Mildew mold cleaning from wood interior

[finatic]

The boat has been closed up for a while and I need to clean all the wood interior that has some mold/mildew. Any suggestions on best chemicals to use to clean and prevent future problems?

[Boatsb]

Sealed surfaces should be easy. Wipe with a bleach solution ( not full strength) or a premade mildewcide.

open ( not sealed wood ) Id look at Murphy oil soap or a similar product.

To prevent it you need to lower the humidity in there.

[captcrunch]

There's an Amazon cleaner that is amazing for this it's green not sure exactly what it's called

[Walter P]

My recommendation is to not use a bleach solution on finished surfaces. While it may "kill" some of the mold, it won't prevent a "bloom" which can spread the problem. What you need to do is remove the mold with any good cleaner which should also remove their source of nutrition and slow down a re-infestation. Scott is correct that one of the ways to prevent it is to provide ventilation and lower the humidity. It is recommended that a breathing mask (M-95 or better) be worn while doing the remediation work. There are several materials available to DIYers and most are fairly effective. A good follow up is to be sure to install a good filter element in your boats HVAC returns. A good choice IMO is the 3-M Filtrette. They are available in many stores including HD and Lowes. Try to match the necessary filtration (not necessary to overdo it) with the resistance. 3M offers several levels of efficiency. The greater the filtration, the greater the resistance for air flow, so try to strike a happy medium. Too much filtration can hinder necessary airflow over the coil and cause freeze ups. Clean out your evaporator coils regularly with a liquid coil cleaner and flush with water. The flushed coil cleaner should also help keep your condensate lines clear. BTW, if you're handy, buy the largest size filter element and cut smaller units to size. I believe there is little cost difference between the very large and the smaller sizes and chances are that you won't find an exact size for your boat AC anyway.

Walt

PS I was a NADCA certified mold remediator in a previous life.....

[SEVEN]

If you removed mold in a prior life what cleaner do you recommend? I've been in the paint business for 45 years and bleach is the only thing that kills mold. So called mold cleaners get the surface but not the imbedded mold. If you leave one spore it will start growing again. Love to hear what you used. Agree 100% on ventilation.

[finatic]

My recommendation is to not use a bleach solution on finished surfaces. While it may "kill" some of the mold, it won't prevent a "bloom" which can spread the problem. What you need to do is remove the mold with any good cleaner which should also remove their source of nutrition and slow down a re-infestation. Scott is correct that one of the ways to prevent it is to provide ventilation and lower the humidity. It is recommended that a breathing mask (M-95 or better) be worn while doing the remediation work. There are several materials available to DIYers and most are fairly effective. A good follow up is to be sure to install a good filter element in your boats HVAC returns. A good choice IMO is the 3-M Filtrette. They are available in many stores including HD and Lowes. Try to match the necessary filtration (not necessary to overdo it) with the resistance. 3M offers several levels of efficiency. The greater the filtration, the greater the resistance for air flow, so try to strike a happy medium. Too much filtration can hinder necessary airflow over the coil and cause freeze ups. Clean out your evaporator coils regularly with a liquid coil cleaner and flush with water. The flushed coil cleaner should also help keep your condensate lines clear. BTW, if you're handy, buy the largest size filter element and cut smaller units to size. I believe there is little cost difference between the very large and the smaller sizes and chances are that you won't find an exact size for your boat AC anyway.

Walt

PS I was a NADCA certified mold remediator in a previous life.....

PS I work for AAF/Flanders, the largest filter manufacturer in the world so access to filter media is a given.

Lysol used to make a product call 'Lysol Direct" that worked great but it was discontinued about 10 years ago.

[Walter P]

All the better that you have access to filter media. You can make up really good filters for your boat, but most folks don't the same access you do which is why I recommended 3M which is readily available. We used to have custom filters made for us by Filtration Mfg Co in Andalusia, GA (A-2000) and we also used Newtron Products Mfg to make special filters for us. There were others but those were our main suppliers. I don't know if they sell direct or not and since it's been many years ago I don't even know if they still exist. Newtron Mfg used to supply us with large rolls of various filter media including charcoal element material and a material we used to make electrostatic elements called "Vibex".

