How would we kill mould on our 4 year old blue canvas canopy?

stuhaynes

stuhaynes

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Without destroying either the material or its water stopping integrity.

4 years ago we had a new canopy made for the wheelhouse. We used SPL in Hull for the work who did a first rate job (no connection to me). Highly recommended company. Over a winter period we had a deep fat fryer in the wheel house, which obviously produced steam (and fat?) in the air. I think this is what actually formed the base for the mould that subsequently appeared on the inside of the canopy.

Last year I jet washed the canopy (which SPL do not recommend) after seeing another boater doing the same thing to get rid of the typical green (algae?) that appears on the outside of canvas canopies. It worked for him and brought up the (also SPL) canopy like new, an absolute transformation.

When I did ours we had the start of the green on the outside, and white spores(?) on the inside. Getting rid of the green algae was a piece of cake, but as the white was blasted off it left small black stains on the inside. I didn't use any sort of pre-treatment first.

Anyway, this year the white is back with a vengeance on the inside and it has to go.

I wondered if anyone on here had any experience of a similar problem and had cured it. If so, what did you use to kill the mould?

SPL work on our marina several times a year and I do intend to ask their advice next time I see them. It can't hurt though to trawl the depth of knowledge that exists within these hallowed halls. (oops, just been watching Harry Potter. :o )

FYI the canvas is a heavy marine grade which I think is a lamination of canvas and some sort of internal waterproofing material. Even after jet washing (laid flat on a sheet of ply to avoid separating the lamination) the canopy has remained 100% waterproof.

Thanks in advance. Stu
 
Look for mould remover in a chandlery.

Good job for the winter. Did my spray hood in the bath. You need to scrub in the mould remover. It looks as if it is having no effect, but as the fabric dries the mould magically disappears. So you need to do the scrubbing systematically, ensuring that all the affected areas are dealt with.
 
I use Boracol on the decks and as i had some spare I just sprayed it onto the pram hood with a greenhouse sprayer - you know the sort of thing, a bottle with a water pistol trigger. Worked a treat.

I'm sure any other mold killer as recommended above would do the job just as well.
 
Boracol or Polycell 3-in1 are the things to use - they contain both an algaecide and a fungicide. Just apply a flood coat with a soft paintbrush and leave to dry. Reapply after a few days if required; then every 6 months or so.

Ordinary "mould cleaner" sprays tend to be simply diluted bleach at a high price (you'll probably see "hypochlorite" on the label).
 
stuhaynes said:
Without destroying either the material or its water stopping integrity.

4 years ago we had a new canopy made for the wheelhouse. We used SPL in Hull for the work who did a first rate job (no connection to me). Highly recommended company. Over a winter period we had a deep fat fryer in the wheel house, which obviously produced steam (and fat?) in the air. I think this is what actually formed the base for the mould that subsequently appeared on the inside of the canopy.

Last year I jet washed the canopy (which SPL do not recommend) after seeing another boater doing the same thing to get rid of the typical green (algae?) that appears on the outside of canvas canopies. It worked for him and brought up the (also SPL) canopy like new, an absolute transformation.

When I did ours we had the start of the green on the outside, and white spores(?) on the inside. Getting rid of the green algae was a piece of cake, but as the white was blasted off it left small black stains on the inside. I didn't use any sort of pre-treatment first.

Anyway, this year the white is back with a vengeance on the inside and it has to go.

I wondered if anyone on here had any experience of a similar problem and had cured it. If so, what did you use to kill the mould?

SPL work on our marina several times a year and I do intend to ask their advice next time I see them. It can't hurt though to trawl the depth of knowledge that exists within these hallowed halls. (oops, just been watching Harry Potter. :o )

FYI the canvas is a heavy marine grade which I think is a lamination of canvas and some sort of internal waterproofing material. Even after jet washing (laid flat on a sheet of ply to avoid separating the lamination) the canopy has remained 100% waterproof.

Thanks in advance. Stu
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We used Astonish, a household cleaner, it contains bleach and a mild caustic (I think)
We used it on our upholstery cloth, it was a sh it or bust solution to get rid of black mildew. We had budgeted for recovering so if it harmed the material it wouldnt have mattered. We sprayed it on, let it soak in, then washed the material in a washing machine. It came up like new and 3 years later is still good. Point Im making is that it is strong stuff BUT doesnt seem to harm material.
Stu
 
I hope one of the suggstions works for you.
I once bought a boat which had a sprayhood made with similar material, i.e. with a 'waterproofing' layer on the inside surface. It's the only sprayhood I've had which suffered badly from this kind of mould, which I could never get rid of.
All my other sprayhoods have definitely been 'acrylic canvas', no extra layer, and never had the problem. I reckoned that the inner layer on the mouldy one was somehow stopping the material from ever drying out properly.
 
