Cleaning inside of pop top

[homefree]

I got a little mold developing from extended stay in very wet conditions. I want to clean and stop the mold but not sure of the best way to clean this fuzzy flocking type of texture on the ceiling.

Anything would be a great help!!!



~~~1982 Aircooled Vanagon Westy

[70coupyel]

This has been covered a lot. Look in the "Vanagon Essentials ~ The FAQ Guide".
_________________

[Jeff's Old Volks Home]

Water/ bleach a spray bottle and a stiff brush. With some elbow grease it looks great and last a long time.
Jeff

[dobryan]

[homefree]

You don't think scrubbing will damage the flocking?

[crazyvwvanman]

I have found no need to scrub at all. I use a bleach/water mix, misted on with a spray bottle. 3 to 1 water to bleach. The mold disappears in a couple minutes. Protect everywhere else from the bleach spray! Use a fresh bottle of bleach, not something that has been hanging around for a long time.

Mark

[SL1]

[tam_shops]

I read about people using bleach on the mold in the FAQ.

What do you do to neutralize the bleach when you are done? Bleach is a basic (alkaline pH 12), it needs an acid (I use white Vinegar pH3) to neutralize it. If you do not neutralize it, it will continue to eat away at your canopy/flocking and anything else that it is left on. This final step, then leaving it in the sun, could prolong the life of some of your fibres. The vinegar will also kill any remaining mold spores.

http://blackmold.awardspace.com/black-mold-clothes.html

And, you have to do the two chemicals on two different days. After it's had time to sit in the sun. Chlorine and Vinegar can create toxic vapours when mixed directly together in large quantities.

http://chemistry.about.com/b/2007/09/26/the-killing-power-of-bleach-and-vinegar.htm


What do you guys do about the bed up there? If the mold is on the flocking and canopy, isn't it on the bed too?

tam

[SL1]

good point on the vinegar, I never thought of the bleach continuing to work, maybe thats why the mold never came back anyway, have not noticed any degradation of the flocking, perhaps leaving it out in the 30 degree sunshine helped.

The mattress was fine, no signs of any mold, it sat in the sun all day too just to 'freshen' it up. The majority of the mold I found was on fwd part of the roof, within 2 feet of the shklight area....
_________________
Steve
1985 GL Westy - 'Bullwinkle'
1978 Super Beetle - 'Rocky'

[tam_shops]

Interesting that the most mold is around the skylight, guess it's damp there, but mold likes dark so much I'd expect it to be back farther as well. It's like a disease that spreads...

Yes, keeps working, even on your clothes. When I use bleach, I do the load as such. Then, re-wash w/ soap and rinse w/ vinegar.

The soap also does something to neutralize the effectiveness of the bleach.

And, I'll point out the obvious, never mix bleach and any kind of window cleaner (ammonia), it makes a deadly chlorine gas...

I've also used Spray 9 on mold, for things I didn't want to ruin the colour on. Use it all over, then sit it in the sun. Next day I bleach the remaining spots. Then, next day vinegar the entire thing.

tam

[SL1]

ya, the PO used to store it in a barn, with a cover to keep the crap off it. nice and dark inside....

the skylight had some small cracks in it, which is where the moisture came from - i guess. anyway, no problems since i dosed it up with the bleach solution. in future i will definitely neutralize with the good old vinegar.
I'm not allowed to use the washing machine......

x2 on the spray 9, i used that to clean all the laminate / panels inside, its amazing how it cuts through the dirt/grease/etc. looks like new inside.

thanks for the tip
_________________
Steve
1985 GL Westy - 'Bullwinkle'
1978 Super Beetle - 'Rocky'