MOLD / black -white

[ThaiGulf]

Good morning friends. I hope you are all very well.
I have been living in a 1985 Grand Banks 42 motoryacht for 6 months now.

I feel my eyes irritated a little bit in the morning and a slight cough.
I always noticed a bit of mold here and there (window frames, forgotten places under the floor, storage boxes on the fly deck), nothing extreme, no strong odors .
This is My first time dealing with mold very close to me ….so, this fisical condition that I have is truly related to mold particles in the air , specially in the AFT room that have less access to sun light and air .

Any thing for me to consider for cleaning or eliminating mold ? ( baking soda / electric device / special light / ?? )
Any service provider for air test and analysis ?

I normally use vinagre at 45% for cleaning
As today I am planning on buying “Mold Armor test kit”

I appreciate your advise
Thank you all

 

[backinblue]

I use a disinfectant cleaning spray that claims to leave a film that lasts for weeks after you use it. I don't have it with me, I'll get back to you when I get home.

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Welcome aboard. When we left our boat unattended for the season (up to 4 months) we left electric fans running in every room/space 24/7. Our 46' boat had 10 fans running to circulate air. Even closed up we never encountered any mould.

 

[Comodave]

Welcome aboard. Definitely get some test kits. Ventilation is your friend. Get air flowing. Don’t use bleach to clean it up. Usually soap and water with a scrub brush. Wear mask and some kind of vinyl or latex gloves.

 

[Pete Meisinger]

Find the mold and eliminate it.

pete

 

[GoneFarrell]

Moldex. I have had good success with this stuff on my boat teak and my casita in Baja cleaning up after floods. This stuff can kill the hyphae that are growing in the teak and cause the reoccurance.

Generally, the black molds are "bad." Suggest a respirator for cleanup of that stuff.

Another moldy old thread on this...
http://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s...ase-28513.html

Also, search "moldex" , lots of threads.

 

[AKDoug]

303 has been very effective at removing mold/mildew and preventing it from coming back once ventilation has been improved. Spray on, scrub and let sit for a few minutes, wash off. Works for me…

 

[C lectric]

I agree that you may need to improve ventilation. In winter I use a lot of small fans and aim them at any areas I have found over the years to allow mold to form. We have cold weather and high humidity in winter.

Regardles of the time of year high humidity will make things worse so fix leaks, keep bilge water under control, force circulation with fans.

Careful choice of fans can controll, not eliminate, any noise they make.

As a liveaboard you may want fewer larger fans but take care about where to aim them.

You don't need a blast of air in my experience , just move the air especially in corners where air will stagnate.

As for the cleaning you have some good suggestions so I will bow out of that discussion except to mention Peggy Hall's writings AND book "Get Rid of Boat Odours"

peggy hall %22get rid of boat odours%22


Copy and use google to get to it.

 

[backinblue]

I also use 303 on most stuff. But some places like my headliner can get a little moldy from moisture. For those areas I use Goldshield GS 75. Allegedly helps protect against mold for up to 90 days after using. Also cleans well. Inexpensive and worth trying.

https://www.goldengroupinternational.com/products/gs-75-surface-antimicrobial-ready-to-use

 

[psneeld]

I always has a touch of mold here and there on my liveaboards.

While true the more they are open to fresh air the less the mold, but there are so many dead spots between liners and the hull, ventilating those spots on many boats is tough.

I had always used bleach to clean and of course it cleans and lightens any discoloration pretty quick...but research showed that vinegar is actually better as it lasts longer as an inhibitor on more surface types.

Google mold cleaning and get a feel for what remediation experts use.

I switched to spray bottles/sprayers that could reach as may spots inside the boat as I could get too without disassembly of big pieces. I kept the boat as open and airy as I could and cleaned and sprayed most every part of the boat as needed or every couple months (was a liveaboard).

Seems like mold/mildew grew the fastest and most regularly in the least used areas that accumulated dust and dirt.

 

[psneeld]

Interesting !! Why not bleach ? / thank you

My guess is its killing power deteriorates more quickly. Especially on certain surfaces. (I forgot if that was more or less porous).

 

[ThaiGulf]

Interesting !! , why not bleach ? / thank you

 

[backinblue]

Bleach can also be harsh on some materials

 

[wkearney99]

Bleach can also be harsh on some materials

The main ingredient in bleach breaks down the 'plasticizers' in various materials like plastics, fiberglass and vinyl (and causes color loss in fabrics). Used in limited concentrations it has merits, but using it 'straight' and over time is asking for long-term damage to materials. You won't see it right away, but the loss of those plasticizers may cause yellowing and/or make the material brittle.

That and accidentally combining bleach with anything with ammonia will create poisonous gas. It's important to thoroughly rinse anything you've treated with bleach before using any other cleaning agents.

Occasional use is fine, just don't make it a regular cleaning agent for materials that are harmed by it.

 

[sunchaser]

TG
For decades we’ve found cleaning the mold is one thing while preventing it another. One or two de-humidifiers with lots of dry air blowing around really helps.

But as mentioned keep the indoor water in check whether in bilges or shower pans.

 

[Andiamo2018]

Fresh air is good for most things including people and boats.

Twice a year I also really crank the heat up on the boat. I try to do when I'll appreciate the heat the most (a day when I have to get into cold water to work on something, after a week of damp rainy weather etc). I'll leave the heat for most of a day and turn on fans to get everything as dried out as possible.