!!

Appreciate the offer, love how pards on this forum are always willing to help out. I have plenty of bags, There is a good chance this project may end up as landfill.

 

Current plan is to give the holster at least a week for color changes, then inspect and sniff. Might add more oil if I want to darken it further. It is developing a nice chocolate brown color now. If the "stank" comes back, I'll post up that your suggestion was the right one.

[TN Mongo, SASS #61450]

Amazon.com: Pecard Antique Leather Dressing 6 oz – Waterproofs, Restores, and Preserves Vintage and Exotic Leathers – Ideal for Oil-Tanned and Chrome-Tanned Leather Goods : Health & Household

 

This is what the Smithsonian Museum uses on antique leather items. I'm a fan of Lexol products, but for expensive or irreplaceable stuff, I like Pecards.

[Rip Snorter]

2 minutes ago, TN Mongo, SASS #61450 said:

Amazon.com: Pecard Antique Leather Dressing 6 oz – Waterproofs, Restores, and Preserves Vintage and Exotic Leathers – Ideal for Oil-Tanned and Chrome-Tanned Leather Goods : Health & Household

 

This is what the Smithsonian Museum uses on antique leather items. I'm a fan of Lexol products, but for expensive or irreplaceable stuff, I like Pecards.

Used it for many years, 2 thumbs up!

[Philosopher]

Try putting it in a Ziplock with a couple of mothballs. The vapors from the mothballs will kill about anything.

Haven't personally tried this, but it makes sense.

[Griff]

On 2/18/2026 at 5:07 PM, John Kloehr said:

Current plan is to give the holster at least a week for color changes, then inspect and sniff. Might add more oil if I want to darken it further. It is developing a nice chocolate brown color now. If the "stank" comes back, I'll post up that your suggestion was the right one.

Okay... it's been 2 weeks, what's the verdict?

[John Kloehr]

4 hours ago, Griff said:

Okay... it's been 2 weeks, what's the verdict?

Ah, thanks for the ping, I did not finish what I started.

 

The mold and mildew smell is gone, smells like clean and freshly-oiled leather. Had thought about adding more oil to darken it evenly, but decided to keep the slightly uneven look. Took this picture some days ago:

 

[Griff]

Congrats.  

[Eyesa Horg]

Looks pretty darn good. 👍

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

 

Aw Shucks.  An here I thought sure it were gonna be a "BAG JOB."  Uber glad it worked out for ya thought.

[John Kloehr]

3 minutes ago, Colorado Coffinmaker said:

 

Aw Shucks.  An here I thought sure it were gonna be a "BAG JOB."  Uber glad it worked out for ya thought.

I'm very pleased it worked out, honestly thought you probably had the best advice. Either way, it would have been useful for the forum. Had it not worked, then at least the next person could have tried something else... Or just bagged it and put it well downwind.

 

The Obenauf's oil is the only one I found which specifically states it has anti-bacterial properties. I got the same brand cleaner for compatibility. First took a chance starting with an excessive amount of 91% isopropyl alcohol just to get a good starting kill. The cleaner then did get a lot of dirt from both the finished exterior and the unfinished interior (soaked microfiber cloth after spraying the holster). Washed it in the sink after the second cleaning. Then back outside to let it dry. As to the oil, I applied it somewhat liberally and let it soak a bit (inside and out), but then used a microfiber after a while to remove as much as possible (and like with the cleaner, used a stick to get the microfiber cloth into corners). Then one more week sitting outside to see if the magic worked.

[Eyesa Horg]

Did you take a before picture of it?