Dealing with Motorhome Mildew or Mold

Dealing with Mildew and Mold in Your Coach

from an article by Debbie Hollembaek, DLH Design

We’ve all smelled it in our own RV’s, perhaps after storing them over a period of time or in a used RV, “that musty odor”.  What is that? Musty odors come from several things such as storing your RV, clothes left in the RV, cooking, drain pipes, sewer tanks, engine fumes, pets, mildew…. getting the picture?  Some of us experience the problem worse than others if you live in a damp muggy climate….Mildew or Mold.

Mildew or mold appears as black or bluish spots around wet areas like your shower, toilet and tile grout to name a few places it loves to start growing. If you see or suspect mold treat it immediately using the following method(s). 

Absorbent or porous materials, such as fuzzy ceiling liner, and carpet, may have to be thrown away if they become moldy. Do not paint or caulk moldy surfaces. Paint applied over moldy surfaces is likely to peel and the mold will grow back. If you have to remove a porous material that is bigger than 3x3 feet I recommend calling a professional. 

If you are removing a smaller area first make sure you are suited up for the job. An N-95 respirator found at local hardware stores will keep you from breathing in mold spores. Wear long rubber gloves and goggles for extra protection. First wet the area so when you begin to remove it mold spores won’t fly into the air. Create negative pressure in the room by placing a fan in front of an open window to ventilate any mold that may get air born. And one last thing, make sure your furnace and air conditioner is off. 

To clean moldy non-porous materials I prefer bleach or borax mixes. However you can investigate using vinegar, ammonia, hydrogen peroxide and tea tree oil on the web. 

For killing mold with bleach use a ratio of one cup of bleach per gallon of water. No rinse is required except for food prep areas. 

There are many advantages to using borax to kill mold. For starters, borax is a natural cleaning product and although it is toxic if you swallow it, borax does not emit chemicals. 

To kill mold using borax, create a borax-water solution using a ratio of 1 cup of borax per gallon of water.

Debbie Hollembaek   541-579-0910   dlhdesignrv@comcast.net   www.dlhdesigner.com