Mould removal on RED awning and sprayhood.

[Luki-lusaki]

May I ask for some advice please?
I have serious mould growth on my spray hood and awning. Despite taking them down onto the dock and giving some serious scrubbing, nothing seems to lift it. I have tried various cleaning products and today one called Ronseal from the UK, someone even suggested a mixture of vinegar and water. ( As my boat is in Italy, the vinegar would be either red or white wine vinegar.). UK products are not easy to find here, and I usually rely on Amazon. I realise quite a few products contain bleach, and I am very cautious about using them on red canvas.

With thanks.

 

[jwilson]

Cannot promise for your red canvas, but bleach type products rarely damage SYNTHETIC canvas except for nylon which it does weaken and discolour. Deadly on natural fabrics though unless you want them "bleached". Most sprayhoods etc. though are now acrylic and/or PVC with terylene/dacron stitching , which do not seem to be hurt by hypochlorite bleaches. Test one tiny drop on a small corner. My sprayhood has had hypochlorite on it yearly for ten minutes (then thoroughly washed off) and are now 15 years old and still dark blue. Gets rid of the green algae beautifully.

 

[AngusMcDoon]

Cannot promise for your red canvas, but bleach type products rarely damage SYNTHETIC canvas except for nylon which it does weaken and discolour. Deadly on natural fabrics though unless you want them "bleached". Most sprayhoods etc. though are now acrylic and/or PVC with terylene/dacron stitching , which do not seem to be hurt by hypochlorite bleaches. Test one tiny drop on a small corner. My sprayhood has had hypochlorite on it yearly for ten minutes (then thoroughly washed off) and are now 15 years old and still dark blue. Gets rid of the green algae beautifully.

Compatibility of sprayhood fabric (acrylic) and stitching (polyester) with sodium hypochlorite (bleach) here...

https://www.slyinc.com/pdfs/Chemical_Compatibility.pdf

Polyester is only limited suitability, so use thin bleach diluted in cold water, and wash it off thoroughly. Mine had this treatment and didn't suffer too much and lasted 15 years.

 

[colind3782]

Patio Magic or similar

 

[Thistle]

If you go down the chemical route, test it on an inconspicuous area first.

 

[jaybee63]

Make sure to use any bleach at recommended dilution and thoroughly rinse off afterwards.
Bear in mind it can have a negative impact on stitching and webbings as these are not acrylic.
Sunbrellas cleaning and care videos can be found here Sunbrella Videos - Tecsew, Boat Covers & Marine Upholstery

 

[jaybee63]

Sunbrella stain removal chart can be found on this page Sunbrella Charts & Downloads - Tecsew, Boat Covers & Marine Upholstery

 

[Luki-lusaki]

WOW! Thank you all so much for taking the the time to reply. I will try everything everything you suggest, and cross my fingers. In actual fact, I have had this spray hood and bimini since 2010 and have kept it clean, and replaced the stitching when needed with the correct thread, which I bought from Sunbrella. I was quite surprised to find this mould had appeared on my canvases the last year and it seems hellbent on staying. So hopefully, taking your advice, I can get rid of it. Thanks again.