Killing mold for good?

[StoneCrab]

I installed two battery/solar powered vents in my boat. They go through a 4" hole you cut in the deck. Installation was easy and leak free. The solar panels charge the battery and the motor runs 24 x7.

I also use an ozinator when practical. There are a number of ozinator threads on CF and the discussion always approaches a religious zeal with those for and those against. You can read up on this topic and find arguments to support either position. Having said that, I use one with good results and have zero odor onboard. The ozone does destroy mold in all the cracks and creavases.

I heard that bleach causes the mold to release the spores, which is why using bleach is unreliable. You sort of end up causing it to spread while preparing a nice moist environment in the process.

I like the homebrew TSP mixture. If you don't have power, I'd recommend that and the powered vents.

[Pete7]

Jim, I think you need to reduce the RH first off by drying out the boat somehow, including any standing water inside. Next if there are still minor leaks when on the hard, then you need a cover to direct the water away from the deck fittings and windows etc. If you don't then you are on a hiding to nothing. Once the RH is lowered then attack with the chemical solution of your choice.

We survived for a decade on a pontoon mooring each winter with no power by using ventilation. However, the boat whilst cold was dry to start with including dusty bilges. We did have a problem spending last Christmas on board were the boat became damp. Our solution was to buy a dehumidifier but appreciate you don't have shore power.

Tent the boat perhaps with old sails but leave a good gap to get ventilation, then dry out the inside, before final attack with the chemicals. then leave everything open, cushions and under bunk spaces open etc.

Pete

[geoleo]

Originally Posted by Mariano

Use 1/2 part of water, 1/4 bleach and 1/4 of a goog quality detegent to rinse everything , even wood. That mix will not only clean , but also kill mold

BLEACH + DEteRGANT PRODUCES POISON GAS!!

[mjgill1]

Originally Posted by Bigjim

First, what cleaner do you recommend using to get rid of the mold that doesn't present other problems or health risks?

Second, is there a product I can use to treat the surfaces to keep it from coming back?

I have been helping folks for a lot of years when it comes to mold in homes and commercial businesses. There are a lot of folks who have commented on here that really should not as their advice is incorrect. I'm being nice here.
Without getting technical, here are a few basic facts.
1. Mold is moisture dependent.
2. Mold is ubiquitous.
3. Some species of mold produce toxins (mycotoxins) that can be harmful to human health.

With these basic facts in mind let's address your questions.

The answer to your first question is yes. There are numerous products out there that claim to treat mold effectively. Some require PPE (personal protective equipment) when applied and others do not. One of my favorite products that does not present a health risk is called Benefect, Decon 30. It comes premixed in one gallon jugs that cost ~$45.00. It is a botanical product which makes it people/pet safe and it is effective. It can be sprayed on any surface and left without wiping if desired including food prep areas. It can also be used to wipe down affected surfaces. Depending on the amount and type of molds you have on your surfaces, you may want to use an appropriate degreaser prior to treating. The EPA recommends soap and water. I have used this product as a cleaner, sanatizer and a final treatment and it performs well.

The answer to your second question is no. Mold is moisture dependent. If you do not rectify the elevated moisture levels in your space, be it boat, RV, home, apartment etc, mold can and will likely begin to proliferate again. If you have had mold growing on non porous surfaces, e.g. ceiling tiles, carpet, things that cannot be run through a washing machine, it is advised that you dispose of them. Your stained and varnished teak interior would not be regarded as porous.

Hope this helps and clears some of the mud out of the water in this thread. Yikes!!

[wsmurdoch]

Two things have so far been left out of this thread.

One is the use of chlorine dioxide gas at a higher concentration for the initial mildew kill or at a lower concentration for longer term suppression during sealed unoccupied storage. Kits are available from Starbright under the trade name NosGuard from Amazon among others. Chlorine dioxide is rather poisonous, so they must be used with care.

Another is removing the black mildew stains from silicone caulking in the head with a toothpaste-like paste of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and Chlorox (6% sodium hypochlorite in water) spread over silicone caulking then covered with strips of cling film to keep the paste from drying for 12 hours before scraping and rinsing it away.

