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Bleach On Deck To Remove Mildew

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sethp001
Mainsheet C-25 Tech Editor

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814 Posts

Initially Posted - 05/10/2013 : 10:24:21

Will using straight (undiluted) bleach on deck to remove mildew harm the surface?

Seth
"Outlier" 1987 Catalina 25 SR/SK/Traditional Interior #5541
"Zoo" 1977 Morgan Out Island 30
"Nomad" 1980 Prindle 16
"Lost" 1988 Catalina Capri 14.2 (sold - yay!)
"Marine Tex 1" Unknown Origin POS 8' Fiberglass Dinghy
https://whichsailboat.com/2014/07/27/catalina-25-review/

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C25PYLOT
1st Mate

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69 Posts

Response Posted - 05/10/2013 : 17:18:57

I don't know if straight bleach will hurt it or not, but I've been using a solution of 2 cups TSP, 2 cups bleach and a gallon of hot water and getting great results on Fiberglas and also fantastic cleaning results on teak grab rails and such. You can pick up TSP at lowes. (trisodium phosphate cleaner).
from a google search~ "Today, true TSP is used to prepare surfaces for painting and when mildew must be removed. TSP cleaners are able to remove grime, smoke, paint and paint remover sludge from walls rather effectively. When combined with bleach, trisodium phosphate is very effective for removing mildew."

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islander
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4023 Posts

Response Posted - 05/10/2013 : 17:25:21

If you mean will undiluted bleach hurt fiberglass? No.

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apiratelooksat40
Deckhand

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USA
6 Posts

Response Posted - 05/10/2013 : 18:37:26

When I first got my C30, it had been about 5 years she had been in the hard, and she was a mess. I used SoftScrub with Bleach on her top sides, and she came back bright and white. I was a little concerned, so this spring, when scrubbing down our C25 after a similar stay on the hard, we chose Heavy Duty Simple Green. Bio-Degradable and worked very well. I'll still prolly go back over some of the tough spots with the Soft Scrub, but will feel better about being too aggressive on the Gelcoat.

Hope this helps. Ours went in this week, and we get to board her for the first time in the water tomorrow!

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pastmember
Master Marine Consultant

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2402 Posts

Response Posted - 05/10/2013 : 19:32:26

Try vinegar.

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Sam001
Vice Commodore

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USA
441 Posts

Response Posted - 05/15/2013 : 06:38:36

I use 30% bleach and it does a good job. also agree for tough spots you have to do a little more. I will try the TSP.

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PZell
Admiral

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USA
548 Posts

Response Posted - 05/15/2013 : 06:48:50

Tilex mildew & Clorox cleanup squirt bottles. Great for specific spots and for general deck areas squirt some on and brush along with dish soap and water - voila.

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redeye
Master Marine Consultant

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3476 Posts

Response Posted - 05/19/2013 : 09:56:10

Jep mold and mildew cleaner. Home depo. You are not gonna believe it. With soft scrub. Made from a byproduct of the crabbing industry. I don't know what this stuff is but it is incredible.

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binky
Navigator

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USA
115 Posts

Response Posted - 05/19/2013 : 17:54:48

Zep brand?

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redeye
Master Marine Consultant

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3476 Posts

Response Posted - 05/19/2013 : 18:08:09

Yep. Zep brand . Sorry about the typo. Out on the boat using the iPhone. Not used to it and not seeing the screen well in daylight. Anyhoo... I've scrubed like heck with lots of stuff and especially the black from the gas tank locker would not come off and this zep product works like nothing I've ever seen. I'll post pics when I get back next week.

Edited by - redeye on 05/19/2013 18:15:41

OJ
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4382 Posts

Response Posted - 05/20/2013 : 18:47:10

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by PZell
 Tilex mildew & Clorox cleanup squirt bottles. Great for specific spots and for general deck areas squirt some on and brush along with dish soap and water - voila.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Tike works great - especially on the fine nonskid in the cockpit.

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redeye
Master Marine Consultant

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3476 Posts

Response Posted - 05/28/2013 : 08:47:48

The anchor locker did not get treated, showing what it looked like before. The Zep mold and mildew remover spray turned the deck white.

