Whats a good cleaner for mildew

[bffatcat]

Im about to paint the cabin of my boat. but before I paint there is some mildew on the cabin walls to clean up. Any ideas on a good cleaner

 

[Barnacle Bill]

Water and bleach. But, if you want to buy a product designed for mildew removal there is one called "Mildew Remover" (catchy name) and it is made by Boat Armor. Usually you need to sand as well as clean before painting, however.

 

[Mac]

Simple Green works great with a stiff brush

 

[Ross]

You need to kill the mildew. Bleach is best and a wash down with borax solution but no rinse wil leave enough borax to inhibit future growth.

 

[woodster]

if you dont mind working the old fashon way you can use some powderd Tide and a scrub brush and then rinse off with fresh water it will do wonders for your wood ....good luck

regards

woody

 

[RichH]

Any soap or detergent that is 'caustic based' will DISSOLVE mildew - TSP, Lye Soap, detergents containing sodium silicates, etc.

Bleach only kills the mildew and leaves the cellular debris behind ... which can become the nutrient source for other species.

When cleaning mildews, ALWAYS wet it out thoroughly so that you dont spread/release the spores. Wear a good high efficiency dust mask or respirator.

 

[thereisabelle]

clorox clean-up works fine, or mix your water(distilled if there is wood involved) with 10% bleach. any further depends on the material you are painting. there are websites that are loaded with info on mildew and mold. some molds are dangerous. good to do a little research first. in general mildew will wipe away easily. mold will not. read an article about how mold actually feeds on some oil based primers like kilz. imagine that. jimbob

 

[Ken Prichard]

We use any bathroom tub and shower cleaner that cotains bleach, like TILEX. Killing mildew is what it's designed for. We use it on the topside as well. Works great!