Mold in My Interior Wood

[pacmaann2]

Hi, I am trying to remove mold from my interior wood which I believe is mahogany. I also think that it is varnished as I have noticed some of it peeling up. I could really use some recommendations as to how to get the mold out of the wood without damaging it. Here is a picture of the damage.

[RTB]

We had some similar mold issues on our boat last fall. Use a mixture of water/ vinegar. It will kill the mold, and will keep it from returning for quite some time. We had used teak oil on the inside of our boat. When we returned two weeks later, you could see the mold. It will eat and survive on just about anything. My wife also uses some Lysol wipes on all the fiberglass. It does a great job, but can't be used on bare wood. Give the vinegar/water a try. Just mix some up in a spray bottle, and spray it on. Wipe the excess with a cloth. The vinegar smell lingers for awhile, but for us we aren't on the boat every week and don't notice the smell when we return.

Ralph

[VirgosChild]

Hi
Having spent many years cruising in tropical areas and leaving our boat for long periods while we were home we found the best way to prevent mould was to purchase several bottles of bleach and just open the lid and leave the plastic bottles in the galley, heads , forcabin etc. The bleach kills the mould before it forms and we have never had any problems with mould on our interior wood work since. DO NOT put the mould in Stainless steel sinks etc as it will eat away the s/s. We found this out the hard way. Bleach is a cheap and easy way to save you hard work.
Cheers
Terry

[RTB]

Another point... mold doesn't like light. If you have covers on the ports and hatches, remove those. Some people leave light bulbs burning when away, but you haven't mentioned how long you are away from the boat. Also, install dorades or another means of circulating the air. This stuff will not just go away by itself. It can also be a serious threat to your health.

[pacmaann2]

I am currently only away from the boat about a week at a time, I will try the vinegar mixture what grit of sandpaper should I use to pull up the varnish that has started to peel

[Minggat]

This is my chance to ask. What is the name of the mold killer that is easy to buy in Australia but nowhere else? Bio something or ruther. I've seen it on the internet and failed to write it down and had not learned about it when I was in OZ, so I didn't buy any. I believe it's made with tea tree oil.

[RTB]

Originally Posted by pacmaann2

I am currently only away from the boat about a week at a time, I will try the vinegar mixture what grit of sandpaper should I use to pull up the varnish that has started to peel

First of all...you are about to breath that mold you just sanded off. I recommend you take it outside the boat if it can be removed. I suggest you wear a mask at least, especially if sanding the parts inside. My thoughts are to use a heavy grit such as 80-120 grit to remove the old stuff. Then use 280-320 grit to prepare for the new coating. The manufacturer will usually give a recommendation.

Minggat...the vinegar will kill the mold. No need to spend boat bucks.

[Minggat]

Found it. BioZap
BioZap - Nature's Most Powerful Air Purifier

RTB- Agreed. Vinegar is cheap and a good place to start. BioZap has a few different products and this one helps prevent mold. Their advertising says the cleaner can knock enemy aircraft out of the sky. Well, almost.

One of my hobbies is to spend first and whine about it later.

[RTB]

Originally Posted by Minggat

One of my hobbies is to spend first and whine about it later.

Yep, I can relate. No place I'd rather throw my money than at my boat.

[SabreKai]

I ended up with a similar problem when I returned to school for 2 and a half years and never visited the boat. I found when I returned that there was mold growing up at the top part of every plywood panel. The veneer was teak, so I ended up scrubbing the mold with a brillo pad and water/pinesol. I did the whole panel, which also removed any dirt n grime, let it dry and then hit the panel with teak oil. That solved the problem quite nicely. I never had mold there again.

I have a mold problem on SabreDance but am getting an ozone gennie to deal with it.


Sabre

[Target9000]

My mom's Ericson 27' had a major mold problem. We researched it and bought this stuff called, Sporidicin.

sporicidin - Google Product Search

You can google it. It worked awesome. The problem with just bleach is that it doesnt get to the root of the mold on porous material such as wood. You can buy the enzyme first and follow directions and then use the formula its self. We bought and inexpensive sprayer and sprayed down all the wood.

It is what was used the most after Katrina water damage down here in new orleans. Any ways it worked great and I highly recommend it. We are going to be using it on out boat as soon as it comes it. Good luck.

btw, Im not sure if its true or not but I wouldnt want to risk it...i've read numerous things that say ozone generators can melt rubber hoses etc. plus they are expensive. Sporidicin is about 30 bucks a gallon. And it protects against mold for up to 6 months.

Targets GF.

[hummingway]

A gallon of white vinegar will cost you about 3 or 4 bucks and it really does work. I wipe the mold off with a sponge soaked in straight 5% vinegar and then clean the sponge real well and wipe it again with fresh vinegar and leave it on. I've seen where mold is growing on wood that hasn't been treated and stops where I treated it 4 months earlier so it seems to work and last.

Yes, the area smells like vinegar for a while but it brings back memories of french fries at the carnival soaked in vinegar ... the brits are looking at each other going huh? Yes in canada we put white vinegar on what you call chips, we put it on what you call crisps too (and we call them chips). But I digress ...