green stuff remover

[doca]

I was hoping to find a past post which said something about 3 in 1 polycell mould remover is good for treating the green stuff on the spray hood, sail cover, etc., but the search thing is not working. Could anyone confirm that this is the stuff to use, or is there something else as well to do the job?

 

[Pye_End]

I asked this of my sailmaker this year and they said to try to get the worst of it off dry using a nail brush or similar.

Otherwise use the bath and something like soap flakes as a cleaner.

 

[pvb]

It is indeed the stuff to use, as I've mentioned a number of times! Best of all, it involves almost no work. Get a bottle of Polycell 3-in-1 Mould Killer (about £5 a litre from bigger B&Q stores). This contains two active ingredients - disodium octaborate (a fungicide) and benzalkonium chloride (an algaecide). It’s a colourless liquid. I’ve used it for a number of years now, and I’m very pleased with the results.

To apply it, first wash the sprayhood thoroughly and allow at least 24 hours to dry. Choose a day when rain isn’t expected for 24 hours and apply the liquid liberally to the inside and outside of the sprayhood with a soft paintbrush. You should wear protective gloves and safety glasses. Wash splashes off skin immediately. Reapply every 4-5 months.

Most mould and mildew products are basically bleach (it’ll say “hypochlorite” on the label). This Polycell product contains no bleach, but has the powerful ingredients which get rid of the green growth. It also has a medium-term residual effect, so a treatment every 4-6 months should keep your sprayhood looking good.

 

[VicS]

[ QUOTE ]
disodium octaborate (a fungicide) and benzalkonium chloride (an algaecide).

[/ QUOTE ] The "Homebase Mould cleaner" just contains benzalkonium chloride. So that should be an ideal one to use.

As you say avoid any that contain hypochlorite bleach

 

[pvb]

[ QUOTE ]
The "Homebase Mould cleaner" just contains benzalkonium chloride. So that should be an ideal one to use.

[/ QUOTE ] Sorry, but I disagree. I think it's important to use a product which also contains a fungicide, because this inhibits mildew which is another disfiguring problem on sprayhoods.

 

[doca]

Thank you very much. By the way, my neighbour on the marina has a green spray hood, etc., so it looks A1 !! .

 

[VicS]

[ QUOTE ]
Sorry, but I disagree

[/ QUOTE ] I know you've told us before, several times, about these "mould cleaners" but the Homebase one claims to kill algae, lichen, mould and moss but apparently only contains the one ingredient. The little bit of searching I've done does indicate that benzalkonium chloride is effective as a fungicide as well as being an algaecide, basically a biocide.
My bottle of Polycell Mould Cleaner contains dodecylamine salicylate and dodecylamine lactate! It predates the 3 in 1 stuff that you recommend I think.

I am always a bit wary of them because one I had (Cuprinol or Rentokill IIRC) tended to stain things so would suggest that they should always be tried on a small inconspicuous area first.

 

[MarkJohnson12345]

We washed our spray hood in the back yard, giving it just a good scrubbing with a brush and high pressure hose.

Most of the muck came off, though a little streaky in places.

BUT the hood shrunk, and now is a very poor fit.

Not sure why it shrunk, bu beware of this potential problem.

New one is on the list for next year, green one this time!

 

[sailorman]

MMC ( mould & mildew cleaner ) by Brinton Products approx £20 for 5lts dilutes up to 9 >1 so not expensive.
check their web site for suppliers local to you