Mold Killer

[scallywag]

Thanks for the info on the SoleUSaire CFM-25. I just ordered one from K-Mart.Com for $149.99 and currently there is no shipping fee if you select
ssullivan and others,
The Cheapest Method. I did have to pay Florida sales tax ($10.50) so the total price was $160.49. We have been buying the damp rid in plastic bags for four years. I also concur with the information on removing mold. Do not by any bleach other than Clorox. Other bleaches do not do remove the mold as well. I also spray the Clorox on the mold on the house.

[Rick]

When I receive my new unit I'll be sure to be patient before turning it on.

[senormechanico]

Rick, you just hit on something everybody's been dancing around but hasn't directly mentioned (at least of the time or your post) and that's the fact that mold has to have moisture AND something to eat, namely dirt or organic matter.
A truly clean surface won't have mold if only moisture is present, i.e. really clean your boat and voila! No more mold problems.

[Rick]

Yes, I've discovered heuristically that if the relative humidity is kept below 65% and the temperature is kept above 50 deg. F that I don't have a condensation problem at the uninsulated hull-to-deck perimeter, I don't have a mold problem, and I don't have an allergy problem even with rapid outside temperature and pressure changes from weather fronts passing through. My real attempt is to keep the humidity at or below 50% for the aformentioned purpose in keeping mite reproduction down in all areas.

Hope it works.

[cchris0411]

Originally Posted by senormechanico

Rick, you just hit on something everybody's been dancing around but hasn't directly mentioned (at least of the time or your post) and that's the fact that mold has to have moisture AND something to eat, namely dirt or organic matter.
A truly clean surface won't have mold if only moisture is present, i.e. really clean your boat and voila! No more mold problems.

I was concerned with the above statement as I consider my boat quit clean as it is washed and polished weekly.
Some cleaning products do facilitate the mold, however after years of living such an environment those cleaning products are no longer in our inventory.
With a few key strokes I found out that unfortunately you are quit incorrect about how clean your boat is in regards to mold.
Please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mold

Mid way through the page it clearly explains that cellulose based materials, such as wood, cardboard, and the paper can be a food source for mold. It truly does not matter how clean your surfaces are if there is the presence of spores and sufficient humidity.
Bottom line, there are many types of mold, and mold is not healthy. The only way to ensure that it does not re-occur is to ensure adequate ventilation and or a method of dropping humidity.
Does anyone living in South West Florida have much luck with the "damp rid"

[ssullivan]

Chris is right. Mold can feed of a vast array of organic materials such as wood, cardboard, etc... He is also correct that it doesn't matter how clean your surfaces are (if they are made out of wood or another material mold will eat). The sheer humidity in Southern Florida will allow mold to grow just about anywhere. As there are always spores in the air, they simply fly in the hatch, land and prosper.

That's why you need the Borax. It leaves a film that doesn't allow the mold to grow. Changes the pH so that mold can't live.

[rleslie]

We received our Soleusair dehumidifier today and I can't believe how quiet it is on the "high" mode. Looking forward to see how it does in actually removing some humidity from the boat.

On the issue of mold removal....we are docked at St Augustine Mun. Marina and they were treating the bathrooms for mold last week. The cpmpany that was doing the work suggested that we needed a hospital grade cleaner. I ordered IMPACT over the internet and will use it tomorrow. The active ingredients is listed as: dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride 2.25%. We will see if the combination of the dehumidifier and IMPACT do the jib.

Thanks for the suggestions

Roger

[Rick]

I've lived in the greater Seattle area for several years. They call it "The Emerald City". I think that the reason is that green mold and black molds grow on just about anything that does not get washed or abraided. It would not have been so romantic sounding to call it "The Black City".

After living in Florida, Panama, Venezuela, Okinawa, and several other places, I find Panama and Seattle to be the worst for mold growth on a boat. Okinawa was the worst for mold growth on leather shoes (weird, huh?).

Anyway, green mold grows in the brightest light of day here and black mold grows on the underside of things out of direct light. Even carefully cleaned smooth gelcoat will grow black mold. I believe that microscopic dust particles coat the surface giving mold the ingredients necessary for growth.

