Mold Remover?

[travellerw]

Originally Posted by jongleur

OSHA was the first federal agency to announce a departure from the use of chlorine bleach in mold remediation.

So what do they use?[/QUOTE]

Boric Acid.. Works very very well and prevents mold from regrowing!

[Snore]

Originally Posted by sparrowhawk1

So what do they use?

I want to know too it's been raining so much here in Florida that there's mold all over my boat. its not that hard to get off but I want something that will kill it and hopefully not be too toxic.[/QUOTE]


Been using chlorox spray on my SFLA boat since I purchased her 5 years ago. Do not inhale the spray! Spray on a paper towel and wipe if you are a klutz.

CL works on all impervious surfaces.


Sent from my iPhone- please forgive autocorrect errors.

[thinwater]

The PS testing (I did it) was all based on prevention, which is different from killing. Additionally, the prevention affect of bleach was limited in duration and did no make it past round one, so bleach did not really get high marks. Finally, the surfaces tested (fabric) are so porous that any agent can penetrate. In other words, the PS testing was not relevant to caulking. Good idea to look into, though.

I'm not a big fan of vinegar. Though it is effective, in just as many cases it grew back even faster, because the vinegar was good food and molds actually like relatively low pH. High pH (borates) they cannot stand.

Also cleanliness helps. Mold can't grow on clean surfaces.

Try benzalkonium chloride (swimming pool algae killer) at about 0.2%. This is not good in the water, so careful application please, perhaps a paint brush.

I think the bottom line is that once mold gets deep into the caulk, kill it all you like, the black stays.

Also cleanliness helps. Mold can't grow on clean surfaces.

I find that dark glasses help.

[sparrowhawk1]

Originally Posted by travellerw

So what do they use?

Boric Acid.. Works very very well and prevents mold from regrowing![/QUOTE]



Thank you. this led me to a few hours googling to find the difference between borax and boric acid. they are quite different but appear to work in the same way. The Borax appears to be less toxic.


OSHA recommends detergent but doesn't get specific.

In the past I've used bleach with mold inhibitor in it but I don't want to use it anywhere that is an enclosed environment besides it not being that effective. ( on porous materials).

The active ingredient in Tilex bathroom cleaner is sodium hypochlorite which is very toxic.

I've also tried Concrobium which is supposed to be safe but didn't have very good results with it.

From Mr landlord .com

[Canibul]

We had to completely strip out the interior of our boat due to mold. And over a six month period I tried everything listed here, except the boric acid.

Finally we found a very common product here, called X-14. I'm not reading the label right now but I think the active ingredient is Sodium hyperchlorite.

Anyhow, this stuff is available over the counter, and will kill the mold and get rid of the black residue in one application. Wipe on, or spray on and wipe.

Check it out on Amazon. Read the reviews. We buy it by the gallon. Mix it with Joy detergent and water and scrub the decks with it, too.

Vinegar is weak acid. It does work for some things, but vinegar attracts fruit flies and gnats, too. They love the stuff. In fact it makes a good fly trap bait. Doesn't kill them, either. They drown. I like to get rid of the mold without attracting flies.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Canibul

I'm not reading the label right now but I think the active ingredient is Sodium hyperchlorite.

That's bleach.

[thinwater]

Sodium hypochlorite

Borax has long been my good-to.

The PS formulations that have been referred to are here:One Penny Mildew Spray - Inside Practical Sailor Blog Article

a. is basically Concrobium.

b. is formulated for fabrics, to be left without rinsing. For this application I would add a little bleach and go stronger.

[sparrowhawk1]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

That's bleach.

I thought that sounded familiar. I would say that's funny but the research I did just in the last few hours is kind of scary. I don't think I'm going to use bleach anymore

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

That's bleach.

[travellerw]

Thank you. this led me to a few hours googling to find the difference between borax and boric acid. they are quite different but appear to work in the same way. The Borax appears to be less toxic.


OSHA recommends detergent but doesn't get specific.

In the past I've used bleach with mold inhibitor in it but I don't want to use it anywhere that is an enclosed environment besides it not being that effective. ( on porous materials).

The active ingredient in Tilex bathroom cleaner is sodium hypochlorite which is very toxic.

I've also tried Concrobium which is supposed to be safe but didn't have very good results with it.

From Mr landlord .com

Although not technically true, I just think of Boric Acid and concentrated Borax.

I have used Borax when I couldn't get Boric Acid. It seems to work as well on mold.

J

[Canibul]

I guess it all depends on whether you want to kill and eradicate mold, or just make it feel bad about itself. I used what worked. You can fee borax to roaches forever, for example, and yet somehow you still have roaches. Same with ants.

[Lizzy Belle]

Living aboard in Dutch winters = mold.

Dehumidifier, proper ventilation (!!) and vinegar to remove any mold I find has worked best for me so far.
I also use bleach, tho that's pretty much only because then it "feels" clean to me ...

Originally Posted by Canibul

I guess it all depends on whether you want to kill and eradicate mold, or just make it feel bad about itself.

I want it to feel bad first and only when it has suffered enough, do I eradicate it

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Canibul

I guess it all depends on whether you want to kill and eradicate mold, or just make it feel bad about itself. I used what worked. You can fee borax to roaches forever, for example, and yet somehow you still have roaches. Same with ants.

It's really not hard to test your theories, guys.

Take a large tupperware container, soak strips of canvas or whatever you want to test in your favorite soup, and leave it in a dark place for a time. Inoculated it with mildew by tumbling the samples with some dry leaves or something similar.

Do some experiments and post what you now know to be fact.

Poisoning bugs and kill mildew are not directly related. For example, people take zinc pills, but 0.2 ppm zinc is deadly to most marine organisms. Unless the example is within the same family it is probably a false analogy.

[sparrowhawk1]

I think anyone that has a boat has mold. That said if you want to make a borax solution for a spray bottle the ratio I've seen is one cup per gallon which is 2oz per 32 oz. make sure you heat the water to completely dissolve the borax. Some of the best information I've gotten on this forum has been from thread drifts. For ants and roaches you also want to make sure the borax is completely dissolved ( in your choice of food) otherwise they probably won't eat it. That last sentence took me years to learn

[sparrowhawk1]

Borax vs Bleach. And the winner is...