Mold / mildew on cushions

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Is there a way to curtail mold / mildew on boat saloon and berth cushions. I clean and air them regularly but still get black spots and nasty marks. I have a humidifier which I use every night in winter. The worst effectived area is under my pillows.
 
The only answers are
- clean, to eliminate salt (which will absorb moisture) and dirt (which encourages mould)
- ventilation, ventilation, ventilation, to keep general moisture levels down. (Your de-humidifiers will do the same job, at a cost, but only if you've sealed all vents and air gaps.)
- avoid anything getting too damp in the first place. (This is the hard bit.) Your pillows and other bedding will get a lot of moisture when you use them. Perhaps move your pillows somewhere else after use and stand/hang them up to give them (and whatever they're sitting on) a chance to disperse their moisture into the air. otherwise, make sure you have no leaks, and take measures if there's anything like bedding under a window or something else that might drip condensation.
- move to somewhere with a warm dry climate!
 
I think it might be more effective to use a dehumidifier.

Actually, it is hard to control mildew completely without desiccating the boat excessively, so really only good air circulation around vulnerable places is helpful. We dehumidify and still get a bit of mould on curtains, but take care to leave everything as open as possible. If at all possible, take stuff home when not in commission.
 
Have you tried any form of airation under the berth cushions? These seem to work well and creates an air gap under the bunks. Various makes so best to search . I am sure others might suggest a particular brand. We used on last boat and worked well. Also use small crystal bags in cupboards along with dehumidifier . Have you consider hull insulation which might assist?
 
One of my bunk cushion covers mildewed quite badly last winter because the valise was sat on top of it. I was astonished to be able to take it off, cover it liberally in mould and mildew remover (!), run it through the washing machine and re-fit it. Goodness knows what it is made of but the colour was fast and the mildew was removed completely leaving it looking brand new.

Probably not for everyone!
 
Hi mould and mildew cleaner works well. We had a problem with black spot on our cockpit tent. Dolphin sails advised us to clean it up and rewaterproof it, which worked well last year and we will see how it goes this year.
 
We lift up/bring forward berth cushions as much as possible to aid circulation and that, with a dehumidifier, seems to work well.
 
Hydrozoan said:
We lift up/bring forward berth cushions as much as possible to aid circulation and that, with a dehumidifier, seems to work well.
Click to expand...
We do that too, and leave lockers and doors open, but I like the idea of a fan. I imagine that a fan heater on its cooling setting would use little power. I might try it, though the dehumidifier does some fanning itself.
 
Tomahawk said:
When laid up I put cheap bathroom fans in the cabins on long lenghts of light duct to push the air about the boat so everywhere gets dried.
Click to expand...

I do the same but I block off the dorades (I know) and have a dehumidifier running in all the main areas where I can put the drain. I return to the boat and it is rather dry in the air but I have no problems with black spots.
 
johnalison said:
We do that too, and leave lockers and doors open, but I like the idea of a fan. I imagine that a fan heater on its cooling setting would use little power. I might try it, though the dehumidifier does some fanning itself.
Click to expand...

Yes, the dehumidifier fan is rather weak. I would not leave a fan heater running continuously and although I have a computer fan under a vent nearby, that too is weak and I use it only for cooking steam. I do deploy a thermostatically-controlled greenhouse heater, which will produce some convection – but only in the coldest weather.
 
What I thought was condensation was sea water coming in from the anchor locker. I tried to get round Dodman point in a sw gusting 6 and finally went back to Fowey and found lots of sea water under the cushions. Nathan Bone ltd did a fantastic job of fitting a new bulkhead and Aquarius [Phil Byatt] amazingly cleaned up the cushions and fitted new zips as they where salt encrusted. I never would have thought those awful stains would come off but Phil did it with vanish and a mould remover. After being ripped off by various marine company's around Plymouth I am now finding people I can trust. Austin Marine is also good. Pro Marine are not.
 
A stand at LIBS was selling Dry-Mat, a mesh affair which is suppose to reduce condensation/mildew under the mattress. Anyone tried it and what was the verdict? It's £60 but I'll spring for it if it works.
 
colind3782 said:
A stand at LIBS was selling Dry-Mat, a mesh affair which is suppose to reduce condensation/mildew under the mattress. Anyone tried it and what was the verdict? It's £60 but I'll spring for it if it works.
Click to expand...

Yes have used and seemed to work in our bow cabin on Bav34 easy to fit and only issue is might slow access to lockers below bunks if a continuous piece
 
Got similar mesh from Force 4 last spring...............quite effective, and even idle thinking brings me out in a sweat.
 
Not having tested it myself, so don't blame me if it doesn't work, I have been told that a pillow case stuffed with the white crystal type cat litter, such as catsan, will absorb an awful lot of moisture from the air. A supersized silica gel type of principal, much more effective than the small moisture trap type things that can be bought ready made. The cat litter wont release any liquid once absorbed, keeping everything drier than it would have been.
 
I have an old boat, MAB I suppose. It lives on a mooring most of the year. I bring it in to the public dock for the winter. So no electrical power available.
I find I get quite an allergic reaction to the boat if damp and mildew build up. My wife is worse. So hay fever meds.
In order to keep it to a minimum.

I take all my upholstery home every winter. I asked a local dry cleaner about having them cleaned. She recommended I rent a carpet cleaner with an upholstery attachment. which I use every year to give them a good surface clean.

I also like to leave a hatch slightly open. To allow natural ventilation. I put a tarp over the open hatch. To keep rain out. Even the heads hatch open makes a huge difference. I check & pump bilges as often as I can.

During sailing season I will lift cushions up on side to allow air to circulate around them.
 
The one penny mildew spray (based on borax). You won't believe how well it prevents mold return until you try it.

https://www.practical-sailor.com/blog/Homemade-Mildew-Preventers-11249-1.html

Not sayin' you don't need to solve the dampness problem; you do. Also, it would be best if you clean the cushions first (mildew likes food). Oxiclean and a vacuum extractor or a wet-dry vac work great. There are also sail-specific products for doing this... which are Oxiclean (percarbonates).
 
I was not over impressed with Dry-Mat. I preferred a product called Ventair, which used to be imported from the USA, but I am not certain it is still available in the UK. With both products, you have to remember to bring them to the ends and sides of the beds or cushions so that you get as much air flow as possible.

We sail in Scotland and what has made a big difference is putting insulation foam underneath the bed bases and on the various base hatch covers. I used

http://www.jewson.co.uk/building-ma...l-eurothane-gp-insulation-2400-x-1200-x-25mm/

and just stuck it on with Sticks like Sh1t or similar glues. Condensation needs warms moist air and a cold surface, so the aim is to out out the cold surface,
 
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