Help! - smelly cushions

[saltypat]

Hi,

I just bought a 1984 Endeavour. The interior cushions are foam covered with a sunbrella fabric. I have zipped off the covers and they will easily clean up. The problem is that the cushions themselves smell very musty, almost like a mildew smell. I now have then out in the sun in my back yard where I plan to have them for a few hours on either side. Is there any other thing I could do for them? Perhaps spray them with something?

My other option is to go somewhere and buy new foam........

Any suggestions very much appreciated- Saltypat

[USCGRET1990]

Try Fabreeze...

[hellosailor]

Wash 'em and dry 'em, Pat. Mild soap, warm to hot water, rinse very well and make sure they dry promptly and completely.

Or, you can bring them to an upholstery or carpet shop which can probably run them through a steam machine to do that for you. With 20+ year old foam, if it is crumbling at all, it may need to simply be replaced.

[USCGRET1990]

I spelled it wrong...
Febreze Products: Make your space the place to be!

[RichH]

To kill mold inside the cushions:

Get some paraformalydehyde crystals (MildewGaz, etc.)
Remove the fabric cover and wash, etc.
Put a single piece of cushion foam into a large strong plastic trash bag. Wrap the paraformaldehyde with cloth and put into the bag ... so the paraformaldehyde doesnt come in contact with the foam.
Put a few 'fabric softner' sheets into the bag.
Hold a shop vac nozzle into the opening of the bag and suck the foam down into a tiny 'knot' and seal off the end making it 'airtight' as possible. The bag will leak and the paraformaldehyde gas will permeate into the foam to kill the mold.
Let sit for a few days then Open the bag and remove the ParaF. then 'pump down' a few times to 'change the air' inside the foam.
Then remove from the bag and simply let it 'air-out' for a few days.

If this doesnt kill the mold smell .... get new foam.

Note- paraformaldehyde gas is toxic to humans too; so. dont do this in an enclosed space.

[Boasun]

Now your wife has a good reason to do some interior decorating on your boat.
Color cordinating the cushions to her bathing suit so they don't clash. LOL

Truthfully! I am not always happy with the previous owner's or the boat builder's choices in colors and would take this opportunity to change things to my/your liking. So have fun... And a great way to give you and yours the sense of "This is your Boat." With the personnel changes of the detailing.

Originally Posted by Boasun

Truthfully! I am not always happy with the previous owner's or the boat builder's choices in colors and would take this opportunity to change things to my/your liking. So have fun... And a great way to give you and yours the sense of "This is your Boat." With the personnel changes of the detailing.

So how much does this normally cost? I want to do this for my boat which has six rectangular cushions, two small paralellogram cushions, and two V-berth cushions (25-foot sailboat).

[saltypat]

Thanks to all for the suggestions. I washed them by hand so they would not get soaked, and I sprayed them with Febreze (great stuff). The cushion covers got completely clean. They were sunbrella, and I scrubbed in Oxydeep, and them put them trhough the washing machine.

They are not crumbling, and most of the odor is gone... we will be able to use them this season and think about getting new ones. The tricky part was getting the covbers back on. We did wreck one zipper, and I will replace that .

Thanks again for all the suggestions! SaltyPat

[USCGRET1990]

...yea, putting the covers back on is the proverbial stuffing 10 lbs. of stuff into a five pound bag!!

[hellosailor]

Suggestions for putting covers back on:
Buy large heavy duty "contractor grade" trash bags. But the foam cushion in the trash bag, squeeze out the air (have someone lie on it) and tape the edge of the bag shut. Now the compacted cushion will easily slide inside the cover. Your choice at that point, to just puncture the bag and leave it in place, or to cut/tear/pull it back off the cushion.