Killing mold for good?

[cpisz]

I second the use of tea tree oil. I use it directly with no water. The oil lingers and helps prevent reoccurance.

[Dsanduril]

Originally Posted by thinwater

...Basically bleach, and as others have mentioned, bleach has many drawbacks on a boat. Bleach is useful for stain removal in some cases, remembering that it can weaken or bleach many materials, and that it will only set rust and tannin stains more firmly.I find it mostly useless on a boat.

Not advocating for 3M Marine Mildew Block as I find the $0.10 solutions presented by you and others upthread to be effective, but nary a drop of bleach in sight:

<table>
  <tr>
    <th>Ingredient</th>
    <th>CAS No.</th>
    <th>% by weight</th>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Water</td>
    <td>7732-18-5 </td>
    <td>60 - 100 Trade Secret *</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Additives and Residuals</td>
    <td>Trade Secret* </td>
    <td>1 - 5 Trade Secret *</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>NJTSRN# 71-091799 Styrene Acrylic Copolymer Emulsion less Water</td>
    <td>Trade Secret* </td>
    <td>1 - 5 Trade Secret *</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Styrene/Acrylic Copolymer</td>
    <td>Trade Secret* </td>
    <td>1 - 5 Trade Secret *</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Tri(Butoxyethyl) Phosphate</td>
    <td>78-51-3 </td>
    <td>0.5 - 1.5 Trade Secret *</td>
  </tr>
  </table>

Maybe you're thinking of 3M Mildew Stain Remover, which is water+bleach+surfactant?

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Dsanduril

Not advocating for 3M Marine Mildew Block as I find the $0.10 solutions presented by you and others upthread to be effective, but nary a drop of bleach in sight...

Maybe you're thinking of 3M Mildew Stain Remover, which is water+bleach+surfactant?

Yup, bad memory, I mixed them up. I am corrected.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by thinwater

Ammonium chloride is a solid. Chloramine gas is the problem.


In fact, chloramine is used to disinfect drinking water, but at only a few ppm. It is also used for cooling tower treatment, in which case it is made by adding bleach and ammonia to the tower, one at a time (not together).


Chloramine can also be used as a VERY effective and easy to use fumigating agent, but I'm going to let folks Google that.


Also relevant to swimming pool chemistry. Complicated topic.

I stand corrected. At any rate mixing to two is a lethal combination and fast.

[WSMFP]

Originally Posted by ob44

We use Tea Tree Oil diluted 50% with water in a spray bottle. It kills the mold and leaves the boat smelling great. Available at any pharmacy. It’s a natural biocide. The mold does return, however. I don’t care what product you use, if you leave the boat locked up in the summer for any period of time, you will have mildew. It is a constant effort to keep the boat mildew free.

You are sorta shooting yourself in the foot adding water to the spray. Use straight tea tree on a rag or better yet use grapefruit seed oil.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by ob44

We use Tea Tree Oil diluted 50% with water in a spray bottle. It kills the mold and leaves the boat smelling great. Available at any pharmacy. It’s a natural biocide. The mold does return, however. I don’t care what product you use, if you leave the boat locked up in the summer for any period of time, you will have mildew. It is a constant effort to keep the boat mildew free.

The thing of it is, esecial oils evaporate, and by and by, they are gone, after which they no longer work.



The advantage of the inorganic treatments (Concorbium and borax-based formulations) is that they do not evaporate. Thus, the treatment lasts for years.



That's not to say you don't want to keep the boat dry. You can't easily treat cushions clear through. There are ALWAYS areas you didn't treat, and wet bilge is always a factor.

[BBill]

Originally Posted by thinwater

Effective at cleaning on hard surfaces, but not as effective at preventing return. I've tested that and and many other agents side-by-side.



Basically bleach, and as others have mentioned, bleach has many drawbacks on a boat. Bleach is useful for stain removal in some cases, remembering that it can weaken or bleach many materials, and that it will only set rust and tannin stains more firmly.I find it mostly useless on a boat.

Maybe you are thinking another product?

3M is not a bleach or cleaner. Its sprayed on after mold is removed and I've used it on paint, gel coat, glass, fabric, wood, books and charts without issues. Works in closed or open areas and does have an offensive (temporary) odor but not so bad you have stay off if living aboard. I'm not into mixing my own mildew protectant when 3M does it so well.

