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What is the best way to remove mold and mildew from vinyl boat seats. I know bleach will do the trick, but I'm afraid it might damage color and material. Please help!
Re: Need to remove mold and mildew from vinyl seats
The Wal Mart here sells some marine mold and mildew remover made by Attwood (blue spray bottle) in their boat department. It's the best stuff I've found, works better than straight bleach!! We have SERIOUS mildew problems down here in New Orleans and I've tried about everything.
Re: Need to remove mold and mildew from vinyl seats
Magic Erasers will remove the spots, but they will come right back. It doesn't kill the bacteria that's causing the mold in the first place. You need something with Sodium Hypochlorite (bleach) in it. Clorox Clean-Up only has 1% bleach so it won't destroy the threads or fibers in the material or the stitching. The other cleaners in it will also get rid of the spots.
Magic Erasers will remove the spots, but they will come right back. It doesn't kill the bacteria that's causing the mold in the first place. You need something with Sodium Hypochlorite (bleach) in it. Clorox Clean-Up only has 1% bleach so it won't destroy the threads or fibers in the material or the stitching. The other cleaners in it will also get rid of the spots.
Quaternary Sanitizers work much better than bleach. Bleach kills for less than 10 minutes and a 1000ppm**of quat will kill for days! Quat has a neutral Ph and will not harm anything that is not harmed by water.
Re: Need to remove mold and mildew from vinyl seats
Bleach will not rot your threads if it is followed by a bit of clean water. Just don't apply STRAIGHT BLEACH and you'll be fine. I reduce it down to 1 cup per gallon and rinse with clean water. I have NEVER had a thread issue in any boat I've owned over the last 20+ years.
Re: Need to remove mold and mildew from vinyl seats
Magic eraser and a basic vinyl cleaner works amazingly well. I just had this same issue and it works like a charm. Been about a month now, and nothing has reappeared, so not sure you need a bleach like some suggest to keep it away. Maybe there are certain types, or certain levels that do, but mine still looks great.
Re: Need to remove mold and mildew from vinyl seats
Have you ever looked at the cut edge of upholstery vinyl with a magnifying glass?
It is basically a thin foamed plastic sponge.
Abrade the surface with Magic Eraser or Comet/Bar Keepers friend, etc. and you wear away the outer surface that is smooth and is a solid barrier.
Once that solid outer skin is worn off, you have millions of open pores that become micro sized planters for growth of the fungi aka "mold and mildew". After that happens, it is virtually impossible to get the mold and dirt out from the bottom of all those pores.
Use a liquid cleaner made for mold and mildew removal and a soft brush.
Then treat with a mold preventer, not just more of the mold remover as they are not one and the same.
What is the best way to remove mold and mildew from vinyl boat seats. I know bleach will do the trick, but I'm afraid it might damage color and material. Please help!
After trying MANY different mold/mildew/vinyl cleaners, bought the 3M Mildew Remover and it worked unbelievably great. I bought a used 2004 BL 185 BR, and although the original owner kept it under cover on a lake, I don't believe he ever cleaned it. Nice boat with fiberglass floors and larger 4.3L engine. All the seats had a mildew problem and all looked dirty. Went out this morning with a bottle of the 3M product, a scrub brush and hose spray. Got seats a little wet, sprayed mildew remover on, light scrubed in and let sit for about 5 minutes. Spray off with water, seats look like new. As I did the seats, I started doing the deck and inside/under the seats, even in bilge/storge locker. Got the whole boat and seats done in about 1 1/2 hrs, and it is day and night. All is perfectly clean, just need to go back and Armorall.
