Cleaning inside bed canvas

[lsprowls]

It has been an extremely wet summer. I noticed, while lying in bed, that the bed canvas ceiling is starting to display dark, mold looking spots. I want to clean this off before we store it for the winter. The pup is 8 years old and the canvases need a good cleaning anyhow. They are no longer pristine white. Any suggestions? Are there products on the market to do this? Any advice will be appreciated.

[PattieAM]

Your owners manual should give you the suggested products and dilution ratios for use in cleaning.  Some folks would suggest a mild bleach solution and soft bristled brush, good rinse and a wiping to dry - allowing it to dry thoroughly before closing.  But, check your owners manual.

[wavery]

Your owners manual should give you the suggested products and dilution ratios for use in cleaning.  Some folks would suggest a mild bleach solution and soft bristled brush, good rinse and a wiping to dry - allowing it to dry thoroughly before closing.  But, check your owners manual.

It's a 10% bleach solution (try it in a small spot 1st). Your Manual may suggest some commercial product but I don't think anything kills mold deader than bleach . Sometimes the manufacturer has $ reasons for suggesting commercial products and often they are not nearly as effective. However, in some rare cases, the commercial product may be easier on the fabric.

If the mold has been on there for a long time, the bacteria may have damaged the fabric. If that is the case, nothing will remove all of the black from the fabric. However, in most cases, the 10% bleach solution (allowed to set for 10 minutes) will kill the mold and the black will disappear like magic. Be sure to rinse thoroughly. If you have to scrub it, you may need to re-apply the water proofing.

For general cleaning, "Woolite" is the best. It doesn't hit the water-proofing as hard as detergents. You may want to wash all of the fabric with Woolite, then treat the moldy areas. However, if the slightest amount of mold is left, it will spread. It is best to not only use the bleach solution on the canvas but wipe down the entire camper with it while you are at it. I can assure you, if you have mold on the canvas, all of your upholstery, cabinets and every other surface has mold spores that will just spread again.

[flyfisherman]

For tenting material Starcraft uses Aqualon and they recommend (the owner's manual goes back to 1999) using products like Tilex or X-14 ... OR
a solution of 1/4 cup of Clorox per gallon of warm water. But they are adamant about a through rinse as the bleaching compound can cause thread deterioration.

The manual also says to first use a soft bristled hosehold brush to remove any surface dirt or dust.

Anytime I have to use a cleaner for any part of the camper (including the canvas should it first be needed) I use soap ... not a detergent/surfactant. For example, a dish washing "liquid" like Palmolive or Dawn is really a detergent ... a synthectic soap.

A real soap, like "Murphy Oil Soap", does an excellent job cleaning any part of the camper ... wood, vinyl, canvas, aluminum roof ... And it rinses throughly.



Fly

[wavery]

For tenting material Starcraft uses Aqualon and they recommend (the owner's manual goes back to 1999) using products like Tilex or X-14 ... OR
a solution of 1/4 cup of Clorox per gallon of warm water. But they are adamant about a through rinse as the bleaching compound can cause thread deterioration.

The manual also says to first use a soft bristled hosehold brush to remove any surface [COLOR="Red"]dirt or dust[/COLOR].

Anytime I have to use a cleaner for any part of the camper (including the canvas should it first be needed) I use soap ... not a detergent/surfactant. For example, a dish washing "liquid" like Palmolive or Dawn is really a detergent ... a synthectic soap.

A real soap, like "Murphy Oil Soap", does an excellent job cleaning any part of the camper ... wood, vinyl, canvas, aluminum roof ... And it rinses throughly.



Fly

Just a word of caution........In the presence of mold it is best NOT to brush mold before you apply the bleach solution. It will only spread live the mold spores all over the place. Including the air that you are breathing....... It's best to kill the mold spores with bleach 1st. It can be sprayed on with a spray bottle (until the material is soaked, if it is heavy mold). It's also best to avoid breathing in the bleach solution also........