Now we have mould...

[Malcolm Tugless]

Week 2 and the mould is back.
OIL OF CLOVES does  not work.
Its great to clean it but not strong enough to kill the spours.

Shannon Lush - FAIL

Going to try wet and forget now......and reproof the canvas

Stookie

Oil of cloves works, but as mentioned earlier it only brings death to the areas it touches. Any mould spores left unattended will continue their terrorist antics. Same goes for any treatments. Completely drying the canvas prior to any form of treatment will give one an optimal chance of success. Up in FNQ ATM will somewhat negate the optimum options. Enjoy the culture, yogurt and cheese thrive on it.  I've got nothing for ya, except that if you're in town head to Fetta.s Greek Taverna, tell George that bubba sent you.

[Straitened Out]

Week 2 and the mould is back.
OIL OF CLOVES does  not work.
Its great to clean it but not strong enough to kill the spours.

Shannon Lush - FAIL

Going to try wet and forget now......and reproof the canvas

Stookie

I know it's a while ago, but did you try wet'n'forget? I need to do my tonneau so looked up this thread.
Cheers
S.O.

[fridayman]

We recently had a mould problem and got rid of it by doing the following:
- brush and vac all the surfaces that have mould (we did the entire interior to be sure)
- wash about half a canvas panel at a time with a 1:10 part white vinegar solution using a sponge
- rinse off the vinegar solution with a sponge and clean water before the vinegar solution dries
- let it dry thoroughly
Job done and haven't had any mould since.

[Straitened Out]

We recently had a mould problem and got rid of it by doing the following:
- brush and vac all the surfaces that have mould (we did the entire interior to be sure)
- wash about half a canvas panel at a time with a 1:10 part white vinegar solution using a sponge
- rinse off the vinegar solution with a sponge and clean water before the vinegar solution dries
- let it dry thoroughly
Job done and haven't had any mould since.

Sounds like a plan! How long has it lasted?
Cheers
S.O.

[fridayman]

We did it almost 2 months ago and not a hint of mould since (although we've had pretty good weather).

[SteveandViv]

Week 2 and the mould is back.
OIL OF CLOVES does  not work.
Its great to clean it but not strong enough to kill the spours.

Shannon Lush - FAIL

Going to try wet and forget now......and reproof the canvas

Stookie

What happened to the bleach plus water? This was from some one who made canvas gear, is it no good

[Big Nath]

Don't use bleach. Never ever use bleach. Bleach doesn't remove mould, it simply removes its colour, leaving the mould spores in your canvas.

Use equal parts vinegar and warm water.

Also ensure your tent can be aired in direct sunlight.

[SteveandViv]

Don't use bleach. Never ever use bleach. Bleach doesn't remove mould, it simply removes its colour, leaving the mould spores in your canvas.

Use equal parts vinegar and warm water.

Also ensure your tent can be aired in direct sunlight.

Yea, wouldn't know. It was posted by a Canvas manufacturing owner who a lot of us know. I've never had an issue but we cant camp in the wet so to speak as it is, well too wet

Thanks for the update.

[achjimmy]

We had an older Expanda with lots of mould that had been there many months when we bought it. Used watered down bleach and it removed it for good. Never came back even in some ordinary conditions. We  scrubbed it with brushes. Only thing I would not do again is use bleach and a nail brush on the stitches, definitely weakened them .


The guys on Expanda forum use some commercially available spray 10-1 or seconds or something?

Edit we used Domestos and water. Is that bleach?

Stuff they rave about for Mould removal  is called "30 seconds"  http://30seconds.com.au/

[jclures]

I have used bleach a couple of times in different canvas items, never had a problem, and the mould never came back. I sought advice from a couple of local suppliers up here, and they said use bleach, after all in the tropics mould is always a problem.

[Woodsie]

Here is the link to Bunnings for 30 seconds:
http://www.bunnings.com.au/products_product_30-seconds-1l-lemon-indoor-mould-cleaner_P4460441.aspx?rangeid=128&searchByTerms=false&search=&filter=brandname--30+Seconds

[lilstookie]

The mould we had was whilst camping in Cairns, We could not get Mother nature to stop the rain long enough to get good drying time.
Once we cleaned with vinegar and although it cleaned the canvas the mould cam back within days.