I like Sean's advice regarding the use of 20 Mule Team Borax. Firstly it appeals to me because as a boy I wished that I had the toy 20 Mule Team toys that were hard to find. Secondly I know how benign the residual powder is to us humans. Thirdly, cockroaches don't like the stuff and any enemy of a cockroach is a friend of mine!

Thanks Sean!

[Richhh]

No no no no ... you dont want to just kill the mold, you want to remove it. Simply killing the mold (Iwith chlorides, etc.) will leave the (bleached) dead cells in place only to become the nutrient source for subsequent other species of mold, etc.

Caustics (lye, Sodium silicate based detergents, lye soap, Sodium hydroxide, TSP, etc. etc.) will DISSOLVE the cells and enable you to safely remove the cellular debris. Caution: most 'caustics' are powerful chemicals that will also dissolve your skin and other bodyparts so you should exercise extreme caution when using by wearing 'protection': rubber gloves, goggles, foul weather gear, etc..
Standard caustic in farming/dairy is simple lye-soap, etc.

Most of the molds/mildew found on boats is usually an Aspergilis species, some are quite toxic/pathogenic to the respiratory tract, etc. of humans who have such sensitivity. Another 'potent' species is Stochybatris Autra (the same black stuff that thrives on wet basement walls .... very very BAD species). Never clean DRY mold/mildew as you will simply disperse the spores (and the spores are just as or are more dangerous than the parent cells), but do wet it down with a clorox (5% sodium hypocholrite) 'spritz', let it die, THEN use 'wet' methods to remove/dissolve, etc.

Our 'ancestors' had this problem totally solved by 'whitewashing' everything in sight .... a modern equivalent would be to apply a caustic detergent by simply spraying on and let it DRY. Mold/mildew spores wont propagate on 'whitewashed'/caustic surfaces.

[Brent Swain]

To prevent mold , mothballs work well. It only takes a few hours of airing out to get rid of the smell as it evaporates quickly. I store charts, winter clothes and sleeping bags in plastic laundrybags with moth balls when cruising the tropics.It won't remove mold that's already started, but prevents any more from forming.

[GordMay]

Mildew Wars: a fight you can't win ~ by Bob Wood
”You may not be able to win the war, but you can win occasional battles. Regardless of the odds, you must fight! Now's the time to meet your opponent...”
Goto: Good Old Boat magazine: Volume 2, Number 3, May/June 1999
Good Old Boat: Mildew Wars - a fight you can't win By Bob Wood

[Richhh]

Gord - you're digging yourself a hole, ... on another planet.

EPA regs are for emissions, personnel exposure and disposal, NOT the efficacy of kill (titre reduction) of such chemicals ... thats handled by FDA regs. and are altered/modified by 'validation' procedures by the entity using it. Inotherwords the 'user' has to PROVE that such chemicals are doing what they're supposed to be doing ... a very complicated and time consuming process, etc.

[GordMay]

I don't like the view, from down in this extra-planetary hole.
It appears that Richh considers that my belief (that alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride may be efficacious against HIV & Hep) is unfounded.
I’m certainly no expert, and concede that my speculation serves no useful purpose herein.
I propose, with Richh’s permission & agreement, to delete my original comments, and edit out the subsequent references.
What say you?

[David M]

I see chemicals as a band-aid solution. You need to stop what encourages mold in the first place and that is humidity.

I think the better solution than using chemicals to combat mold is to keep the air inside the boat as dry as possible. Keep a heat source going inside of the boat that keeps the air temperature above the dew point and you won't have the condensation that encourages mold when the boats air temperature drops down to the dew point.

I have been using these below deck for many years and they work.

West Marine: Goldenrod Dehumidifiers Product Display

[SurfNRG]

Has anyone had any luck with these Air Dryer Dehumidifiers by West Marine?

I have a catamaran and trying to figure out the best way to "prevent" mold and mildew from forming.

Wonder if I would need three of these, one in each hull and one in the saloon?

West Marine: Air Dryer Dehumidifier Product Display