Mildew on soft goods

I left my climbing stuff in my backpake and i did not realize that my water bottle was in there and leaking. When i opened my backpack it smelled really bad of mildew. There was no visable mold. Do you guys think my stuff is ok?

You’re probably going to have to be slightly more specific with what was in your bag. 

Nylon amd dyneema runners

If we threw away every piece of climbing gear that smelled bad, there would only be boulderers. You're fine. Clean it with a little Simple Green or something eco and you'll be fine.

If you had mold, mildew, etc growing directly on soft goods, ditch them. Some microbes create an acidic micro-environment. If they were just in the backpack, subject to the smell and a few spores but no actual microbial growth, I'd wash them and inspect carefully (discoloration, soft spots), but they're probably fine.

you could also try this: 

Mirazyme

It's an enzyme that breaks down bacteria creating the odor. It is safe for softgoods. A 2 oz bottle will go a long way.

kevin neville wrote:

If you had mold, mildew, etc growing directly on soft goods, ditch them. Some microbes create an acidic micro-environment. 

Absolutely false - this brings paranoia to a new level. Mold and mildew will not have any appreciable strength reduction for the fibers used in modern climbing gear. Mold and mildew cannot “feed” on nylon. The bacteria will not eat or dissolve the nylon fibers. The acid some may create has no effect on nylon.

Marc801 C wrote:

Absolutely false - this brings paranoia to a new level. Mold and mildew will not have any appreciable strength reduction for the fibers used in modern climbing gear. Mold and mildew cannot “feed” on nylon. The bacteria will not eat or dissolve the nylon fibers. The acid some may create has no effect on nylon.

If you look up the chemical compatibility for nylon, you'll actually find that a number of acids readily produced by biological organisms (such as acetic acid for example) will dissolve nylon very quickly. It's one of the reasons why a lot of these are stored in glass bottles and not plastic. That data is usually for highly concentrated solutions however, and not millimolar concentrations, which is what cells usually produce these in. That said, if you've ever consumed wine, you know how much and quickly biological organisms can produce certain compounds, in this case alcohols. The "mildew" smell are actually other volatiles produced by organisms, and if they're produced in enough quantity for you to smell (just like in wine) then there is probably enough to do something.

So to answer your question: Did whatever was growing on your gear weaken the material? Almost certainly yes. Did it weaken it a measurable amount likely to cause the equipment to prematurely fail? Probably less likely. 

Cameron Habib wrote:

If you look up the chemical compatibility for nylon, you'll actually find that a number of acids readily produced by biological organisms (such as acetic acid for example) will dissolve nylon very quickly. It's one of the reasons why a lot of these are stored in glass bottles and not plastic. That data is usually for highly concentrated solutions however, and not millimolar concentrations, which is what cells usually produce these in. That said, if you've ever consumed wine, you know how much and quickly biological organisms can produce certain compounds, in this case alcohols. The "mildew" smell are actually other volatiles produced by organisms, and if they're produced in enough quantity for you to smell (just like in wine) then there is probably enough to do something.

So to answer your question: Did whatever was growing on your gear weaken the material? Almost certainly yes. Did it weaken it a measurable amount likely to cause the equipment to prematurely fail? Probably less likely. 

There are many things to worry about in climbing. This is not one of them. 

[Disclaimer: my undergraduate degree is a branch of chemistry]

Marc801 C wrote:

There are many things to worry about in climbing. This is not one of them. 

[Disclaimer: my undergraduate degree is a branch of chemistry]

I  once was on the GT ledge in the 'Gunks, bringing up my second, and I was downwind of a guy with shoes so rank that I nearly passed out. I would be more worried about being that "stinky sling" guy than falling on these slings.

Thanks guys i though it was fine but i wanted a second oppinion