Wood dresser soaked in fish water

[teniosa]

I'm sure this has been posted before but can't seem to find it searching.

My son had a 10 gallon tank in his bedroom on a great solid wood dresser. While we were on vacation, the cats managed to unplug his bubbler (before the 1 directional valve, of course) and emptied the whole tank. Apparently this happened on monday, but the house sitter decided to play dumb so she wouldn't have to clean it up.

The entire dresser is soaked, including his wardrobe. I'm considering just throwing the clothes out, most of the summer stuff was with us anyways. But the dresser is pretty nice- solid wood but not finished. So the inside of the drawers and the dresser itself have spots of mold on them. If i bleach, sand and varnish the dresser... is it still safe to use? If not, is there anything i can do?

(Don't even ask about the floor... we have a company coming monday to do an estimate on fixing the warped floor boards... and steaming the carpet... )

 

[Slappy*McFish]

Put the dresser outside in the sun to completely dry out, lighly sand away the mold and apply your varnish as directed. You can use bleach if the mold is excessive but may blotch out the wood color if not applied evenly
Install your check valve near or above the waterline if possible so there isnt a potential repeat of this incident.

 

[Aquaticfrog32]

Do a leak test, if your going to put the tank back up.

 

[dougall]

Do a leak test, if your going to put the tank back up.

the water draining was likely due to there being no air nor a check valve to the bubbler, so when the power went out, the water siphoned through the air hose and pump.

you can avoid the siphon, hindsight I know, by using a check valve or putting the air pump physically above the tank.

 

[fishorama]

I'd try what Slappy suggested with bleaching & see how the wood dries. I had a foam cooler leak & warp my varnished maple floors. After it thoroughly dried out, the cupping went away. Fingers crossed for you!

 

[FreshyFresh]

The dresser should clean right up. Like said, if the color is uneven, stain and seal it.

What are the chances of the air line getting disconnected upstream of the check valve! Ugh..

Maybe gluing or clamping the hose to the bubbler or filter side of the check valve isn't a bad idea.

Keeping the check valve up high in the line, just over the tank rim could help too I guess.

 

[pbeemer]

i wouldn't put it in the sun to dry -- the uneven drying rate will almost certainly warp the wood. let it dry slowly indoors.

bleach, sand (& stain?), and varnish should work out fine. even it that was one of the rare dangerous molds, bleach should kill it, sanding remove any residue, and varnish seal it away from air and water -- it can't survive