Help! Camper canvas moldy...

[CyeDavid]

So I have an extremely busy summer and hadn't had a chance to finish my camper. It was wrapped and tarped for about a year untouched. Today i went to move it behind the new shed i built and discovered this Mold all across the side. It has a coat of TB2 maybe 2 coats otherwise no paint and im hoping its not a total loss.. Has anyone had a similar issue? any suggestions on how to clean this and should i do it now or let it air out and wait til spring?

[CyeDavid]

Close up of the area

[Mary C]

Hi, relax, all is not lost. #1 get on some old clothes, #2 get one gallon of warm water,#3 mix in 3/4 cup regular strength chlorine bleach and 1/4 cup liquid soap. #4 get the hose ready for rinsing, take a cloth and cover each area with the bleach mixture on the rag. soak it down really well. Horizontally it will be difficult,let it soak on the black for at least 5 minutes, you could use a scrub brush on any parts that are difficult. Saturate all of the area, really make it wet. get under neath. After 15 to 20 minutes rinse, and rinse again. Let it all dry two or three days. Don't peek. Now check for unwashed areas. You may have to wash a few other areas, don't get upset, to miss some areas is common. Now you have killed the mildew and mold. once it is very dry, Paint with Glidden Gripper. Put on 2 coats to seal the canvas fibers so the mildew will not grow again. This is what I had to do to mine and it is fine now. I know the wash will not get the discoloration off but it will kill the mildew and mold. Living in the South

Mary C.

[CyeDavid]

Thanks so much for the reply.. I will have to try that out tomorrow. Hope it stays in the 50s or above this week.. I'm going to need all the sun i can get on it just to get it to dry out...

So disappointed i let this happen.. I knew i should have taken the time to get it sealed and Painted this spring...

[KCStudly]

TSP (Trisodum Phosphate) mixed with the bleach solution is good at killing mold as well. Available at any hardware store.

[Talia62]

Just remember that bleach will damage canvas. If this were my trailer, I'd be using this instead:

http://www.rustoleum.com/product-catalog/consumer-brands/zinsser/primer-sealers/mold-killing-primer

[GPW]

Bleach will not damage canvas if it’s a weak solution , and is washed/rinsed thoroughly after (like your laundry) .... for those yet unconvinced , mix some baking soda and water in a garden pump sprayer and spray the canvas after you’ve washed the bleach off .... let it sit a while , then rinse that off ...

[Talia62]

What's easier? Washing and rinsing and scrubbing with stinky bleach and tsp...or painting right over it with mold-killing primer, specifically formulated for that purpose?

[GPW]

Sorry , but being a Katrina survivor , we prefer to get rid of the mold first , then paint ... Just a personal preference and only one of the options as you’ve mentioned. But then again , we’re the sort that wire brush the heavy rust off a steel trailer before applying Rustoleum ...

[Mary C]

I'm sorry Talia, I didn't mention that I once worked for a company that washed away mold and mildew, I live in Georgia and there were lots of people with mold and mildew, I used the formula on walls floors, ceilings and shelves in stores and just about every where else. If applied and then rinsed with in 5 to ten minutes it should do not a bit of damage.I realize that it is stinky but it is appropriate. It will kill killer mold or black mold if you are familiar. As far as destroying the canvas it will not. Now as to your paint idea the problem is warrenty, there is not a bit of warrenty for painting over black mold. Mold can live under all paints and where the paint doesnt get into the spores it Lives. There are other chemicals that can be used and some will do damage. As GPW said it is better to wash it out then paint. We live in the South we have all the weather that promotesthe growth of mold so we have been fighting it for over 50 years. I have personally tried lots of different things and this works best.

Mary C.