Salvage moldy cover?

[superbenk]

My custom cover is really moldy! I hate to throw it out because it is a custom cover. It's old & getting a little ratty in spots, but it still looks higher quality than some of the generic covers I've seen. I already scrubbed & power-washed it with bleach water, but all the mold just came right back even worse than it was before. Is there anything I can do or is this cover trash at this point?

 

[Jlawsen]

Re: Salvage moldy cover?

I'm going to say replace it just because the 450,000 different concoctions I tried to get mine clean only ended up ruining the cover.

 

[SDSeville]

Re: Salvage moldy cover?

Try fabric/canvas/vinyl spray coloring. It won't get rid of it, but should cover it up.

 

[NHGuy]

Re: Salvage moldy cover?

Well yeah if you can get it clean do keep it. But put a vent or two in there and it won't mildew up on you again.

 

[superbenk]

Re: Salvage moldy cover?

Try fabric/canvas/vinyl spray coloring. It won't get rid of it, but should cover it up.

Sadly the spots aren't just stains but are literally furry growths of mold.

 

[nlain]

Re: Salvage moldy cover?

Sounds like some type of bacteria is on that cover, get an antibacterial cleaner, clean the cover completely, make sure it has dried completely, as in several days of drying, no dryer, days out in the sun if possible, then treat it with 303 high tech fabric guard to waterproof it. At the price of a good custom replacement a little money spent on trying to save this one is a good investment. Check with the manufacturer and get their recommendations.

 

[fishrdan]

Re: Salvage moldy cover?

I would try a borax cleaning/treatment. Borax is cheap, $4 for a big box in the laundry isle at Walmart. It's kind of a pain to dissolve in water though, boil and keep stirring..........

I wouldn't do this with a new cover as borax is a mineral and could put abrasive particles in the fabric, which might lead to early fabric breakdown,,, I'm guessing. I would be cautious if the treated areas of the cover come in contact with paint, gelcoat, finished areas. Borax is a mineral, could turn the treated areas into super fine sand paper...

That site I linked has other things for killing mold if borax sounds risky.

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: Salvage moldy cover?

Well yeah if you can get it clean do keep it. But put a vent or two in there and it won't mildew up on you again.

+1
If you eliminate the mold, it doesn't return through spontaneous generation.
It returns because the conditions are right for it to grow.

Treat the symptom (Mold) but treat the cause (Moisture) First.

 

[jeffnick]

Re: Salvage moldy cover?

You could end up spending more time cleaning the cover than it would take to clean your boat without it. Before you throw the cover out, you might try painting it with latex paint...you'll quit laughing after you try it.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Salvage moldy cover?

How about a mold and mildew killer? Bleach is good, if there is no color to fade. I have never tried it, but TSP is supposed to kill mold/mildew as well.

 

[superbenk]

Re: Salvage moldy cover?

How about a mold and mildew killer? Bleach is good, if there is no color to fade. I have never tried it, but TSP is supposed to kill mold/mildew as well.

My original post said I scrubbed it with bleach. Just grew back worse.

Probably right that there was too much humidity under the cover, but I feel like this cover is definitely inundated w/ growth. Not sure it's salvageable.

 

[SDSeville]

Re: Salvage moldy cover?

ventilate, then clean again. The stains may not go away completely, but it should not grow back if it is well ventilated.

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: Salvage moldy cover?

... Just grew back worse. Probably right that there was too much humidity under the cover...

If it is growing on the inside of the cover, it is growing on the inside of the boat!

If there is ANY water in the bilge, you will soon have a Sauna.
The boat needs to be Bone dry before covering it up.

The cover seals too well. Ventilation is needed.
Place some pieces of foam Swimming "Noodles" or foam plumbing Pipe Insulation around the edges to break the seal.

 

[sschefer]

Re: Salvage moldy cover?

ventilate, then clean again. The stains may not go away completely, but it should not grow back if it is well ventilated.

The trick to killing mold is to get rid of the phosphates that feed it. That is almost impossible to do permanently and it only takes one or two spores that don't get removed for it to come back. Nasty, Nasty stuff. So yes, to answer the most probably next question, if you've used a phosphate based cleaner already, you're screwed.