Cleaning mold off vinyl

[chopp]

Does anyone know a good way to clean mold off 2013 vinyl. I've used some strong cleaners but nothing will get rid of it.

[OzEmu]

I use 303 cleaning products, "cleaner and spot remover" and protect it using "aerospace protectant" brilliant stuff.
I've also heard, but never tried, leaving the mould in the sun and it dies a natural death!


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[Nautiquehunter]

Hydrogen Peroxide will kill the mold I don't know about the staining

[swatguy]

Try some Totally Awesome Cleaner. Stuff works wonders with s soft bristle scrub brush. If they are really bad use a Mr Clean Magic Eraser with the Totally Awesome. If you have access to auto body detailing shops Malco also works very well but it's bit more expensive that the Totally Awesome Cleaner. Don't dilute it. It's available at most big box stores, but the cheapest at Dollar General stores. Just to sure to use a protectant afterwards like 303. Direct sunlight will be your friend.

[Paxdad]

Try some Totally Awesome Cleaner. Stuff works wonders with s soft bristle scrub brush. If they are really bad use a Mr Clean Magic Eraser with the Totally Awesome. If you have access to auto body detailing shops Malco also works very well but it's bit more expensive that the Totally Awesome Cleaner. Don't dilute it. It's available at most big box stores, but the cheapest at Dollar General stores. Just to sure to use a protectant afterwards like 303. Direct sunlight will be your friend.

Do not use a Magic Eraser on vinyl..... it will destroy the surface. Agree though that the LA Totally Awesome does work.

[xrichard]

Totally Awesome is a great cleaner, but citric/acid based and I avoid those on vinyl. (The reality is it's probably fine as long as you get it off relatively quickly.) Magic Eraser will probably do the trick, but it's an abrasive. I've never used it because of that even though a lot of folks do with good results (...FWIW, I use Magic Eraser to follow up a bleach and water combination to clean mold off the vinyl awning on my travel trailer every year after winter storage---it works well, but I'm not so particular about my awning staying like-new).

I bought a boat once with quite a bit of mold. I ended up using hydrogen peroxide to kill the mold (...I applied it on the bad areas and covered it with saran wrap (or similar) on an overcast day and let it sit). Then I used a stiff brush and cleaned it with soap/water and other gentle products made for Vinyl (...I forget the names, but the typical stuff you see recommended here periodically). That made it look a lot better and killed the mold. Then I got patient. Once the mold is dead, my experience is exposure to sun combined with standard cleaning after every time I use the boat will eventually make the spots disappear.

The boat in question had mold pretty bad where the cover touched the top of the rear seat back over the winter before I bought it. I bought it in March and sold it in September. When I sold it, there was know trace of mold. I can't remember how long it took to disappear, but IIRC it was actually gone within a couple of months.

[Paxdad]

As other have stated kill the mold, clean it, and let the boat sit in the sun. You will be amazed at how fast it will disappear. I had a really bad mold stain on my fold down reversible seat and it eventually disappeared.

[core-rider]

DO NOT use Magic Eraser!!! It will remove the stains, but will also remove the UV protective layer on the vinyl causing it to be most easily stained in the future. I've never had an issue with mold, but I've used both Malco and Totally Awesome cleaners. They both work great. I dilute TA with water about 50:50 and use a scrub brush for cleaning, then wipe it off with a damp rag. Protect with 303!!!

On a similar note... Has anymore using TA noticed some discolored areas on darker vinyls? It seems to give a slightly "chalky" or "white haze" look to the black areas of my vinyl. Its not consistent and will be blotchy. I've also noticed what looks to be streaks where it looks as if I spray it on, let it sit, and it will run leaving this discolored streak. I don't let it sit though. I spray on, scrub, and wipe off. It only seems to be noticeable on darker materials. The white looks fine. I may go back to Malco even though it costs more and is harder to find to see if this issue goes away.

[shag]

I have used diluted Tilex (1/2 Tilex and half water) for probably 15 years. The thing you need to do though is flood the seams with fresh water after you clean with the Tilex. I actually take the hose without a nozzle and place it right on each thread seam and run the entire length of the seam. This process has worked well for me and I have had no vinyl problems with any of the Nautiques I have owned by cleaning this way.

[swatguy]

I guess we can agree to disagree on the Magic Eraser. I can say with certainty I have used and know of numerous people that have used
Magic Erasers with no negative results whatsoever. Yes it's a small abrasive, but used one time or in extreme conditions as a last resort it will not harm the vinyl in the long run used sparingly. Condition and protect it with the right products, and use everything in moderation and you will all good. I have used a Magic Eraser at some point on every boat I have ever owned. Never had one cause any damage. We used them at the dealership I worked at for special circumstances. Again not one boat that suffered anything. My last personal boat saw 1200hrs of use. Vinyl lasted 900hrs on a vinyl that was known to be the crappiest year ever for the mfg. even then the guy at the vinyl shop couldn't believe I was reading the vinyl. The only sign of wear it showed was the stress tears in few of the seams. No cracking, splotching, or fading. The key is to condition and protect after any deep cleaning to restore what you strip off