Cantata said:
I hope one of the suggstions works for you.
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Boracol or Polycell 3-in-1 certainly works, and I can confirm there's no long-term damage as I've been using one or the other for around 10 years on my cream-coloured sprayhood. Best of all, there's no need for scrubbing or rubbing!
 
I have a conventional acrylic canvas sprayhood, which on occasions has suffered from green mould. This is usually when the waterproofing has degraded, and at that point I have cleaned it using a jetwash (on grass, so a suitably soft surface) which has removed the mould completely. I have then re-proofed using Fabsil Gold, which generally lasts about a season and a half, during which no mould grows.

It seems that the waterproof layer on your sprayhood is effective in stopping the water getting through, but perhaps the outer layer, as has been suggested, is absorbing the water allowing an environment for the mould to grow in? If this is the case, perhaps cleaning your sprayhood then re-proofing it will prevent water being absorbed into the outer layer and prevent re-growth of the mould? For the cost of a tin of Fabsil and half an hour to brush it on it may be an experiment worth trying...
 
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Lodesman77 said:
I have a conventional acrylic canvas sprayhood, which on occasions has suffered from green mould. This is usually when the waterproofing has degraded, and at that point I have cleaned it using a jetwash (on grass, so a suitably soft surface) which has removed the mould completely. I have then re-proofed using Fabsil Gold, which generally lasts about a season and a half, during which no mould grows.

It seems that the waterproof layer on your sprayhood is effective in stopping the water getting through, but perhaps the outer layer, as has been suggested, is absorbing the water allowing an environment for the mould to grow in? If this is the case, perhaps cleaning your sprayhood then re-proofing it will prevent water being absorbed into the outer layer and prevent re-growth of the mould? For the cost of a tin of Fabsil and half an hour to brush it on it may be an experiment worth trying...
Click to expand...

It's not a spray hood, it's a complete canopy and the problem is inside, not outside. Referring to a post made in recent months, apparently fabsil is okay for waterproofing, but does not like plastic windows at all..... My question was about white / grey mould, not the green algae that seems to appear on external surfaces. I'm coming to the conclusion that Polycell 3 in 1 suggested by Elton (in the first place) may be the way to go. It does however, beg the question, do we have to keep it away from our pvc windows? I wouldn't want to melt them, as other applications can.

Very pleased by your responses though. Good innit, being on ear I mean....:D

Edited immediately I realised that a previous poster suggested the use of a washing machine. :eek:

Again, referring to previous posts on a similar subject. Our canopy is relatively large (in the scheme of things). The post I'm thinking of mentioned shrinkage of the cloth, to a point where it no longer fit! No. The washing machine idea may be ok for a spray whatsit, but not something I'd fancy for our canopy. At my age there is a lot that's shrunk.. I don't intend to include the canopy......

"2nd edit. Dettol. Sounds nice and safe.. Is there a fuller explanation of application and times etc. It sounds like a 'friendly' approach. Anymore info out there?
 
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stuhaynes said:
I'm coming to the conclusion that Polycell 3 in 1 suggested by Elton (in the first place) may be the way to go. It does however, beg the question, do we have to keep it away from our pvc windows? I wouldn't want to melt them, as other applications can.
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It won't damage plastic. It's a clear, water-based liquid.
 
Agree that Polycell 3-in-1 is very good stuff, but for me it did not prove to be a lasting remedy on the two-layer fabric described by the OP. It cleaned up the immediate problem, but the mould quickly returned.
 
>I have cleaned it using a jetwash

If you do that you take a big risk of damaging the fabric. It should be cleaned with canvas cleaner and a sponge. The canvas should be gently spayed with water before cleaning. When we waterproof we use masking tape and cut up plastic bags to cover the windows to keep the waterpoofing liquid off.
 
KellysEye said:
We use Dettol, recommended by canvas makers. One thing to bear in mind that chemicals might be OK for the canvas but not the stitching, which is why we don't use them.
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Apart from Polycell 3 in 1 the Dettol suggestion sounds very attractive, particularly if it is recommended by canvas manufacturers. Bearing in mind that it is white/grey mould I need to treat (as opposed to green external algae) can anyone give me first hand experience, dilution etc and long term effects?

Thanks everyone so far. :)
 
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