Mildew How yo avoid/treat

Trawled the web to try and get some marks out of melamine. Bleach won't touch it. Tried hydrogen peroxide, but didn't seem to get to it either. Vinegar was by far the most successful.
 
I've never been to the UK but I have worked at various locations around the world. My experience is that where it is hot and dry mildew is not a problem but where the climate is tropical and "steamy" you need plenty of ventilation. (We used to keep our overhead fans or air-conditioner fans going all the time). I am wondering if you have dorade boxes installed to keep the air flowing through the yacht?
 
Get to the boat as often as you can and allow plenty of air to circulate. Treat any new mildew spots if they appear.

I once treated a very small patch of mildew with a steam cleaner. It did the trick as the mildew did not return.
But not sure this time of year is a good time to be using a steam cleaner, unless you can dry it out before closing up the boat.

Polycell mould killer is a good product, used sparingly if other milder treatments fail.
http://www.wilko.com/preparation/polycell-3-in-1-mould-killer-500ml/invt/0159219

I use moisture traps on the boat and find they work well .
http://www.lakeland.co.uk/search/moisture-trap/q02.r16.1






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The trick and balance point is to keep the condition of the air in the cabin below the dew point, that is the temperature at which the moisture in the air begins to condense on the interior.

The dew point is a function of the humidity.

So if you keep the humidity low, you won't get a condensing atmosphere.
Similarly if you keep the temperature high the water won't condense either.

The danger is the areas behind panels close to the outside surfaces of the boat, behind closets and wardrobes. The skin is colder so likely to encourage condensation.

I aim to keep the humidity around 40% and the temperature above 12 degrees.
I achieve this using one dehumidifier and two 1000w thermostatically controlled fan heaters. The fans run continuously and the heaters kick in as required.
This circulates the air and keeps the boat dry.

And yes, I also use a data logger to track dew point!

Tony
 
Patio magic, designed for cleaning patios, kills mould and has some residual action. I have used it on fabric, headliners, teak and rigging with no apparent ill affects, doesn't stain.
 
Has anyone mentioned a solar fan? Some of these must have a battery too as they say they can run for 48 hours without sunshine.
 
How about mildew coming on the inside of cockpit tent? I don't want to use bleach because of fear of discolouring it. Any recommendations for a fabric treatment?

Same answer, patio magic, I've been using it on my sunbrella covers for 5 years with no apparent discolouration or bleaching, doesn't have any effect on the waterproofing.
 
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