Black mould

Thank you everyone for helping with my last question. I now have another. We bought our Autosleeper in October and decided to give it a really good clean today. Horror of horrors the black mould that had been hidden by silicone has reared its ugly head. Any ideas on the best thing to use to clear this.

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Lidl have mould remover in stock now. Never tried it myself so can't comment on its effectiveness.

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Try HE mould remover very effective. I suggest painting it on with a very small brush leave for 10 mins and wipe off.  Then reapply and leave.

I've used Milton to good effect.

Frank

Cymro wrote:

PaulMold: can you, of all people, please change the title of this thread to "Mould"?  I'd hate to blacken the name of lovely Mold!

Cymro

Done.

Having cleaned the entire van (in outside storage) last September, I noticed several days ago the sealant about the roof line had gone black again. I usually use a toothbrush dipped in bleach to give it a good scrub. Those higher affected areas are aided by pushing the brush into the hollow end of a metre length of Gardman garden cane. Recall the sealant above the windscreen was black along the entire length when we bought the van at two years old and the bleach after a couple of applications cleaned it up a new. In future will probably use one of the recommend products as not sure if household bleach causes any damage long term.

You will never get rid of it entirely, there are many different solutions and applications that will improve it but once the mould is in the sealant it is there to stay. The only real way is to remove the old sealant and replace it with a quality product, no wish to cast nasturtiums on A/S but in common with most manufacturers they use the cheapest sealant, not the best and hence it goes mouldy after a period of time!!

I intend to replace mine this Summer but it isn't a job for the feint hearted.

Detox is very good on shower mould.

I use Dettol mold remover in the shower at home, takes about two minutes to remove it.
Pete

Is the mould likely to damage the sealant? 

I have used Lakeland's  'Blitz that mould'. I worry about using such a strong a cleaner in case it weakens the seal. Thanks for any advice.

I have used HG mould spray and found it very effective it’s available from B&Q


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Once the mould has taken hold of the surface of the sealant, it can be very stubborn to remove.

However, I have found a scrub with some white spirit, a toothbrush and a clean cloth to wipe the sealant after a few seconds will remove the mould along with the very top surface of the sealant which has been damaged and degraded by the mould. What you are left with is an "as new" surface. The deeper the incursion by the mould into the sealant, the longer you will need to allow the white spirit to soften the surface of the sealant. For particularly bad areas, you may need to go over it twice. I do it annually when I do a detailed clean of the motorhome (or previously my caravans) and the sealant has never suffered as a result.


Dennis

groundhog wrote:You will never get rid of it entirely, there are many different solutions and applications that will improve it but once the mould is in the sealant it is there to stay. The only real way is to remove the old sealant and replace it with a quality product, no wish to cast nasturtiums on A/S but in common with most manufacturers they use the cheapest sealant, not the best and hence it goes mouldy after a period of time!!

I intend to replace mine this Summer but it isn't a job for the feint hearted.

Sorry but 40+ years of detailing boats, classic cars and even planes as a hobby tells me that all these remedies are like putting cream on your arthritis, it might make it feel or look slightly better but it will never solve the problem. I would be very careful with chemicals, some could easily damage the GRP or sealant.

Nothing at all wrong with any of the suggestions just be careful and be aware the root cause will not go away.

groundhog wrote:

groundhog wrote:You will never get rid of it entirely, there are many different solutions and applications that will improve it but once the mould is in the sealant it is there to stay. The only real way is to remove the old sealant and replace it with a quality product, no wish to cast nasturtiums on A/S but in common with most manufacturers they use the cheapest sealant, not the best and hence it goes mouldy after a period of time!!

I intend to replace mine this Summer but it isn't a job for the feint hearted.

Sorry but 40+ years of detailing boats, classic cars and even planes as a hobby tells me that all these remedies are like putting cream on your arthritis, it might make it feel or look slightly better but it will never solve the problem. I would be very careful with chemicals, some could easily damage the GRP or sealant.

Nothing at all wrong with any of the suggestions just be careful and be aware the root cause will not go away.

I have tried all the snake oils, some mentioned above, to get rid of black mould in silicone so when Lady G bought cilit bang mould remover, I chastised her for wasting money and being conned by the advertisers!
Time to eat humble pie!
This stuff didn't get rid of the black mould completely but left it on to soak for 15 minutes and the result was way better then anything I have tried before. I am very surprised at how effective it was. Might even post some pics of before and after when it stops raining.