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07411 247116

Mould removal and treatment

Mould removal for footwear and apparel stock

We remove mould from footwear, clothing and packaging at commercial volume, treating each unit with products and methods suited to its materials. Nothing is released until it has passed final inspection.

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A navy and white trainer after mould removal at the Re-Store Footwear facility

Why mould needs specialist treatment

Mould on new stock is rarely confined to what you can see. It grows on leather, suede, textile linings and adhesives, and on the tissue and cardboard around them. Once goods are moved into a warm warehouse it can keep spreading, and a musty smell can remain even after the surface looks clean.

General cleaning companies are not set up for this. The work needs an understanding of how footwear is made, which products are safe on which materials, and a process that treats the goods and the packaging together.

What we treat

Goods

  • Leather and suede uppers
  • Nubuck
  • Textile and knit uppers
  • Mesh
  • Synthetics
  • Insoles and inner linings
  • Clothing

Packaging

  • Outer and inner shoe boxes
  • Printed cartonboard
  • Tissue and paper stuffing, replaced with new
  • Outer cartons

Before and after

Trainer toe and seams

Before: white mould along the stitching and suede toe of a trainer BEFORE
After: the same trainer with the mould removed AFTER

Inner heel lining

Before: grey mould bloom on the inner heel lining of a knit trainer BEFORE
After: the lining clean AFTER

Brand marks have been obscured to protect our client’s confidentiality.

How we remove mould

  1. 1. Inspection and triage.Every unit is unpacked, inspected and checked for mouldy odour.

  2. 2. Treatment.Goods and salvageable packaging are treated at source with products chosen for each material.

  3. 3. Controlled drying.Units dry fully in a ventilated area before repacking.

  4. 4. Repackaging.Fresh tissue, original boxes wherever possible, labels kept so every unit can be reconciled.

  5. 5. Final inspection.Each unit is checked again. Anything that does not pass goes back for further treatment.

Why we usually treat the whole consignment

It is natural to ask whether only the visibly affected units need treatment. Where a container shows clear signs of mould, such as a strong musty smell on opening and growth on a large share of the goods, we recommend treating everything. Contamination of this kind is uneven, and units that look clean can still carry it. Repacking them untreated alongside remediated stock increases the chance of mould returning.

units in one consignment
3,800
released retail-ready
99.89%
receipt to completion
18days

From one 2026 consignment for a UK retailer. Read the case study.

What we do not claim

Mould spores are naturally present in the air, so no treatment can make goods permanently immune. We remove mould at source, dry goods fully and give you storage guidance to reduce the risk of it returning, but once stock leaves our facility its storage conditions are outside our control, so we do not guarantee against recurrence.

Our inspection is visual and by smell, carried out by trained operatives. We do not carry out laboratory testing or identify mould species.

How to store footwear to prevent mould

Yes. Suede and nubuck need a different approach from smooth leather or textile, and we choose the product and method to suit. If a mark cannot be removed without risk to the material, we record it and refer it to you.

Yes. Mould affects the packaging as much as the goods. We treat outer and inner boxes, replace tissue paper, and only replace a box if it cannot be satisfactorily remediated.

Yes. Our most recent large job included 800 garments alongside 3,000 pairs of footwear, and all 800 garments were released retail-ready.

Have a consignment affected by mould?

Tell us how many units are affected and upload a few photographs. We reply to every enquiry within 24 hours.

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