Killing Mildew Inside Foam Via Injection - Is This A Terrible Idea?
I recently bought a used recliner, and only upon bringing it home did I realize how strong the mildew smell was. I've been battling it for a few days now, and I suspect that the mildew is not just in the fabric, but in the foam as well.
Common advice seems to be that if mildew is in the foam, it's usually a lost cause... but I'm very determined.
I want to use a syringe to inject a mold killing solution directly into the foam. I haven't been able to find any examples of someone trying something like this, which means it's either a novel idea or a very bad one. The intent is to basically saturate the foam and kill everything inside, and then leave the recliner in a small room with a heater and a fan to try and dry it out before the mildew has a chance to return.
Since I'm worried about the mildew returning during the drying process, I want to try using a borax solution as it's supposed to leave behind an alkaline residue to inhibit regrowth. I'm also considering hydrogen peroxide since that's supposed kill via oxidation, and I want to be as thorough as possible. Maybe a two stage process - the peroxide, then a quick dry (as much as possible), then the borax?
Is this a terrible idea? Do I just need to learn when to let go?
For reference, here's what I've tried so far, in order:
- Concrobium spray on exposed surfaces, left indoors to dry overnight. No significant improvements.
- A foaming anti-mold spray... probably not the best idea. Toweled off and left to dry overnight.
- Sealed the recliner in a small room with a space heater for about 8 hours. This helped significantly.
- Cleaning vinegar (10% acetic acid) sprayed on all exposed surfaces and left to dry outside overnight. This seemed to help somewhat, but it may have just been the vinegar smell overpowering the mildew smell.
- Covering most of it in baking soda for 12 hours and vacuuming it up. Not sure if that was much help.
- Purchased an upholstery cleaner and did a pass over all exposed fabric with the included cleaning solution. This seemed to help a lot, but I can tell the smell is starting to come back a day later.