Relative to chemicals....We used many different coil cleaners and other chemicals in our business. Among them were materials from BBJ Environmental Solutions in Tampa, Florida. Two products that I still use on my boat from BBJ are BBJ MMR-11 Disinfectant/Cleaner and BBJ Mold Control. You may wish to contact them for product availability


Walt

[finatic]

All the better that you have access to filter media. You can make up really good filters for your boat, but most folks don't the same access you do which is why I recommended 3M which is readily available. We used to have custom filters made for us by Filtration Mfg Co in Andalusia, GA (A-2000) and we also used Newtron Products Mfg to make special filters for us. There were others but those were our main suppliers. I don't know if they sell direct or not and since it's been many years ago I don't even know if they still exist. Newtron Mfg used to supply us with large rolls of various filter media including charcoal element material and a material we used to make electrostatic elements called "Vibex".

Relative to chemicals....We used many different coil cleaners and other chemicals in our business. Among them were materials from BBJ Environmental Solutions in Tampa, Florida. Two products that I still use on my boat from BBJ are BBJ MMR-11 Disinfectant/Cleaner and BBJ Mold Control. You may wish to contact them for product availability


Walt

Thanks for the info Walt, I'll check out BBJ!.

Try looking at Grainger for filters. We were named their supplier of the year in 2015. They carry lots of choices.

Paul

[Tim Powell]

My recommendation is to not use a bleach solution on finished surfaces. While it may "kill" some of the mold, it won't prevent a "bloom" which can spread the problem. What you need to do is remove the mold with any good cleaner which should also remove their source of nutrition and slow down a re-infestation. Scott is correct that one of the ways to prevent it is to provide ventilation and lower the humidity. It is recommended that a breathing mask (M-95 or better) be worn while doing the remediation work. There are several materials available to DIYers and most are fairly effective. A good follow up is to be sure to install a good filter element in your boats HVAC returns. A good choice IMO is the 3-M Filtrette. They are available in many stores including HD and Lowes. Try to match the necessary filtration (not necessary to overdo it) with the resistance. 3M offers several levels of efficiency. The greater the filtration, the greater the resistance for air flow, so try to strike a happy medium. Too much filtration can hinder necessary airflow over the coil and cause freeze ups. Clean out your evaporator coils regularly with a liquid coil cleaner and flush with water. The flushed coil cleaner should also help keep your condensate lines clear. BTW, if you're handy, buy the largest size filter element and cut smaller units to size. I believe there is little cost difference between the very large and the smaller sizes and chances are that you won't find an exact size for your boat AC anyway.

Walt

PS I was a NADCA certified mold remediator in a previous life.....

I keep a fan blowing on low all the time mold has just gone away.

[brico]

Dehumidifier. Here in Pacific North West we get so much rain from November to April, it is crazy not to run one on the boat. I have mine running for 5-6 months a year with everything open (drawers, doors, closets, engine room) and everything is bone dry and mould free. I collect at least 3-4 gallons of water a week (discharged directly overboard) so imagine if that sits in your boat interior. I have to admit that I was amazed how reliable this thing is, running continuously (24/7) for 5-6 months without fail for the last 3 years.

With the use of dehumidifier it just calls for more frequent oiling of the wood interiors but prevents the mould altogether. No chemicals or elbow grease needed. Mine is a portable AC unit that has dehumidifier mode. My wife bought it for the house several years ago when we had several 'hot' nights here in Vancouver BC and we haven't used it for years.Once I got this boat I figured out I may as well use it in de-hu mode and haven't looked back. We do not need the AC over the summer, so I take it of the boat in late April/Early May and store in the garage until Late October. This fall is specifically wet here in PNW and I do not have any condensation at all.