Best Way to Remove Mold in the Cabin

[Sfkjeld]

Just bought a boat over the weekend. Was in the cabin for the first time and smelled mold. Didnt notice before the sale since it is not overwhelming, but now irritating. I noticed a few areas on the ceiling that had a slight black speckling. Not sure if that is what mold looks like. But what is the best way to remove mold from a small boat cabin? Just a top to bottom Clorox scrub? Is there a product that doesn't smell as bad as Clorox that would work as well or better?

[Gavala]

What is the inside cabin roof, headlining or gelcoat?

[capttman]

Best way is to use vinegar and water 50/50 it cleans and kills it so it doesn't come back. Bleach cleans it but does not kill the spores and it regrows

[Sfkjeld]

Originally Posted by Gavala

What is the inside cabin roof, headlining or gelcoat?

Seems like a textured fiberglass.

[JRMarine]

Originally Posted by capttman

Best way is to use vinegar and water 50/50 it cleans and kills it so it doesn't come back. Bleach cleans it but does not kill the spores and it regrows

Thanks for the tip!!! I use vinegar to clean my water tanks but never thought of it to clean the mold/mildew. My Maine Cat gets a pretty good amount of black speckling every season and I was using Clorox Cleanup (with bleach) and it cleans up but it keeps coming back. I'm going to give this a try.

[tamicatana]

Clean with bleach, then finish off with Concrobium. Sometimes I use a tea-tree oil mix. It's something you just have to keep up with, being a boat and all

[Vasco]

Bleach does kill mold but it does not work well on porous surfaces. For bleach use a 1:10 solution. 1 part bleach to 10 parts water. Vinegar also works well but should be used full strength, it kills about 80% of mold species. Cheap white vinegar works well.

[Gavala]

Originally Posted by Sfkjeld

Seems like a textured fiberglass.

Same as mine. When I acquired this boat 2-3 months ago it had mould specks in the ceiling texture from the previous owner who cooked a lot of fatty foods. It was worse towards the galley to nothing the other end of the main cabin.

I used a household cream cleaner similar to what's used for stainless sinks and bathroom suits. I used a small palm sized stiff kitchen brush to swirl in the cream cleaner with very little water a section at a time, drying off each section before moving onto the next (apx 1ft square).

I then used a quality kitchen spray-on grease cleaner to go over it again with the same brush and drying off as I went.

I then apply a 10 part diluted bleach with a cloth to finish off and let it dry itself.

Because its Gelcoat it won't come back again whereas a headlining is a different league and what you see on the surface could be trapped behind the lining 2 or 3 fold and breeding. Bleach will not work on headlinings.

When I was sailmaking and upholstering it was commonplace to find mould behind headlinings even if there was no evidence of it from within the cabin.

It'll be easy to remove, believe me and good luck.

[Coops]

Oil of cloves. It works, I have tried it.

Using Clove Oil : Oil Of Cloves For Mould, Buy Online

Coops.

[Sfkjeld]

Originally Posted by tamicatana

Clean with bleach, then finish off with Concrobium. Sometimes I use a tea-tree oil mix. It's something you just have to keep up with, being a boat and all

Omigawd, what is Concrobium? A $500 a bottle sailboat cleaner?

I was hoping my cabin would smell like sea breeze or maybe even bacon? Instead, it will be industrial cleaner I suspect.

[Snore]

When I purchased my 32 Y/O Tartan there was black mold over about 50% of the cabin ceiling. The clean-up was simple. Spray significant volume on ceiling, wipe and then spray a light coating and leave. Since you are atomizing a caustic substance (CL), a thin dust mark would be prudent. When I was done the ceiling was bed-sheet white! Living in FLA, I get some mold spots from time to time, a light spray that air dries keeps it looking good.

Oh yeah, CL spray on the deck keeps it looking brand new.

[zeehag]

use vinegar--it will kill mold and spores will not regrow, as they will with clorox.

[capttman]

Vinegar and water 50/50 cleans and kills mold spores Clorox cleans but mold still grows

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by Vasco

Bleach does kill mold but it does not work well on porous surfaces. For bleach use a 1:10 solution. 1 part bleach to 10 parts water. Vinegar also works well but should be used full strength, it kills about 80% of mold species. Cheap white vinegar works well.

Are you sure about 1 part bleach to 10 water? sounds awfully strong...? I tried de molding a basment once with a mix about like that and had to get out... almost passed out.... and I'm not sensitive to chemicals much (wash my hands in acetone when glassing)

[jeremiason]

When we were in Panama last summer we were fighting mold weekly...

Bleach does kill mold and its spores on non-porous surfaces, which is why it doesn't kill mold in wood or particle board. It does kill and remove mold on Fiberglass

Here is the web site we referred to when we were in Panama:

Mold Removal, How to Kill Mold with Bleach, Borax, Vinegar

The page address using all the methods of killing and removing mold.