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islander
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4023 Posts

Response Posted - 05/28/2013 : 14:57:28

Looks good Ray, I will have to try some.... Tell me that isn't Duct Tape on the top of your shroud rollers...

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keeldad
1st Mate

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84 Posts

Response Posted - 05/28/2013 : 16:14:18

Went to my local Lowe's this weekend and got the Zep mold and mildew remover based on Ray's recommendation. Wow! Finally a product that works as advertised. I could never get the black dirt completely off the fuel tank area. Sprayed it on and rinsed it off. Beautiful! And cheap, $1.98 for a standard sized spray bottle. Thanks Ray.

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redeye
Master Marine Consultant

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3476 Posts

Response Posted - 05/29/2013 : 03:54:39

<< Duct Tape on the top of your shroud rollers >>

No.. but it looks as bad... I put some "sail" tape on them to keep them down and it looked bad but worked. Now the tape has degraded off and left it black. I missed the one on the backstay and we had a storm that spun it and broke apart, so it has been a mixed blessing.

Anyhoo.. yep the Zep works.. now if I can only get about 2 coats of wax on the deck after the zep strips it. ( and the soft scrub ) The zep seems to bleach everything white, but you still have to remove some of the stuff from the surface.

Only thing that cleaned the black marks by the tank, and I was just about swimming in the stuff and didn't seem to bother me.

Edited by - redeye on 05/29/2013 04:09:45

redviking
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1771 Posts

Response Posted - 05/29/2013 : 07:14:40

For really touch stains, use BleachWhite. Tire sidewall cleaner at autoparts stores. Caustic as hell and you'll have to wax that area after rinsing, but it can quickly flip even the most neglected of boats with a couple of bottles.

Sten

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sethp001
Mainsheet C-25 Tech Editor

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814 Posts

Response Posted - 05/29/2013 : 17:05:41

For better or worse, Monday I just used straight bleach and a sponge. Little elbow grease required.

Boat looks brand new.

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Drjohn71a
1st Mate

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USA
37 Posts

Response Posted - 05/30/2013 : 09:24:56

The old hull cleaners used Oxalic Acid to remove green and minerals. Bleach is good for mold. Vinegar will remove recent or not so solid calcifications. Older, thicker calcifications need Muriatic Acid, but you must be very very careful in it's use - very caustic - no brushes.

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Dustysailz
1st Mate

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USA
85 Posts

Response Posted - 06/02/2013 : 09:59:52

For years now I've been using Tilex on the rough spots and Soft Scrub with bleach for general deck and cockpit cleaning with no adverse affects. But will make it a point to add Zep to my cleaning bucket. Thanks for another great idea.

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Dustysailz
1st Mate

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USA
85 Posts

Response Posted - 06/02/2013 : 10:02:16

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zfrenchman
Deckhand

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Canada
9 Posts

Response Posted - 06/03/2013 : 07:24:15

Hi, I went to Canadian Tire on the weekend and picked up a couple of bottles of ZEP!

This stuff is amazing, easy to use, spray on, wait 2-3 minutes and hose off, no scrubbing. The boat has never looked better.

This is why I check the forum everyday. The information/knowledge is invaluable.

Thanks

Edited by - on

pfduffy
Captain

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USA
317 Posts

Response Posted - 06/03/2013 : 07:50:55

Another convert to zep mold and mildew. My fuel locker was thick with black gunk (mold?) that seems to be discussed frequently on this forum. And I didn't just have a little bit of this gunk - I had what seemed like an 1/8" layer in there from years of neglect. Spray with this stuff, let it sit for a couple of minutes and it hosed out almost clean. Scotch-brite pad finished off the rest. It looks amazing!

I also cleaned the hull for the first time in a very long time this weekend. Previously, I had simply given up on the hull looking good thinking that I have an old boat and old boats have oxidized hulls. However, I scrubbed the hull with scotch-brite pads and it came up looking pretty good considering how little effort I put in. So I'm probably going to be in for the full hull restoration - compound, polish, wax treatment. I'm already hopelessly late in splashing my boat so another week or two is just not going to matter too much!

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