Killing mold

[Jim B]

Anyone know what i could use to kill off some mold on my seats? I have a mold factory growing in the areas of the seats i cant get to, i need to yank them and get them clean. I know bleach will kill it but i dont want to ruin the seats. Any other ideas??



I noticed it while cleaning the boat yesterday, i really need to take care of it.



This is just adds more fuel to the fire that i need a better boat cover. The dowco one i have sucks, it leaks like crazy and it always has.

 

[Jason L]

Search for "mildew" and there's a thread about this

 

[Greg Duggan]

Jim,

you will not ruin your seats with bleach, use a very mild percentage of bleach to warm water. i am talking about 1tbsp to a gallon of water. when i was in the biotech industry, they used a 10% solutio to kill evry thing from the HIV to common mold. try it in a small area that will not be seen every day. i have used it on my seats and did not have any problems at all.



GregD

 

[David Hunt]

use rubbing alcohol. works like a charm and evaporates right out.

 

[Larry Harp]

GregD is right about the mild bleach solution. Back when I sold used cars we used it to get rid of the closed up musty smell that cars get after sitting around with the windows rolled up. Mix just enough bleach with tap water to where you barly smell the bleach and see it that kills the mold. If that doesn't work add a little more bleach until you start seeing results. I don't think you would damage your seats even it you used full strength bleach, however I DO NOT reccommend using it full strength. It might not be a bad idea to wipe the seats down with a good vinyl dressing after you remove the mold.



Other things that will kill mold and mildew....sunlight; just take the cover off and let Big Red do his thing for a couple of days. Also, rubbing alcohol, Listerine, and Lysol....AND sometimes just some good old laundry detergent/water and a scrub brush with do miricles.



Harpo

 

[Jim B]

Thanks guys,

I spent most of last night pulling the seats and cleaning them. I used bleach and water like Greg and Harpo suggested. I had some serious mold growing between the cushions where its very hard to clean and on the backside of the cushions where i cant get to at all without pulling them. I noticed it when the mold started creaping to the front of the seats. I also cleaned the gelcoat thats under the seats with the bleach and also waxed it so that water wont stay down there. While i was at it i also did the rod lockers and center storage where it has been wet too due to my invisible( to rain anyway) cover.



What a PITA pulling those seats out. The drivers and passenger sests were easy, no problem there. But the center seat, whoever decided to put the nuts that hold them in behind the livewell and pretty far in needs to have thier head examined. I had to practially do a hand stand in the rear compartment hatches(after the liner was pulled) and reach in and get to them. They could have put them a little closer to the edge of the seat, it would have made it much easier. All told it took me close to an hour to remove and replace that one seat cushion. The other 5 took less then half that combined.



Im wicked allergic to mold so i wanted to get rid of it and make sure it was gone. I plan to keep my eye on it and make sure it dosent come back like that again.



I also think im going to call aurora canvas and order that new cover today. its going to take them some time to get it to me but thats ok, the one i have now is useless and really needs to be replaced.

 

[Larry Harp]

Jim, I would also recommend one of those silica gel desiccant de-humidifiers to keep in the boat while the cover is on. I know you can get them at an RV parts & supply store for around 20 bucks.



Good ventilation is they key to mold/mildew prevention. It's just as important to let the moisture out as it is to keep it out.



Harpo

 

[Jim B]

Yep Harpo, i actually have some of those and use them they work good if i could keep the moisture out of the boat.



The problem i have right now is every time it rains the boat gets drenched, when it rains for days i cant dry it out until it stops. At this point i need to keep the water out thats my biggest problem. This cover has always leaked a little but now its really bad, an insect screen would be just as effective as my cover right now.



To give you an idea of how bad it is. About a month ago i forgot to take the plug out, i had about 4 inches of standing water in the floor of the boat after a day of rain. Like i said my cover is useless for rain right now, there are areas that are so bad thru that i can see thru the fabric.



The part that really kills me is i paid good money( somewhere around $450) for this cover when i bought the boat, its never seen snow and only gets used when the boat is in service. Otherwise the boat gets shrinkwrapped and the cover gets folded and put in the house. It has not stood up, my last boat had a much better cover that they GAVE me when i bought it. It was the shipping cover that was made of heavy canvas, it was totally waterproof fit like a glove and worked great. I put a strap kit on it and trailered with it too. The guy who bought my boat still uses it, that cover is 9 years old now. My current cover is 4 years old and its trashed, the leaks are driving me nuts not to mention the seams are all tearing( they are renforced well at all)



Right now the boat is sitting in my sisters garage until we get a decent stretch of weather where its not raining or i get a new cover.

 

[Greg Duggan]

Jim,

not fot nothing, but i would like to see you doing that hand stand on the back deck. i got a good visual while reading your post.



GregD

 

[Mad Kayaker]

Jim - I used to use this stuff from aerostitch for my motorcycle jacket called Nikwax. You would put this stuff in with the jacket in the wash and it would basically adhere to the material and make it more water repellent. You could probably buy this stuff or something like it and take your cover to a commercial laundry mat and try it out (don't do it in your home washing machine). It would cost $15 max for a can of Nikwax (probably would take three cans to fully waterproof the cover) and another $4 to wash it. Who knows, this might give you a little more mileage out of the cover versus spending quite a few more benjamins.



If you decide to go this route and it works, I expect to see a photo of you doing a handstand in front of one of those sunset pictures of yours!



Bill, the Mad Kayaker

 

[Jim B]

Bill

I have used the Nikwax before it works great. I use it on my gore-tex raingear yearly to renew it and it does a great job.



At this point im not sure what it will do for my cover. My cover isnt a canvas, it feels more like the material a tent is made from but a little thicker. The problem is the poly coating that they put on it it totally gone in a lot of areas. Thats why i can see thru it. The other problems i have with it are the seams, all the seems are coming apart, they sinle stiched most of them and they arent very strong. I have spent a ton of time doing repairs on seams this year. one of the strap mount points came apart this year too and tore a good chunk off the cover down below the rub rail. the third issue, much like a tent everywhere it touches the boat( windshields, trolling motor etc water leaks thru. It has done that since day it.



I think its worth the few bucks it costs to give the nikwax a try on the cover but i have a feeling it wont help much and it still have the seam tearing problem.

 

[JR F]

Get some 303 and keep your seats wiped down with It..They now have a cleaner and waterproofer also...JR

 

[Greg Duggan]

i second the 303, i have used it on my seats and console since day 1. it really works well.



GregD

 

[JR F]

jim B your tent Is probably sunbrella..303 has a waterproofer for it and conditioner..new item..have no idea on how good it is but the original 303 is the best...JR