Removing mold/ mildew STAINS from vinyl

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waterone1@aol.com

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Does anyone have any suggestions on getting the stains left behind by mold and mildew out of a vinyl boat seat or headliner. I have tried all (I think) of the common products like X14, Tilex, starbrite mildew stain remover, outdoor furniture cleaner and even a solution of tsp, bleach and detergent. All of the above removes the mold and mildew, but leaves a faint dark stain behind......any ideas ??
 

cc lancer

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Re: Removing mold/ mildew STAINS from vinyl

Straight Clorox will kill the mold leaving behind a brown stain, wipe off immediately.<br />It is best to start with a 50% mix of Clorox and work up from there, some vinyls will permanently stain from Clorox so use caution.<br />For tops such as Sunbrella <br /> Do Not use a mixture stronger than 50%, it can damage the fibers.<br /><br />My present "family boat" had 10 years of mold on the seats, boat was covered, with no air getting inside. After the Clorox I used purple stuff with a SOFT brush for final cleaning then detergent to neutralize the chemicals.
 

waterone1@aol.com

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Re: Removing mold/ mildew STAINS from vinyl

CC, thanks for the advice, I tried Clorox, and still no luck.
 

Catchem

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Re: Removing mold/ mildew STAINS from vinyl

Well I am not sure Waterone1 but I have had the same problem in the past as you.No luck getting it back to original.Even had help from some vinyl shops with no luck.Basicaly you either live with the best you can clean it up to or get new.I know its not what you want to hear....sorry.
 

waterone1@aol.com

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Re: Removing mold/ mildew STAINS from vinyl

Update. Just thought that I would let everyone know a "trick" I learned elsewhere. Saturate a paper towel with the mold/meldew remover and cover the area, let it sit for anywhere from a couple of hours up to overnight, keeping the towel wet with the chemical. This worked great on my tan seating, I might advise a bit of caution if using it on a dark color.
 

CalicoKid

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Re: Removing mold/ mildew STAINS from vinyl

I've used Soft Scrub on my white vinyl with good results. It wasn't too bad to begin with but man did it shine when I was done! I've also used a citrus based solvent on the same vinyl with good results. Niether seemed to damage the material, at least so far. I put a good vinyl protectant on after cleaning and drying it.
 

jollymon

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Re: Removing mold/ mildew STAINS from vinyl

Be carefull useing bleach, or X-14 type products on the vinyl. Leaving them on to long can damage, the thread on your seat. If leaving them on with cloth like waterone1 suggested, try not to cover the stiches.<br /><br />To remove the stains, I have had some luck with Oxiclean. The only stains, that I have not been able to reomve are rust, and leaf stains, with those it just seems to lighten them.
 

micel

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Re: Removing mold/ mildew STAINS from vinyl

I have had good results with soft-scrub,if that does not work to satisfaction try a mild mixture of oxalic acid(hardware store).Rinse any cleaner(acid) real good or it will turn into a salt and feed (grow)new mildew twice as bad especially in the seams.If you have been very aggressive scrubbing on vinyl surface and color does not quite match now,try matching a shoe polish to bring back color and sheen.
 

Bob_VT

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Re: Removing mold/ mildew STAINS from vinyl

Gentlemen THIS THREAD IS FROM 2005!!!
 
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