Mold

[ebb]

Cold weather brings the worst out!

If you are beginning work on a project boat at least wear a dust mask when you go below. Dampen everything below with soapy water from a spraybottle before disturbing anything in a neglected boat. This may help keep mold spores out of the air.

Water vapor condenses on cold surfaces. Temperature gradients from heating, cooking, breathing and having a warm body are enough to generate damp in our small boats. If there is sweet water in the accommadation and the bilge, this helps.
But if cold surfaces are limited and the relative humidity* is kept below 60%, mold won't grow.
Permanently nsulating the hull during the renovation imco will really help in controlling future mold.

Along with moisture mold needs food which comes from dust and organic particles including what drops off a human body. Many molds are comfortable with temps we are comfortable with: 60 to 80 degrees. Yet mold can inhabit cold and damp non-insulated lockers and crannies. In summer, ventilation can make conditions favorable if the flow of air doesn't clear all areas.

Airborne mold spores in a contaminated space can be toxic. That comes from breathing spores into the lungs. Compromising the immune system with bacteria can lead to viral infections like colds, pneumonia and flu.
Asthma comes from breathing the stuff, which can be very serious.

Spraying disinfectants and biocides at the problem will still leave mold allergens behind. And of course imco the chemicals themselves are toxic to humans if not entirely to mold. Cleaning won't remove mold from any porous material like carpet, bedding, cushions and mattress. If you detect mold, smell is good, you have to toss the object, even if it's the matresses. Attempting to dry opencell foam out in the sun won't do it. Unsealed wood surfaces and imco grimey old painted surfaces will also harbor mold.


Our housekeeper here on the estate flew to NY from SF for a Broadway show. She came back with a respiratory disease that was misdiagnosed by her commercial health care professional - and prescribed the wrong antibiotics - which landed her in the hospital. A third doctor after much fear - and serious pain - and many thousands of dollars figured out what was wrong - and she is better now - but poorer because of her deductible.

I believe she was attacked by mold living in the plastic and metal ducts in the plane's air conditioning.
I wonder what the unregulated a/c maintenance schedule is on constantly flying 20 year old 'warm seat' jets.
Remember Legionnaire's Disease? Many deaths. Finally found the bacteria (mold) happily living in the hotel's hot water plumbing.


Watch out, OK?


What do you do to control mold when your A/C is sitting around all winter?
Imco keeping mold out of the boat is a really smart thing (to try) to do.:)


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*check out the 110/12V Sunpentown Mini Dehumifier. $70 Overstock
Don't know the product - just an idea.
Another product found in Charlie's Greenhouse Supply is a AAAbat 6610 Climate Moniter. 3"W X 6"L. Outside/Inside temp + inside humidity with a high and low readings button. $34.95.
You'll have to test this one too.

[Tim D.]

Worthy reminder, thanks Ebb

[Hull376]

I've tried everything over the years to get rid of mold and keep it from reoccurring. Nothing has worked. I've used vinegar, bleach, basin & tile products, light, ventilation, anti-mold products (looks like expensive bleach to me), and although many of these make mold disappear for awhile, our humid warm subtropical air in Houston allows it to grow back faster than weeds in the spring. BUT......... I've got some recent encouraging results from trying the 3M mold guard polymer product for the first time. Looked expensive, but I decided to try it. I doesn't kill mold. You have to first clean moldy surfaces, then apply this water consistency liquid spray and wipe gently with a cloth. Let it dry and - presto, you're done. 3M claims it creates a barrier between mold spores and the surfaces that they live on (eat, really. Mold eats plastic, cloth, fiberglass, you name it!) No food, no mold! Sounded like a hoax to me at first.

Early results appear good. I applied this polymer in mid November, and as of today, mold has not reappeared on treated surfaces (fiberglass and painted interior surfaces.) Is it a godsend? Time will tell. But its kept the boat mold free longer than anything else I've tried. The product washes off with soap and water, so,,,, if you clean the cabin, you have to reapply it. But the main reason I clean the cabin is when the mold grows, so...... no mold, no cleaning.

The worst season for mold in Houston is Spring and Fall when the air temp changes quickly from hot to cold, warm to hot, and back to cold. This causes condensation on the inside of the boat---- mold irrigation, I call it. Anyone else have long term experience with these anti-mold polymers?

[ebb]

goodgod, did you read the label?
It could be some kind of silicone smooze.

[Stephan]

I never had much mold on my Commander, but on my Stretch Ariel, last fall the stuff grew like crazy. I guess it was partially the terribly wet summer, and me living on the boat, which created, like Ebb said, a constant source of food and moisture for the critters.
A friend recommended 'Concrobium'

http://www.concrobium.com/

which claims to work 'mechanically', and denies having anything poisonous or nasty. Sounded like bunk, but I've found it seemed to work, at least for a few months. You can get it at Home Depot.

I'll continue the fight, living on my boat is otherwise a potential health hazard...

[ebb]

Great find!
Sounds like it can also be found in the Periodic Table of Elements:)

But it seems to be made with baking soda and a proprietary salt of some sort.
Certainly sounds easier to live with than chlorine.

It says, after spraying it on surfaces, it has to DRY to work
which in some aps could be difficult to make happen.
It's salt air that keeps things damp.
It works by making a micro crust over the mold.
There is an extensive Q&A page on their site, with good info about it.
And they say it's available at Ace Hardware and big box stores
- so it will be easy to try it out. Maybe together with a dehumidifier in extreme cases.

It must also work as a preventative on a cleaned surface - can't remember ?

It would be great to also remove the stain with a simple and safe cleaner that makes it easy to wipe existing mold off with a sponge.
Since we have a 'closed' environment inside the boat it's important that we don't breathe the mold cleaner either.
Products with chlorine imco should NOT be aboard. The D-Limonene in citrus cleaners have been called into question also.*
We do have plain ole baking soda. But it's not very efficient. Maybe some form of it comes as a creme in a squeeze bottle to make it easier to use??
What ever happened to Boraxo?

Keep us informed on how well it's working. But I'm confused:
Is the idea to kill the mold first and then try to remove the stain that it made originally - along with the Concrobium crust?
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* but here is a non-subjective, hard-nosed view of this cleaner:
google> Citrus-based cleaning products are commonly found in

That's it. It's a Forestry Service (gov) site.
D-Limonene aka Orange Oil is a powerful solvent. It'll melt some plastics. Maybe it'll melt skin too? We shouldn't need an industrial waterless cleaner to kill and clean mold. So we're looking for a cleaner that obviously is composed of water and surfactants and has a great smell.
Which readily available product is the best to use aboard the boat
is still open for discussion, imco.
It may NOT be on the shelf of your favorite big box marine store.
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THIS IS PROBABLY WHAT TO USE ON THE BOAT.
On going back for a second look, noticed a 2-part Concrobium XT "environmentally responsible" kit. Part A is the mold CLEANER. Part B a coating but not a crust!
You may have to order this online. And it seems altogether a different system than "Mold Control". Whether it's boat-specific remains unknown until somebody reports back.