Living in Minnesota, mildew has rarely been a problem. However, my H26 was stored on the trailer for about six weeks, and was totally closed up, including a special cover I made which goes over the whole sliding hatch and entryway areas. There was much rain and wind over this period and when I just opened the boat to store it for the winter, I had at least two inches of water in the floor well area and massive mildew over every surface inside the boat. What a mess!! Most of the hard surfaces cleaned up fairly well with detergent and a bit of chlorine, but will I have problems with the teak venveer on the floor which has been soaked for some time. Also, there is mildew on the carpet type covering which covers the walls. This does not come out. I would appreciate any recommendations anyone might have on how to clean up this mildew to avoid problems and odor in the future. Thanks for the help. Ron
- Status
Lady Bug Steam Cleaner
There is no cheap and easy solution. We used various toxic cleaners and an ozone generator to combat mildew but finally bought a Lady Bug high temperature steam cleaner. The high temperature of the steam kills the spores without the use of any chemicals. Chemicals do not do a good job of killing spores and they are bad for your health. Ozone is carcinogenic, should not be inhaled, and it also oxidizes varnish and plastics. Even with a high temperature steam cleaner there will be less than a total spore kill rate so cleaning will have to be repeated. Some use of an ozone generator might be helpful to reach some hard to get at spots. There are a number of high temperature steam cleaners on the market but the cheap units have drawbacks such as the temperature is not very high, they have to be turned off in order to add more water, or the output isn't very much. The Lady Bug is not cheap - over $1,000, plus the cost of a bundle of white shop rags available at Costco, but it can be used for other cleaning uses besides the boat. Heat - A fellow boater told me he uses heat to help fight mildew. Use some dry heat - say electric heaters - and turn the heat up as high as reasonably possible for, say, a weekend, and effectively bake the inside of the boat. After the inside of the boat has been effectively cleaned this might be a good way to help keep the mildew at bay. Anyway, these are some ideas.
There is no cheap and easy solution. We used various toxic cleaners and an ozone generator to combat mildew but finally bought a Lady Bug high temperature steam cleaner. The high temperature of the steam kills the spores without the use of any chemicals. Chemicals do not do a good job of killing spores and they are bad for your health. Ozone is carcinogenic, should not be inhaled, and it also oxidizes varnish and plastics. Even with a high temperature steam cleaner there will be less than a total spore kill rate so cleaning will have to be repeated. Some use of an ozone generator might be helpful to reach some hard to get at spots. There are a number of high temperature steam cleaners on the market but the cheap units have drawbacks such as the temperature is not very high, they have to be turned off in order to add more water, or the output isn't very much. The Lady Bug is not cheap - over $1,000, plus the cost of a bundle of white shop rags available at Costco, but it can be used for other cleaning uses besides the boat. Heat - A fellow boater told me he uses heat to help fight mildew. Use some dry heat - say electric heaters - and turn the heat up as high as reasonably possible for, say, a weekend, and effectively bake the inside of the boat. After the inside of the boat has been effectively cleaned this might be a good way to help keep the mildew at bay. Anyway, these are some ideas.
Lysol
Lysol makes an industrial strength product that is sold at Lowes and other building supply stores. It says one gallon makes 64 gallons of lyson. You may want to dilute it as per the label, or you may wish to use it stronger. The biocide in this product has long been used in many places where humans breath the air and touch the surfaces with littl ill effect. It works well for me in my boat and it works well for me at work. It only costs about ten dollars. Get some and a spray bottle and a scrub brush and see if it doesn't work for you too.
Lysol makes an industrial strength product that is sold at Lowes and other building supply stores. It says one gallon makes 64 gallons of lyson. You may want to dilute it as per the label, or you may wish to use it stronger. The biocide in this product has long been used in many places where humans breath the air and touch the surfaces with littl ill effect. It works well for me in my boat and it works well for me at work. It only costs about ten dollars. Get some and a spray bottle and a scrub brush and see if it doesn't work for you too.
- Status