Mold inside of boat cover

[tmolik]

As my boat remains covered for a portion of this winter, mold appears on the underside.  anyone know a good method of removing mold on the underside of a boat cover?? 

[Tim Gardner]

Tom,

This will kill the mold.  Cleaning up stains from the mold is another matter, but the hydrogen peroxide used a bit stronger than below may do the trick

Here's what I use: A 50-50 9% solution hydrogen peroxide (available as Shock at 27% at any pool supply store, and 3.5% solution Algaenon (quaternary algaecide available at 50% at the same pool supply store). You have to dilute them yourself with water to get the right solution  concentration, mix them together, and using a garden sprayer on the finest spray possible and wearing a M95 breathing mask & safety goggles, wet all the moldy surfaces - & let it stand wet til dry for 8 hours. The solution is ineffective on mold after it's 8 hour active time, so mix up only what you are going to use.  A pint is plenty! This kills all the mold, spores , hyphae, bacteria & viruses that may be on the surfaces. It completely neutralizes any odors. It is safe for the cushions as well. This is essentially the same material the Armed forces use to detox for anthrax - effective stuff. You can buy this material
commercially, but it costs   $85.00 a gallon. Applied 2 times per year, you will never have mildew or mold again in your boat.

To create one pint of the final solution:

1/3 cup 27% hydrogen peroxide shock - mixed with 2/3 cup water (results in 1 cup
of 9% concentration)

.56 oz 50% quaternary algaecide (approx 3.5 teaspoons) mixed with 7.44 oz water
(start with 1 cup, remove 3.5 teaspoons) (results in 1 cup of approx 3.5%
concentration)

After you kill the mold a product called Bioshield 75 will prevent regrowth on your cover for seveal seasons.  The mixture above works well season to season on exposed surfaces.

TG 

ps (my company remediates mold growth in VA)

[Craig Weis]

Sure. To kill mold lower the PH to 4.2 from a neutral 7.0, a little on the acid side or about the same as pickle brine, or Coka-Cola. Bare in mind that a number up or down equals 100% stronger or weaker in solution strength.
So Clorox Clean-up works well. The same product is available through major chemical companies such as DuBois used to sanitize slaughter house floor. ceiling, wall, and room items. Mixed with a foam agent, it's simply sprayed on everything, left to sit about 5 minutes and washed off. Swipes grown in petr [sp] dishes reveal nothing living.

So wipe her and brush in with a soft nylon scrub brush and leave Clorox Clean-up to dry on the affected area.

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