Mold / Mildew allergies :(

KnotConnected

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Aug 15, 2012
Messages
221
About a week or so after buying my 28' Larson Cabrio 280 last fall, I developed a nasty cough / sore throat. After a rather long while it passed..

Now that I've been spending 2-5 hour periods every few weekends working on small things over winter, I'm noticing the same sore throat. minor headache, cough come back after i've been in the boat for a few hours. I'm assuming this is a reaction to mold / mildew, as the boat's a 1994 and has had plenty of time to develop such things.

Does anyone have any advice regarding A) How to clean the stuff, or b) how to avoid these symptoms? a large part of buying this boat was the desire to spend weekends on the hook or at other marinas up the peninsula, but if a few hours gives me a sore throat and headache, that'll put the kibosh on weekend trips.

Help!
 

Bob_VT

Moderator & Unofficial iBoats Historian
Staff member
Joined
May 19, 2001
Messages
26,019
Re: Mold / Mildew allergies :(

look into chlorine dioxide which will/should kill it...... could kill you too so be very careful!!!!
 

jigngrub

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Mar 19, 2011
Messages
8,155
Re: Mold / Mildew allergies :(

Have you tried cleaning/disinfecting your boat from stem to stern?... and that probably won't even work, I suspect you have a mold and mildew farm below deck and you'd have to lift the decking and disinfect there too.

Try taking an allergy medicine like Claritin D
 

MarkSee

Lieutenant Junior Grade
Joined
Sep 10, 2010
Messages
1,172
Re: Mold / Mildew allergies :(

...how to avoid these symptoms?

I've not had to deal with trying to clean up what might already be there but I use the products in the below links for leaving in the boat to absorb moisture to help it from not coming back.

You may need to use several of the products at the same time.

I know there are other home remedy products you can use that might do the same thing I just use the big crystal containers and found they really do absorb moisture. I replace them about every month; worth the $11 to me.

DAMPRID Hi-Capacity Moisture Absorber at West Marine

Star brite - Catalog




Mark
 

64osby

Admiral
Joined
Jul 28, 2009
Messages
6,799
Re: Mold / Mildew allergies :(

Where as mask when working around it too. Mold is some crazy stuff.

There used to be a product rep that called on me. At some point he ended up with mold in his lungs. He couldn't get rid of it and about a year later he passed.
 
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