Noticed that the cabin cushions on my 208 Adventure are showing some signs of mildew. I suspect storing the seat cushions and life vests on top before they were fully dry has led to this. Can anyone suggest a safe cleaner or process for the fabric that won't damage the cloth.
Cabin Cushion Mildew
- Thread starter Adventure208MA
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Legend
GreatGrady Captain
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If it is not too bad sometime a good dose of sunshine will take care of it - I use a solution water and bleach - about 1 part bleach to 10 parts water. I just spray it on the mildew and walk away - an hour or so later it should be gone - I have not had any color issues with the bleach at this diluted strength. I tried a bunch of products that are sold in marine stores and none of them work. good luck
I agree with legend. This year I have one of those small spray bottles that I had purchased to use with dish soap and water to putnew stripes on my boat. After I was finished with that I filled the bottle with a mixture similar to legend's mix and I keep it on the boat. Anytime I see a little mold I shoot it, works great and no color issues.
Capt Bill
GreatGrady Captain
I bought something (possibly West Marine) a few years ago, green color, and was safe and effective on fabric, but I forgot what it was called. There are a few commercial products out that claim to work; BioZap and MoldStat are two of them. You can try this homemade remedy (not mine... I found it on the web), and see if it works for you:
"Some people are allergic to bleach or the fumes make them sick. This formula does the job without the reaction to bleach:
Non-bleach mildew remover:
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup Borax powder (available at any grocery store etc.)
2 cups warm water
Mix ingredients in a bucket or in a spray bottle. Apply to the mildew spot and leave it on for 10 minutes. Rinse afterwards."
"Some people are allergic to bleach or the fumes make them sick. This formula does the job without the reaction to bleach:
Non-bleach mildew remover:
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup Borax powder (available at any grocery store etc.)
2 cups warm water
Mix ingredients in a bucket or in a spray bottle. Apply to the mildew spot and leave it on for 10 minutes. Rinse afterwards."
Legend said:
I would test a small spot with the bleach mixture first to make sure it doesn't damage the color.
I also have a 208 and searched high and low for the recommended cleaning process and unfortunately, that depends on the type of material. I searched for labels but couldn't find any. Looking at various fabric cleansers, each had warnings about using on specific fabrics so in the end, I uses a soft brush and mild soap followed by a light rinse with a wet towel. I repeated that several times and let the cushions dry.
If the mildew is in the foam, it will come back. You can spray the foam with a mildewcide but you need to test a sample first and you need to remove the covers, That is a royal pain.
After the whole thing is dry and clean, an application of Scotch Guard will help going forward. You also need to test an inconspicuous spot first. I suspect that the fabric could be dry cleaned too.