Mildew Spots on Non Skid

[whatever]

We had congoleum flooring on aftdeck floor..taking up we have found what we think is mildew spots on the fiberglass non skid underneath..these spots appear obviously at the door openings only where water came in from under side doors..any suggestions on what to use to get that off? obviously, it will be covered again in the future probably with some type of boating carpet, but want to get the spots out if possible...thanks for any input

[Stu Jackson]

Any grocery store: Lysol Mold & Mildew Remover, in the cleaning isle. No need for separate bleach treatments, just spray it on and wipe it off. No marine pricing either.

[mike d.]

How about white vinegar! Wet the area down with a rag, let sit a bit, then wipe up.

[whatever]

Stu and Mike, these are not just on top of the surface spots

[hellosailor]

Congoleum?
Sounds like the stuff is linoleum, which is made from things like linseed oil and other natural ingredients that are great mildew food. If the oils or something else leached down into the non-skid, you'll have to get them back OUT to stop the mildew.
Might take a bit of hard scrubbing to get into the non-slid texture to really get all that stuff out, then rinse, re-seal, and try again.

[whatever]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

Congoleum?
Sounds like the stuff is linoleum, which is made from things like linseed oil and other natural ingredients that are great mildew food. If the oils or something else leached down into the non-skid, you'll have to get them back OUT to stop the mildew.
Might take a bit of hard scrubbing to get into the non-slid texture to really get all that stuff out, then rinse, re-seal, and try again.

Any suggestions on what to use to scrub with? What you are saying sounds about right, the spots are black and we have tried soft scrub with bleach, straight bleach, tilex, etc. very little improvement

[redhead]

Get "30 Seconds". About $10/gal here in PNW. We are on a boat that sat neglected for years in a very wet environment. Every surface covered with mildew. It doesn't matter whether you spray it, slosh it, dunk.it, whatever, this stuff.works on wood, fiberglass, sunbrella, everything. It's obvious that it has chlorine in it, but the label says "4% proprietary solution". Whatever that4% is gives it incredible power.

[Cheechako]

Try some Tri Sodium Phosphate. (TSP) But wear gloves, the stuff attacks your hands! Available for paint rep at any hardware store. Even available in spray cans now, but traditionally you just mix it with water.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by whatever

We had congoleum flooring on aftdeck floor..taking up we have found what we think is mildew spots on the fiberglass non skid underneath..these spots appear obviously at the door openings only where water came in from under side doors..any suggestions on what to use to get that off? obviously, it will be covered again in the future probably with some type of boating carpet, but want to get the spots out if possible...thanks for any input

Try spraying with a little iodine in solution of water. Just a few drops per pint.

[TomLewis]

If none of the above works, consider this. We had a similar situation scrubbing and scrubbing only to find out it was the black non-skid poking through the white topcoat. Now with all of the scrubbing, we have black non-skid surface. Beautiful, not!

[mike d.]

Congoleum is made of layers of fiber like material, almost like card board, (not the corrugated stuff). It comes/or did come in sheets10 ft wide, and x amount l0ong, depending on the job. It has a sealed surface texture/finish put on top. As long you keep waxing it, it will stay quite stable. There in lies the problem. If moisture gets to it from the top, or back side, mold spores will form, and create black spots/mold. once started it is very difficult to reverse.

[hellosailor]

Since they started in 1886, I'd rashly assume their original product was linoleum. They've changed a bit with the times: "Vinyl resins, fillers and liquid plasticizers are mixed into a thin paste that is spread onto the felt carrier. "


Sounds like they still use organic felt as the "resilient padding" which would trap moisture and grow crud under it.


If chemicals won't do it, a flamethrower ought to sterilize what's left. Can't seem to find one at the local rent-all stores though. :-(

[Scaramanga F25]

Try " Snowbowl " , a toilet cleaner.

[roygee]

how about baking soda solution [does wood decks] fungus family does not like the PH

[mike66]

If bleach and sunlight haven't removed the spot you may be dealing with black algae. Try a 50:1 dilution of swimming pool algicide (30% or more benzaconium chloride) sold everywhere. If you spray it on and leave it alone for a week, you may be able to then wash off the spots. Check out latest Practical Sailor for details.

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