Bill

[Dean Paul]

Posted before.....try applying pure lemon oil. The acetic acid kills mold, oil enriches wood, smells good. I buy the lemon oil at a gun supply store where it is recommended for wood stock maintenance.

An ozone air purifier like Flair will also work wonders....do in a closed boat though....not to breathe ozone.

Dean

[Xlantic]

Originally Posted by Bigjim

My boat was on the hard for years. She's been back in the water for two years now. She had lots of water intrusion and I've fixed many of the leaks, but she's still pretty wet.

The issue that just arose is mold. I thought I had it licked last year. I washed off all the mold on all exposed surfaces and had a fan running through the summer which kept it gone.

But now it's winter and she's back on the hard and not plugged in. So, I can't run fan full time anymore. I don't have solar installed yet so the interior is pretty stagnant. I went on board the other day and, even though it's below 30 degrees, lots of the exposed surfaces have that mold again.

First, what cleaner do you recommend using to get rid of the mold that doesn't present other problems or health risks?

Second, is there a product I can use to treat the surfaces to keep it from coming back?

If the interior of the boat is "pretty wet" and "pretty stagnant" I don't think chemicals are going to fully solve the problem.

¿is there no way you can get some significant cross ventilation throughout the boat, for example, by leaving hatches half open?

I leave portholes open in my boat over the winter, both near the bow and near the stern, and that alone keeps the interior dry and fresh. And we have very wet and wild winters in Menorca.

[DeValency]

Could offer quite few cleaners, they’ll all clean the mold on the surface or somewhat deeper if you load a garden pressure sprayer with a mix of bleach and water etc as suggested here. However you probably have long time wet areas that, as you say, stays wet, many probably inaccessible without serious removal of cabinetry, walls etc. and all this can generate mold.
You may want to consider moving the boat to where you can get electricity to run a dehumidifier for the entire season.
Best of luck.

Originally Posted by Bigjim

My boat was on the hard for years. She's been back in the water for two years now. She had lots of water intrusion and I've fixed many of the leaks, but she's still pretty wet.

The issue that just arose is mold. I thought I had it licked last year. I washed off all the mold on all exposed surfaces and had a fan running through the summer which kept it gone.

But now it's winter and she's back on the hard and not plugged in. So, I can't run fan full time anymore. I don't have solar installed yet so the interior is pretty stagnant. I went on board the other day and, even though it's below 30 degrees, lots of the exposed surfaces have that mold again.

First, what cleaner do you recommend using to get rid of the mold that doesn't present other problems or health risks?

Second, is there a product I can use to treat the surfaces to keep it from coming back?

[SRQsailor]

Great thread! I'm going to get some of the Concrobium fourmula and try it.



Thirty years in the Florida humidity with three boats, mostly closed for months at a time. I don't think there is any "getting rid of mold for good", anyplace near any body of water. Periodic cleaning will always be needed. The best you can do is prolong the period in between.



Solar fan(s) worked well in "simple", open plan boats without dead spaces behind liners, cushions, storage, Etc.. One in the fore deck hatch, one in the head and one in the lazarette / engine compartment was pretty effective on that boat.


Current boat has a complex insulated liner, "rich upholstery", lots of storage, and plenty of mold friendly environments. For the last twenty years I've had the best effect using "SunPac" formaldehyde bags.


https://www.doitbest.com/shop/cleani...mold-inhibitor


Horrible stuff! Toxic. Burns eyes and throat. Probably illegal in Califiornia. Apologies to the environmentally conscious. But one in the V-berth, one in the head, one in the cabin and one in the galley, does a fine job when the boat is locked up tight for two or three months at a time.


The packs contain a white powder that sublimates away gradually, leaving an empty bag. On arrival, I collect the half empty remaining bags and put them in a plastic container to use later. I'm usually on the boat for a week or two at a time and break out a couple of new packs as needed, using both old and new until the powder is gone and the bag is empty.


I certainly would not use them while on board (you couldn't stand to anyway) and would be cautious about exposing children or pregnant ladies. Obviously, use at your own risk, but for a boat that lives in the water 12 months a year, where every morning brings a heavy wet dew, the SunPac product has worked very well.