Oil of cloves , we didnt find it worked at all.
Bleach.......would never use bleach on canvas.........EVER.

Wet and forget worked very well and the mould never came back.

It was a mix of conditions for us.
We where camped on grass for 2 months in Cairns whilst the car was being fixed. The weather was very changeable and humid so things never really got a chance to dry for long before getting wet again.

We live on a station up in the gulf and when we have pulled the tent out the marks can still be seen but have faded and there in no further growth anywhere and we have been through a wet season too.
Wet and forget worked for us and it was the only solution that did.

[meandclan]

Don't use bleach. Never ever use bleach. Bleach doesn't remove mould, it simply removes its colour, leaving the mould spores in your canvas.

Use equal parts vinegar and warm water.

Also ensure your tent can be aired in direct sunlight.

mate you are the salesman so dont want to disagree but i heard oil of cloves actually kills mould spores at the molecular level BUT does it stain and thats why you recommend vinegar? cheers kev (i got the flu so bored sitting home reading reading reading....)

[Big Nath]

Yeah, understand. We recommend vinegar and warm water. It may require a renter rub, but that then forces it deep into the fabric killing the mould.

[blackcat]

dragging this topic back up again, our camper has been packed up since our trip in June/ July - Damn Melbourne weather never giving us the opportunity to get the camper up and aired, have opened it this arvo to find some black mould spots - no furry stuff thankfully, just these spots here and there. I'm figuring from whats being said here that the vinegar / warm water solution is the way to go, just want to check first if we just spray it on, and leave to dry, and then brush down when dry?

[barnray]

We have just spent a week trying to remove mould from our camper. We tried warm salt water and vinegar with limited results. The tent is a bit high and the mould a bit thick for both of the methods. After some deliberation I remove the canvas from the trailer and used 30sec to clean all the canvas. I made sure that I washed all of it off with a hose several times. I have done this twice without any damage to the canvas and this time used a waterproofing spray as well. Time will tell. Also the base of 30sec is a sodium Hypercholrite (bleach). Barnray

[blackcat]

thanks for your reply Banray, is this the product you used http://www.bunnings.com.au/products_product_30-seconds-1l-lemon-indoor-mould-cleaner_P4460441.aspx?rangeid=128&searchByTerms=false&search=&filter=brandname--30+Seconds
We have some spots on the roof of the CT so not looking forward to trying to remove that   
What waterproofing product did you use?

[barnray]

http://www.bunnings.com.au/30-seconds-5l-multipurpose-cleaner-concentrate_p4461755
G'day Blackcat this is the stuff I used, its the same as Exit Mould but cheaper in the 5L. I did check with our local tent repairer and the manufactures web site to see if it was suitable. You can't leave it on for very long as it is a bleach and it will change the colour of the canvas. I used a garden sprayer to apply. The waterproofing I used is dynaproof and it can be sprayed on and then rolled for a more uniform coat

[blackcat]

Thanks heaps Barnray 

[Carlisle Rogers]

My swags always mould up in the garage over summer here in the Sunny Coast.

I just spray down with white vinegar (straight) and it not only kills the mould, but seems to make it disappear, colour and all. Lasts a while too. And the vinegar smell goes away pretty quickly. Saves washing and scrubbing everything. You still have to get into every nook and cranny of the canvas, though.

Clove oil should work as a preventative. Many people up here add it to house paint to prevent mould growth down the road...

Carlisle

[Big Nath]

The problem with all of the commercial tripe products is its bleach based. Bleach doesn't kill mould spores. It simply, as the name suggests, bleaches it. Bleach will damage canvas and wax coatings on canvas. On new trailers etc be careful as using bleach may void any remaining warranty.

[blackcat]

Thanks Carlisle and Big nath, when you spray with the vinegar, so you have to wash the canvas after, or do you just leave the vinegar on there to 'do its thing'?

[jclures]

I found this.
http://blackmold.awardspace.com/kill-remove-mold.html

[Carlisle Rogers]

I just leave it. And it doesn't affect waterproofing either, from my experience anyway.

Thanks Carlisle and Big nath, when you spray with the vinegar, so you have to wash the canvas after, or do you just leave the vinegar on there to 'do its thing'?

[blackcat]

Thanks Carlisle, we shall give it a go!