Have you been nurturing mold and mildew on your boat? Well, if you plan to bring aboard a date and take her for a ride, you need to get rid of the horrible odour and make sure your boat is spotless clean to make all the right impressions.
The thing about mold and mildew, they tend to sprout up in the visible and the invisible areas that offer a comfy, dark and moist environment to facilitate their growth. The boat’s cabin, quarter berths, settees, lazarettes, chain lockers, v-berths, under the seats in the cockpit, the list is endless, and fungi is always on the lookout for places to claim and make them look unclean.
You can also get the spray-on mildew shields that claim to prevent the growth of mildew and molds, but hey, we don’t want you to doubt their effectiveness, just don’t make them your only weapon against this menace.
The best way to prevent their growth is to make sure it never happens in the first place. Like they say, prevention is better than cure. So, if you’re planning on storing up your boat and not using it for a long time, take a few prevention steps. First, clean your boat and dry it nicely. It is ideal that you make use of diluted water-bleach to wipe up the head, shower, galley counters, the walls and the overhead.
Leave all the doors, lockers and drawers open, because circulation is a great preventer. Store all your books, paper towels and basically anything made with paper in an air-tight bag. Or better yet, take them out of the boat along with your cushions and mattresses.
Another great way is to make sure there is a nice air circulation and the moisture on your boat is well under control. To really make sure the mold growth is kept at bay, you need to control the humidity below 55% in your boat. Use a hygrometer to measure the humidity, its easily available at any marine store like West Marine .
Your enemies, mold and mildew, are much like vampires. They wither away in the sun and its warmth, so when they attack or even threaten to do so, take out all the contents of your boat and let them soak up the sun. Part the curtains and let your boat soak up some sun too. Trust me, exposure to the sun is the best way to scare away this menace that threatens to kill away the beauty of your boat.
Blog Provided By Natasha Zaib
