[matthewwhill]

The inside of my beloved boat has nice, dark spots of mold over nearly every surface. I was thinking of using a spray bottle with dilute bleach to clean.

But then I wondered about it ultimately ending up in the bilge and then in the lake and the Puget Sound. Is that bad?

I have read that bleach decomposes into water, oxygen and NaCl, all of which seems OK. What do you guys think?

 

[rockDAWG]

Use Clorox clean up full strength, spray and leave it on for 10 min and rinse. You may need to scrub.

Amount too small to hurt the environment. ,

 

[nccouple]

Bleach is a boats friend. I'm willing to bet most boaters use it.

 

[MarkofSeaLife]

Bleach. Its safe. Millions of gallons are pumped into rivers without destroying the aquatic life

A Risk Assessment Report (RAR) conducted by the European Union on sodium hypochlorite conducted under Regulation EEC 793/93 concluded that this substance is safe for the environment in all its current, normal uses.[26] This is due to its high reactivity and instability. Disappearance of hypochlorite is practically immediate in the natural aquatic environment, reaching in a short time concentration as low as 10−22 μg/L or less in all emission scenarios. In addition, it was found that while volatile chlorine species may be relevant in some indoor scenarios, they have negligible impact in open environmental conditions. Further, the role of hypochlorite pollution is assumed as negligible in soils.

 

[Group9]

I live in the south in a high humidity, high temperature area. We fight mold and mildew on a constant basis. Without bleach, we would have lost that fight a long time ago.

 

[RedHorizon]

What rockDAWG said. Spray, let sit, then wipe down, scrub, or rinse. To minimize anything going overboard, wipe down. I'd also give Tilex Mold and Mildew a try. For maintenance, use a 50/50 vinegar and water mix with a little lemon oil mixed in.

 

[christian.hess]

gloves, a bucket, bleach and water

had most of the inside of my boat done a month ago after sitting 3 years before I bought it...

IN THE TROPICS!

ps its this that killed the original woodwork, bulkheads and structural wood too...

 

[miatapaul]

Better than bleach though at really getting rid of it is Borax. It is caustic so it really kills the buggers. Leave a bit on the surfaces as well to prevent it from coming back. I normally will scrub it with a strong solution, then rinse well. Let it dry then come back with a more dilute solution spray it on and let dry.

 

[SoOkay]

Bleach is a very common cleaner for boats, like others have posted. If you can get it, Clorox has some scented ones that make it a bit more pleasant than the smell of bleach.

I'd recommend when you do it to have the hatches open so you can get fresh air coming in.

 

[Ulladh]

I use Fantastic "Scrubbing Bubbles" bathroom cleaner. The foaming "bubbles" stick to surfaces longer. Spray on, let sit for 15 mins then wipe off with a dry cloth, don't rinse.

Bleach 5-in-1 Scrubbing Bubbles® All Purpose Cleaner with fantastik® | Scrubbing Bubbles®

 

[deltaten]

liquid clorox for H2O system. clorox wipes or cleanup spray for all else. if its that bad that you need to inundate tje boat with clorox, get a pressure washer!

 

[Multihullgirl]

Clo Cleanup is good for cleaning, but I find in the swamps of the Central Gulf that for longevity nothing beats a spray down of CONCROBIUM Mold Control after the cleaning is done. Another thing I like, if I want some nice piney scent, is 2 tablespoons Tea Tree Oil in 2 cups water, spray and leave it on

 

[Alex W]

Straight bleach breaks down to not terrible things. However if you spray and wipe nothing should be getting into the bilge.

I cleaned up the mold in my cabin last year using a tea-tree based household clearer that I boosted by adding more tea tree oil. It did a great job of keeping the mold away all year (a good dehumidifier for the winter helped) and smells a lot better when you are working with it than bleach. Breathing strong bleach solutions in a confined space can't be that good for you.

 

[TQA]

FULL STRENGTH CLOROX ?

WOW I would be scared of damaging stuff. I mean I have seen what happens to clothes.

I use Clorox but have never dared use more than about 10%. I live full time in the Eastern Carib and do get mold even keeping the boat really well ventilated. Just a wipe down with 10% shifts it and keeps it away for a couple of months.