I have found these at Walgreens in Florida during end of season sales in the Spring for $1 each. Snowbirds and locals use them in closets that are closed for the season Etc.. More often, I've had to order them online for around $4.


73! MLT

[Puget Dan]

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I have used commercial ozone generators for 25 years in my realestate and getting mold dead in nasty places. They have gotten better now the one listed on amazon is the small, and very very effective. I had the same problem on my Horstman 38 Trimaran “inner passage” when we bought it in 2011. (Not as bad as yours). My wife and I had to leave it running for 3 days and it seemed to gone. When returned A few weeks later. I linger was still we ran it two more times before the season in the San Juan’s. It never had a problem again but at end of each winter to make sure and keep a dehumidifier running all winter. All the best.

[bradm85]

Originally Posted by osprey877

I use “Dri Z Air” dehumidifying crystals. RV’s swear by them. No power required and as long as you regularly empty the water they collect, they will definitely lower the humidity in your boat.

I have used the DriAir as well in the past and it does a good job as long as you use MULTIPLE packets and check them on a regular basis. Now hjave a dehumidifier that works great, but, like you said, need power.

[Up Helly Aa]

I had black mold on every surface inside my boat a few years ago. Hard to notice until you wiped the surface with a clean towel. Any good cleaning solution cleans it off but the trick is keeping it from returning. It leaves mold spores no matter what you use to clean it with, even when using bleach...which is very dangerous to use.. The mold will return in time.

After I cleaned and washed down the inside last time I then sprayed every surface and the bilges with a product called Wet and Forget. It is called an out door product because it is normally sprayed on the out side of a home to remove algae and mildew, but requires rain to wash off the dead mold. It doesn’t bleach or clean like a soap. It is nearly neutral pH-8 but leaves a harmless residue that mold will not grow on. I recommend opening up the boat to allow it to air out while spraying it just as a safety precaution. I haven’t seen mold in two years.

A quote from a write up on Wet and Forget.

“The active ingredient in Wet & Forget is Alkyl Dimethyl Benzyl Ammonium Chloride. Consumers probably already have this ingredient in their homes in the form of an anti-bacterial wipe or a similar product. Unlike these products, Wet & Forget contains a danger warning on its label because the product is a concentrate with 9.9% active ingredient. When diluted for application it is only 2% active.

We believe Wet & Forget is significantly easier on the environment than traditional moss, mold, mildew, & algae products that contain active ingredients such as bleach (Sodium Hypochlorite), ammonia (Hydrogen Nitride), caustic soda (Sodium Hydroxide), lye, TSP (Tri Sodium Phosphate) etc., which will damage the surface they are applied to, if not rinsed quickly, and will harm the environment when they are washed into it.”

You can buy it in any hardware store...Home Depot.

[Seacod]

Originally Posted by nightowle

As property manager and boater I recommend Concrobium. It quickly and effectively removes mold in a single treatment and it does so without any noxious fumes or vapors. This product can be applied in a number of different ways including a spray bottle, sponge or fog sprayer. It's fairly mild and not dangerous to use.

Be careful using an ozone device; read up on them. They can affect electronics and cause more problems than they are worth.

The formulas suggested by Practical Sailor(very effective) are based on Concrobium and its primary competitor..All work better than my old standby bleach....Concrobium and the ps formulae kill the mold and the spores by causing the collapse of the cell walls (they "crush" them). But without ventilation you will always be fighting the beast...do both and be free!

[docvchulek]

We live in Seattle were their is a great deal of moister and we have a wooden boat so I will second the chlorine dioxide (CLO2) generator. The up side is that it kills the mold and eliminates the smell in fabric and carpets. The down side is that you have to leave for most of the day and need to take out your plants and animals. BUT it does NOT leave a toxic residue. We found that the packets only treat one room so we use the 4 or 5 pack deal to treat the whole boat with one in each state room, bathroom, galley, and salon. No more mold, no more spores, and no more smell.

Star-Brite-NosGuard-Eliminator-Control

[CruiseEasy]

Bleach does not kill mold on porous surfaces like wood or in corners and joints. It is only capable of doing so on surfaces like fiberglass and solid non-porous plastics where the mold is superficial only.