removing mould stains from sailing jacket

Poignard

Poignard

Well-Known Member
Joined
23 Jul 2005
Messages
55,660
Location
South London
Visit site
My sailing jacket is 100% polyester and has an orange coloured collar.

The collar has dozens of black spots all over it, presumably caused by mould.

I have tried scrubbing these off with toilet soap and then with bicarbonate of soda but they won't shift.

Can anyone recommend any other cleaning products that might do the trick?
 
Vinegar may kill the mould, but may well not remove the black spots. You could then try an oxidising fabric cleaner and if that fails, dilute bleach with thorough rinsing - but at higher risk to the integrity of the fabric, and not guaranteed. Black mould spots are a bit of a problem, even after the mould itself has gone, I’m sorry to say - and as you will I think find, if you search the forum and the web more generally. :(
 
You could try treating it with Patio Magic. It works well on wood and boat canvas. I like to think that the well-worn look adds distinction to my appearance and hope that those who see me in my ancient oilies thereby respect me the more for my obvious experience rather than pity me for my evident parsimony.
 
Oxygen bleach, based on percarbonate. In the US the best known brand is Oxyclean.

Not only is it effective, it is safe with laminate sails and Gore-Tex, which many cleaners are not. This is what most of the profesional sail cleaners are based on.

It takes a long soak time, up to 6 hours. Don't rush it. Additionally, the sun will remove the lingering bits in a day. Really.
 
fjweaver said:
Possibly - but had no degradation or discolouring of the carpet afterwards and had tried a number of other things before
Click to expand...

Sure, I wasn't at all doubting that it could work, and without collateral damage if properly used. I was just putting it in the spectrum of agents of increasing 'strength' I described at #3 above.

I suspect that black mould spots (like many other stains) are more easily removed if treated relatively quickly, but my experience with some occurrences on boat-related fabrics is that, if missed, they can be tricky if not impossible to remove completely.
 
For marine carpet, Formula B. No damamge, fast, and the mold won't come back. Based on side-by-side testing of many of the things that have been suggested here.
https://www.practical-sailor.com/blog/Homemade-Mildew-Preventers-11249-1.html

My last new-to-me boat has a carpeted cabin and looked like a Jackson Pollack painting inside. I should have taken pictures. I was able to clean it all in ~ 2 hours using a carpet extractor with upholstery attachment and Formula B. No residual stains. And none of it has come back in 3 years (I also fixed a few leaks and run a dehumidifier part of the time). I also used it on a prior boat (the one in my avitar). Same good result. No risk of carpet damage either.
 
I assume the OP's jacket is waterproof. I think some of the suggestions could well damage the waterproofing. If you ask most of the waterproof clothing suppliers about washing articles and ask for an honest answer they will tell you how to wash it to cause least damage to the waterproofing. All seem to say that each time you wash you loose a bit of proofing. So hose it down and live with the marks !!!
 
Similar black spots that have appeared on the outer casing cover of several lifejackets have been successfully removed with ordinary basic household bleach and a nail brush. After several years and several repeats when necessary absolutely no disintegration nor loss of colour of the base material. I am careful not to get the bleach on the lifejacket bladder, but I am sure some splashes have landed, this has cause nil degradation either.

Lightly rub the bleach all over the material, then by the time the entire thing is coated the area first treated has become like new material. Leave the hole thing for say 20 minute then thoroughly rinse several times in fresh water.
 
Astonish Mould & Mildew Blaster
I've used this and found it to be very effective. It's an absolute bargain, like all Astonish products, and British made.
£0.75 for 750ml at B&M. Also found in Wilko and other supermarkets.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top