[BBill]

Originally Posted by Dsanduril

Not advocating for 3M Marine Mildew Block as I find the $0.10 solutions presented by you and others upthread to be effective, but nary a drop of bleach in sight:

<table>
  <tr>
    <th>Ingredient</th>
    <th>CAS No.</th>
    <th>% by weight</th>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Water</td>
    <td>7732-18-5 </td>
    <td>60 - 100 Trade Secret *</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Additives and Residuals</td>
    <td>Trade Secret* </td>
    <td>1 - 5 Trade Secret *</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>NJTSRN# 71-091799 Styrene Acrylic Copolymer Emulsion less Water</td>
    <td>Trade Secret* </td>
    <td>1 - 5 Trade Secret *</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Styrene/Acrylic Copolymer</td>
    <td>Trade Secret* </td>
    <td>1 - 5 Trade Secret *</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Tri(Butoxyethyl) Phosphate</td>
    <td>78-51-3 </td>
    <td>0.5 - 1.5 Trade Secret *</td>
  </tr>
  </table>

Maybe you're thinking of 3M Mildew Stain Remover, which is water+bleach+surfactant?

oops...I commented about this before reading your note. Thanks for posting.

bb

[curtis742]

I had a horrible mold problem. A 2 gallon garden sprayer with a cup of bleach and filled with water. Began at the front and sprayed everything. them rinsed everything with a small pressure washer. Let it all dry and got a spray bottle and filled with water and one tablespoon of Consan Triple Action 20, it's a bacteriacide, algaecide, fungicide. It lasts for years. It is toxic so PPE is needed.during application. I sprayed all surfaces and wiped with a towel and let dry. The 10 years I had that boat it never again had mold . Just did the same.thing to my CT41 due to a.bad mold issue and no more mold or odors. No it's not a green solution but it works better than anything else ever will.

[weavis]

I have used ionisers for 20 years.
No insects, no flies, no spiders no mould.

Last week I put in my not used for a year caravan... 30 mins, 3 times a day for 4 days.

Everything cleared up including the damp. mould smell... Removed the bedding and put in a dehumidifier and ran the ioniser for 2 hours........

Worked for me..

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by curtis742

I had a horrible mold problem. A 2 gallon garden sprayer with a cup of bleach and filled with water. Began at the front and sprayed everything. them rinsed everything with a small pressure washer. Let it all dry and got a spray bottle and filled with water and one tablespoon of Consan Triple Action 20, it's a bacteriacide, algaecide, fungicide. It lasts for years. It is toxic so PPE is needed.during application. I sprayed all surfaces and wiped with a towel and let dry. The 10 years I had that boat it never again had mold . Just did the same.thing to my CT41 due to a.bad mold issue and no more mold or odors. No it's not a green solution but it works better than anything else ever will.

Yup, quaternary amines are effective too, although as you point out, a little less user friendly if sprayed.


I think an earlier poster mentioned Wet-and-Forget, which is along these lines. I have tested BAC products with good results. However, these are only treatments; cleaning is a separate step.

[NormanMartin]

I have found that regular alcohol is pretty good for cleaning mold off smooth surfaces and is easy to use. It has the advantage of not ruining clothes.

Our boat has a headliner of something carpet-like from the SailRite people. It is hard to clean with alcohol but a spray of Concrobium works perfectly. The inside of the hull is painted with gloss and cleans up quickly with alcohol and stays mold free for a months.

[Capn Rick]

Mold is an ever present problem on boats. Air circulation helps, but the mold must be killed with something that leaves behind a mold mildew killer to retard new growth.

My wife swears by the old fashioned Lysol Concentrate All Purpose Cleaner Disinfectant. It comes in a brown bottle, you mix it with water and wipe everything down. It leaves a residue that prevents/slows down new growth. The down side is it has an odor until it dries. A 12 ounce bottle makes 9 gallons, $10-$15. I believe this is the original Lysol product from many years ago. It is available from Amazon and some hardware stores.

Never heard of Concordian, I will have to look into it.

[NormanMartin]

Capn Rick
My dad was a big Lysol fan and it does a good job.

https://www.concrobium.com/

I buy mine at the local Ace Hardware.

[dadidoc]

SHOCKWAVE by Fiberlock


google it, read it , buy it



I asked a professional mold remediation guy what he was using, he was very reluctant to say and show me, but he produced a small bottle of Shockwave concentrate and it was enough to kill mold and resist for years.


read it, buy it



don't waste time with other fictional cures like chlorine


this gets it done