Surface mould

[Craig Aho]

I was wondering if anyone had an opinion on how easily remove surface mold on wooden surfaces. My nice clean wood during the winter developed a lot of black mould all over inside and out except of course the bottom and transom which I had glassed and painted before the cold damp winter set in. Now that I am back to working on the boat I have the mould to deal with. The inside I cant deal with untill I turn the boat over. I was able to look on inside due to the aft end is elevated about 2' due to building on a sloped ground surface. I was thinking just sanding but wonder if there is a general cleaning product I could just wipe on and clean the surfaces. I expect to prime the sufaces inside with kilz primer and continue glassing the outside. Thanks for any feedback.

Craig

[jbrandt]

try some denatured alcohol. that will kill the mold and leave no residue. good luck!
jerry

[Bill Edmundson]

10% bleach will take it out.

Bill

[Craig Aho]

Thanks Guys I give them a try.

Craig

[rjw]

As a retired home inspector, I took a lot of classes in mold and mold cleanup.

There are no magic wipe on/wipe off solutions.

Bleach only kills active mold blooms - it does not kill the spores. And never spray bleach - that is essentially weaponizing it and can cause significant lung damage.

I never heard of denatured alcohol as an effective cleaner - maybe yes, maybe no.

To get rid of mold and the spores, you have to vigorously scour the surfaces. Personally, I like TSP - automatic dishwashing powder is a good cleaner - it has surface emulsificants, TSP. and rinse agents.

Get ready to scrub. A good respirator (not just a dust mask) is a good idea.

[jbrandt]

All good thoughts. There are a lot of thoughts on mold... I know bleach is a great killer. I have no info on the residual effects of bleach and epoxy/fiberglass/paint. I know denatured alcohol has no residue, and will kill anything it comes in contact with. A good respirator is a fabulous idea no matter what you use. Unless the wood is rotting and softening, I think you will be ok. Kill it and seal it. This is a great thread for those of us who haven't yet sealed our upside down carcasses.

[rjw]

>>I know bleach is a great killer.

It kills the active blooms, not not the spoors - so mold blooms will quickly return.

Scrubbing/scouring is needed to reduce/eliminate the spores.