mildew - upholstery cleaning
 

First I must stop rain-water leaks and improve ventilation - different
thread.

But for now I have some mildewed cabin upholstery. Some of the cushions are
not practically removable without destroying them(?).

Having talked to a few local experienced boaters and read some archived
rec.boats material, I'm thinking of wet vacuuming it, and then cleaning it
with a dilute vinegar solution.

I'm not so concerned if there's a little pigmentation left afterwards, as
long as it's dead. (This is a good working boat, but not a "show boat.") And
so far, odor hasn't been a big problem. I just need to stop this process
from spreading.

(Even if I can clean the uphostery, what about the cushion foam inside ...
?)

Does my plan seem sound? Thanks to all.

Charles

====

Charles T. Low
- remove "UN"
www.boatdocking.com/BDPhoto.html - Photo Contest
www.boatdocking.com
www.ctlow.ca/Trojan26 - my boat

====

mildew - upholstery cleaning
 

"Charles T. Low" wrote in message . ..
First I must stop rain-water leaks and improve ventilation - different
thread.

But for now I have some mildewed cabin upholstery. Some of the cushions are
not practically removable without destroying them(?).

Having talked to a few local experienced boaters and read some archived
rec.boats material, I'm thinking of wet vacuuming it, and then cleaning it
with a dilute vinegar solution.

I'm not so concerned if there's a little pigmentation left afterwards, as
long as it's dead. (This is a good working boat, but not a "show boat.") And
so far, odor hasn't been a big problem. I just need to stop this process
from spreading.

(Even if I can clean the uphostery, what about the cushion foam inside ...
?)

Does my plan seem sound? Thanks to all.

Charles

====

Charles T. Low
- remove "UN"
www.boatdocking.com/BDPhoto.html - Photo Contest
www.boatdocking.com
www.ctlow.ca/Trojan26 - my boat

====

Charles, is this white nylon material your looking to clean up? If it
is I've been using Weatlies (not sure of the spelling) white wall tire
cleaner. But beware, it has bleach in it, kills mildew but can damage
colored fabrics, so wet them down well before cleaning and rinse off.
But it really works well with one of those abbrasive kitchen pads.

mildew - upholstery cleaning
 

"John" wrote
I've been using Weatlies (not sure of
the spelling) white wall tire cleaner.

You mean this stuff? http://westleys.com/internal_pages/Bleche-White.htm

mildew - upholstery cleaning
 

Bleach is the best known mildew killer. Depending on how tough the job is,
what needs to be cleaned and your desperation level you need to spray and
wash away (if upholstery considered, otherwise you may leave it to dry) with
a diluted bleach 1 to 10 or 20 (just a guess ...???). I've done it many
times on different occasions and different tasks. White-wall cleaner seems
to be also bleach based. Tilex and mildew-removers-cleaners work well too.
Try with a really weak solution first. Do the color test. On fabrics 2-3
tablespoons per liter. Spray it over the part of area. wait 5-30 min. Use
lots of white (10%) viegear solution (same proportions or stronger) to
terminate bleaching afterwards. Vinigear is used to stabilize fabric dyes so
I doubt if it's going to leave any stains whatsoever. After cleaning keep
your cabin dry and well ventilated.



"Joe Blizzard" wrote in message
...
"John" wrote
I've been using Weatlies (not sure of
the spelling) white wall tire cleaner.

You mean this stuff? http://westleys.com/internal_pages/Bleche-White.htm

mildew - upholstery cleaning
 

Thanks to all for the information.

Further clarification: I do have a white fitted sheet with bad mildew
staining, which the washing machine hasn't been able to clean, but my just
discard it. The main problem is colored upholstery fabric.

Charles

====

Charles T. Low
- remove "UN"
www.boatdocking.com/BDPhoto.html - Photo Contest
www.boatdocking.com
www.ctlow.ca/Trojan26 - my boat

====

"Proxy" wrote in message
e.rogers.com...
Bleach is the best known mildew killer. Depending on how tough the job is,
what needs to be cleaned and your desperation level you need to spray and
wash away (if upholstery considered, otherwise you may leave it to dry)
with
a diluted bleach 1 to 10 or 20 (just a guess ...???). I've done it many
times on different occasions and different tasks. White-wall cleaner seems
to be also bleach based. Tilex and mildew-removers-cleaners work well too.
Try with a really weak solution first. Do the color test. On fabrics 2-3
tablespoons per liter. Spray it over the part of area. wait 5-30 min. Use
lots of white (10%) viegear solution (same proportions or stronger) to
terminate bleaching afterwards. Vinigear is used to stabilize fabric dyes
so
I doubt if it's going to leave any stains whatsoever. After cleaning keep
your cabin dry and well ventilated.

mildew - upholstery cleaning
 

Careful with the bleach on the threads of the vynal, it will eat it.