Best way to clean off mildew

[jerseytiger10]

have pretty decent build up of mildew on all my cushions on my 360 express. What’s your go to methods of cleaning it up. I’m bored.

 

[Greyduk]

I used starbrite mold and mildew stain remover on some cushions that had black mold spots on them. They turned out terrific. All you have to do is spray it on and let it sit for about 15 minutes and then rinse it off. It will not deteriorate the threads.

 

[Viking88rd]

x14. When I had our new to us 2007 Marlin surveyed, there was significant mildew located in multiple compartments. x14 was the first word out of the surveyor's mouth. It's really a household mildew product that is available everywhere. So, I tried it. Wow! Amazing results.

 

[Fishtales]

I like the Zep Mold and Mildew product sold at HD.

 

[Andrew93]

I have found the Lysol Mold and Mildew Foamer, its in a purple bottle, works comparable to Starbrite, Spray on and rinse off. Might be a problem finding it now though.

 

[Capt Tom]

I have found out mold and mildew comes in two forms. One that comes off and one that is embedded into the vinyl with a permanent scarring even if bleached out. So when you hear about certain products working great, well that depends.

 

[Fishtales]

Correct, some mold can come from inside the vinyl. The pink blotches are a good example. That being said, try outside first. Then try to eliminate as much as possible from other areas to keep the spores down. I've also hung a couple some charcoal bags in the bilge. No idea if it works, some say it captures the spores.

 

[Rustygaff]

Marine 31. The stuff works but is strong. Spray it on, let sit, scrub, and hose off. After dry, apply protectant.

 

[igblack87]

I use this stuff...its awesome. https://www.lmcshop.com/products/am...MI0paouL-I6QIVip-fCh0mxQpcEAQYBCABEgKA9vD_BwE

 

[Joshcoe]

Marine 31, by far the best stuff. But. Very strong. It will bleach cloth. So best to take cushions off and apply off the boat. The stuff is like magic.

 

[seasick]

I used to use the mildew treatment by Zep sold at HD. It did a good job but is basically bleach so clothes, stictch etc. can be affected. It also has to be rinsed off well.
I stooped using it 2 years ago after experiencing several instances where it didn't seem to work like it used to. I either got bad batches or they changed the formula.
Now I have been using a product called MDR Mold Away. It takes a bit longer to dissolve the mold spots but it does work well, is not as caustic as other products and doesn't burn your lungs.
When using chlorine based chemicals, be sure to rinse especially gel coat. Bleach can turn gel coat yellow
Note that if you have pink mold on your vinyl , there is not much you can do to eliminate it short of new upholstery.

 

[Legend]

StarBrite has a mold/mildew cleaner that works great even on cushions but not fabric. It has a buffered bleach so that the cushion threads are not damaged as could happen with bleach. My cushions looked amazing after trying it.

 

[Halfhitch]

StarBrite has a mold/mildew cleaner that works great even on cushions but not fabric. It has a buffered bleach so that the cushion threads are not damaged as could happen with bleach. My cushions looked amazing after trying it.

I second the vote for Starbrite...can't beat the results.

 

[Sparkdog118]

Call me crazy, but this stuff works amazing. Lol. https://www.dollargeneral.com/las-awesome-cleaner.html

 

[Capt Tom]

My boat sits under a carport out of the sun and rain but is prone to dust and moisture. The mildew I get is a combination of dust, then constantly drying into the fabric. This stuff doesn't come clean with anything I ever used without bleach except for Starbrite. I hear Marine 31 is good for this kind that is embedded into fabric but the Starbrite worked for me.

 

[oliver305]

Star Brite is a great cleaner, you can consider it. I have personally used this product before and found it to be effective in removing stains coming from mildew and even molds. Sprayed waited about 10 minutes, and it worked GREAT. Mildew and old stains almost completely gone.

 

[jillyrubyjane]

Mildew remover of Marine31, this stuff is amazing. I had tried 5 other products that I had researched online and had good reviews to clean the mildew off of my boat seats and had almost given up on them until I found this. I bought it assuming I would get the same results as before, just a lot of scrubbing and money wasted on something that was useless, but I gave it a try anyway. I am so glad I did. When the bottle arrived I immediately went out and sprayed all of my seats, grabbed the brush to scrub them and the seat I sprayed first was totally clean. I would definitely recommend this product to anyone with a boat or who had outside furniture that gets any mold/mildew. It is safe on most materials and is water safe so you can use it on boats that stay docked all the time and not feel bad about it getting rinsed off and killing fish.

 

[Fishtales]

I used to use the mildew treatment by Zep sold at HD. It did a good job but is basically bleach so clothes, stictch etc. can be affected. It also has to be rinsed off well.
I stooped using it 2 years ago after experiencing several instances where it didn't seem to work like it used to. I either got bad batches or they changed the formula.
Now I have been using a product called MDR Mold Away. It takes a bit longer to dissolve the mold spots but it does work well, is not as caustic as other products and doesn't burn your lungs.
When using chlorine based chemicals, be sure to rinse especially gel coat. Bleach can turn gel coat yellow
Note that if you have pink mold on your vinyl , there is not much you can do to eliminate it short of new upholstery.

Agree on the pink blotches. I was told that this comes from the inside out, so not much you can do. Also heard that the reason for it is defective vinyl. My 282 Sailfish developed the pink blotches and GW stepped up with a bolster replacements. Basically got the entire set. I had to do the install which was easy.

 

[seasick]

My boat sits under a carport out of the sun and rain but is prone to dust and moisture. The mildew I get is a combination of dust, then constantly drying into the fabric. This stuff doesn't come clean with anything I ever used without bleach except for Starbrite. I hear Marine 31 is good for this kind that is embedded into fabric but the Starbrite worked for me.

After cleaning and drying the material, use a treatment like 303 protectorant. It will help the fabrics shed water instead of soaking it id. It also has added UV protection that can help slow down the aging.

Note that on some upholstery, mold grows in the foam and can bleed out through the covering. When you clean the mold on the outside, you are only dealing with the 'tip of the iceberg'.
Since you are bored, see if the cushion covers have zippers and if they work. You can remove the cover and see what the inside looks like. You may see foam wrapped in plastic. That is there for two reasons: It makes the foam slipperier and easier to stuff into the cover and it haps shed water. The down side is that it can also trap water and not allow the foam to dry out. Moldy foam is hard to 'de-mold' See how yours looks and let us know.

 

[eppem]

Zep, works great and its cheap. Of course like all, its a bleach based formula but its the right mix. Works great on scum in the bilge too. Be warned, you will bleach out anything you are wearing the gets dripped on. I've used it for years and suggested it to many of my friends, they all agree, "good stuff"!!!