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Mildew

4K views 22 replies 18 participants last post by  joseph piodos 
#1 ·
Since I've been in the boat in alot of humid and rainy weather it has started showing black mold on the interior walls. They don't have a removable liners. It's more like textured plastic coating.

How bad is this for me to live with and how quick do I need I take care of it. It's been raining for three days and its gotten worse. It had tiny spots web I bought the boat and now they are bigger. Do I need to take care of this immediately or can I wait a couple days for a dry sunny day and give things a proper cleaning and drying out.

I was reading about home remedies but what looks best o me is either a pre mixed bathroom cleaner or west marines' star brite mildew stain remover. I have to live in this for the summer so I don't want to use anything to toxic and end up getting sick.

I've got lives and little paper masks to wear so I dont breathe in mold.
 
#2 ·
If its hard plastic, a simple wipe with vinegar or clorox will remove the surface mold, otherwise we like MDR Amazon's Amazing Mildew Stain Away (non chlorine) to get the stain out. Then get tea tree oil ($6-$10 for a 1-ounce bottle at your local health food store) and mix 1 tsp to a cup of water in a spray bottle. Thoroughly mist all surfaces and the mold should not come back for several months; when you notice it starting, wipe down then re-treat.
 
#11 · (Edited)
mold is toxic and causes respiratory distresses and coughs and nausea..yes mold is toxic. it is also easily cleaned with vinegar, screw the other expensive crap that has a regrowth situation after use due to lack of treatment of the spores. vinegar changes the p\h of the environment so it cannot regrow nearly as fast. try it and smile. it WORKS....nothing else did..lol...

but you guys need to learn the hard way about the value of vinegar, so use the bs you buy in stores, as you wont use the vinegar....lol...is what was used for decades before th e invention of bs substances that do not work a swell as does vinegar.

no. it doesnt leave a stink in the boat, silly.


and make sure you do not close boat up so there is no ventilation...another silly move. unless you have air conditioning, inwhich case, leave a small opening on opposite side/end of boat from air conditioning unit.....
 
#14 ·
I like to think that as a tester and a chemist I'm open minded. In fact, I have some side-by-side tests running now for Practical Sailor.

* Vingar. Yes, I have a spray bottle on-board and it's usful stuff. You can read lots on-line. On a personal note I hate the smell of vingar and all perfumy products as well. I prefer no odor. But that said, vingar is an excelent weak acid cleaner that folks are comfortable with.
* Other traditional remidies include washing soda, baking soda, TSP, and borax; use these diluted in formulations I have listed in the attached link. Like vingar, they are rely on leaving a residue that prevents future growth in part by modifying the pH of the surface. There are other mechanisims too. Some of these apear to be very long lasting, as there is nothing to evaporate (acetic acid will dry in time).
Sail Delmarva: Borax: Stopping Mildew and Rot on the Cheap... and How the EPA Can Make Everything Complicated
The trick with vingar and these formulation is to dilute properly (more is NOT better) and leave a residue.
* There are many quatrenary amine products on the market. Most work, are relativly non-toxic, but don't seem to prevent return very well.
* We're testing some water-proof formulations for use on-deck. Gold Shied is one that I would love to hear feedback on.
* Surprisingly, most have learned that bleach is not too useful. It kills (if enough is used to bleach and damage fabrics) but doesn't prevent return (active ingredient quickly disipates). More irritating than actually "toxic" in the long-term sense, I still have little use for it inside. May help remove stains after the other cleaners have done their work. May not.
 
#22 ·
PDQ< great tip on the borax mixture. I'm using it to clean my interior teak prior to sealer. Some mold in spots, gone. Some splotchy teak oil spots, gone. This works better than any teak cleaner I've ever used and seems less toxic. I do put it on scrub with a brush or green 3M pad and wipe off with a fresh water sponge. clean as a whistle.
 
#16 ·
Tea tree oil is the main active ingredient in Kanberra Gel. We tried the gel last winter. The gel seems to work best if you leave it to permeate an undisturbed area;if you keep opening to fresh air (like us who live aboard) you lose much of the advantage. Thus my suggestion for tea tree oil from a health food store above, diluted and sprayed directly onto surfaces it leaves a residue that lasts for months. Cheaper than the gel as well by a considerable margin. I have heard - but have not tried - that you can mix the oil into unflavored gelatin and make your own version of the gel.
 
#17 ·
Wing is right, the gel works best over the few days that we are closed up during the week. But it really does work. Amazing stuff.

I somehow doubt the rumor about gelatin. The consistency of Kanberra is almost toothpaste-like, but it all evaporates. I'm not sure the gelatin would.
 
#20 ·
I've found stuff called "Safe T Air" ...has tea tree oil in it and is cheaper than Canberra ... Canberra seems to be a bit more concentrated though.

The foam for all my interior cushions had a strange odor (can't quite nail down what the source was since it is from Prior Owner's time in the boat). This spring I put the foam in my van with Safe T Air for a week ... odor is gone!
 
#21 ·
I've found stuff called "Safe T Air" ...has tea tree oil in it and is cheaper than Canberra ... Canberra seems to be a bit more concentrated though.
Based on chef2sail's recommendation, we put 2 containers on Canberra Gel in the boat this winter. We launched last week and stayed overnight Saturday and Sunday. The Admiral was amazed that the "boat-smell" was gone. And she's a hard sell when it comes to boat smell. We'll be buying more when this batch is gone.
 
#23 ·
Molds are part of the natural environment. It may begin growing indoors when mold spores land on surfaces that are wet. There are many types of mold, and none of them will grow without water or moisture. It is the #1 cause of allergy symptoms which could lead to serious health concerns; respiratory illnesses or even death. Proper inspection, testing and removal are essential to ensure a healthier, happier existence for you and your family.

A mold inspection is when a person looks for mold growth in a building. It is important to have inspection in your home to protect you and your family from the toxic diseases it will give. It is the most important first step in identifying a possible microbial contamination problem. After that you might feel mold testing is warranted if you couldn't find any mold.
 
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